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4 @settitle T-gnus 6.15 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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270 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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279 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
280 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
283 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
284 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
285 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
286 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
287 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
288 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
289 License'' in the Emacs manual.
291 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
292 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
293 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
295 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
296 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
297 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
298 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
306 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
308 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
309 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
311 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
312 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
313 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
314 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
315 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
316 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
317 License'' in the Emacs manual.
319 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
320 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
321 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
323 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
324 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
325 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
326 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
332 @title T-gnus 6.15 Manual
334 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
337 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
338 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
339 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
341 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
342 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
343 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
344 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
345 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
346 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
347 License'' in the Emacs manual.
349 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
350 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
351 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
353 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
354 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
355 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
356 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
365 @top The gnus Newsreader
369 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
370 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
371 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
374 T-gnus provides MIME features based on SEMI API. So T-gnus supports
375 your right to read strange messages including big images or other
376 various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
377 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
378 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
379 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
381 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.15.
392 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
393 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
395 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
396 being accused of plagiarism:
398 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
399 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
400 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
401 can even read news with it!
403 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
404 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
405 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
406 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
407 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
413 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
414 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
415 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
416 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
417 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
418 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
419 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
420 * Various:: General purpose settings.
421 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
422 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
423 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
424 * Key Index:: Key Index.
427 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
431 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
432 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
433 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
434 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
435 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
436 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
437 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
438 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
439 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
440 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
441 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
445 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
446 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
447 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
451 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
452 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
453 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
454 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
455 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
456 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
457 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
458 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
459 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
460 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
461 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
462 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
463 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
464 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
465 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
466 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
467 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
471 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
472 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
473 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
477 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
478 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
479 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
480 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
481 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
485 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
486 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
487 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
488 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
492 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
493 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
494 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
495 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
496 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
498 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
499 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
500 * Threading:: How threads are made.
501 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
502 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
503 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
504 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
505 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
506 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
507 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
508 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
509 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
510 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
511 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
512 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
513 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
514 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
515 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
516 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
517 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
518 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
519 or reselecting the current group.
520 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
521 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
522 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
523 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
525 Summary Buffer Format
527 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
528 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
529 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
530 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
534 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
535 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
537 Reply, Followup and Post
539 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
540 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
541 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
542 * Canceling and Superseding::
546 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
547 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
548 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
550 * Generic Marking Commands::
551 * Setting Process Marks::
555 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
556 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
557 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
561 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
562 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
564 Customizing Threading
566 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
567 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
568 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
569 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
573 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
574 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
575 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
576 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
577 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
578 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
582 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
583 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
584 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
588 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
589 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
590 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
591 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
592 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
593 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
594 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
595 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
597 Alternative Approaches
599 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
600 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
602 Various Summary Stuff
604 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
605 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
606 * Summary Generation Commands::
607 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
611 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
612 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
613 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
614 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
615 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
619 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
620 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
621 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
622 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
623 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
624 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
625 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
626 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
630 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
631 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
632 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
633 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
634 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
635 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
636 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
637 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
641 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
642 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
643 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
644 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
645 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
646 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
647 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
651 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
652 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
656 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
657 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
658 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
662 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
663 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
664 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
665 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
666 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
667 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
668 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
669 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
670 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
671 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
672 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
673 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
674 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
675 * Archiving Mail:: How to backup your mail.
679 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
680 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
681 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
683 Choosing a Mail Back End
685 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
686 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
687 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
688 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
689 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
690 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
694 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
695 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
696 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
697 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
698 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
699 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
703 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
704 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
705 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
709 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
710 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
711 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
712 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
713 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
717 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
721 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
722 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
723 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
727 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
728 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
732 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
733 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
734 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
735 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
736 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
737 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
738 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
739 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
740 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
741 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
745 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
746 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
747 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
751 * Group Agent Commands::
752 * Summary Agent Commands::
753 * Server Agent Commands::
757 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
758 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
759 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
760 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
761 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
762 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
763 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
764 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
765 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
766 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
767 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
768 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
769 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
770 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
771 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
772 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
773 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
777 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
778 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
779 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
780 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
784 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
785 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
786 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
790 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
791 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
792 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
793 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
794 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
795 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
796 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
797 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
798 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
799 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
800 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
801 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
802 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
803 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
804 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
805 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
806 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
807 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
811 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
812 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
813 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
814 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
815 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
816 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
817 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
818 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
822 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
823 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
824 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
825 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
829 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
830 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
831 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
832 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
833 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
837 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
838 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
839 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
840 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
841 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
842 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
843 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
847 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
848 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
849 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
850 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
851 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
852 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
853 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
854 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
855 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
859 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
860 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
861 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
862 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
863 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
867 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
868 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
869 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
870 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
874 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
875 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
876 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
877 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
878 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
879 * Group Info:: The group info format.
880 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
881 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
882 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
886 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
887 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
888 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
889 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
890 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
891 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
895 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
896 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
900 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
901 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
907 @chapter Starting gnus
912 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
913 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
916 @findex gnus-other-frame
917 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
918 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
919 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
921 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
922 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
923 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
925 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
926 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
929 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
930 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
931 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
932 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
933 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
934 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
935 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
936 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
937 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
938 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
939 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
943 @node Finding the News
944 @section Finding the News
947 @vindex gnus-select-method
949 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
950 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
951 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
952 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
955 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
956 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
959 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
962 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
965 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
968 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
969 certainly be much faster.
971 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
973 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
974 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
975 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
976 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
977 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
978 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
980 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
981 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
982 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
983 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
985 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
986 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
987 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
988 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
989 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
990 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
991 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
992 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
993 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
996 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
998 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
999 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1000 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1001 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1002 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1003 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1005 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1007 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1008 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1009 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1010 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1011 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1012 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1015 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1016 you would typically set this variable to
1019 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1023 @node The First Time
1024 @section The First Time
1025 @cindex first time usage
1027 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1028 be subscribed by default.
1030 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1031 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1032 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1033 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1036 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1037 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1038 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1040 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1041 help you with most common problems.
1043 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1044 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1048 @node The Server is Down
1049 @section The Server is Down
1050 @cindex server errors
1052 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1053 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1054 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1056 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1057 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1058 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1059 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1060 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1061 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1062 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1064 @findex gnus-no-server
1065 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1067 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1068 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1069 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1070 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1071 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1072 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1073 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1077 @section Slave Gnusae
1080 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1081 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1082 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1083 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1085 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1086 @code{.newsrc} file.
1088 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1089 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1090 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1091 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1092 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1093 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1094 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1096 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1097 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1098 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1099 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1100 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1101 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1102 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1103 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1105 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1106 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1109 @node Fetching a Group
1110 @section Fetching a Group
1111 @cindex fetching a group
1113 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1114 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1115 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1116 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1117 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1118 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1124 @cindex subscription
1126 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1127 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1128 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1129 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1130 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1131 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1132 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1133 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1134 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1137 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1138 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1139 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1143 @node Checking New Groups
1144 @subsection Checking New Groups
1146 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1147 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1148 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1149 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1150 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1151 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1152 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1153 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1154 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1155 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1157 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1158 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1159 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1160 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1161 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1162 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1163 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1164 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1165 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1166 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1167 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1169 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1170 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1171 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1172 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1173 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1174 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1177 @node Subscription Methods
1178 @subsection Subscription Methods
1180 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1181 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1182 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1184 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1185 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1187 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1191 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1192 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1193 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1194 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1195 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1197 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1198 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1199 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1200 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1202 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1203 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1204 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1206 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1207 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1208 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1209 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1210 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1211 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1212 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1213 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1214 up. Or something like that.
1216 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1217 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1218 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1219 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1220 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1222 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1223 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1224 Kill all new groups.
1226 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1227 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1228 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1229 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1230 topic parameter that looks like
1236 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1239 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1244 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1245 A closely related variable is
1246 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1247 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1248 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1249 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1252 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1253 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1254 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1255 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1258 @node Filtering New Groups
1259 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1261 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1262 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1263 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1266 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1269 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1270 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1271 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1272 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1273 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1274 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1275 subscribing these groups.
1276 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1277 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1279 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1280 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1281 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1282 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1283 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1284 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1285 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1286 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1288 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1289 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1290 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1291 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1292 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1293 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1294 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1295 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1296 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1297 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1299 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1300 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1303 @node Changing Servers
1304 @section Changing Servers
1305 @cindex changing servers
1307 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1308 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1309 very flaky and you want to use another.
1311 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1312 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1316 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1317 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1318 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1319 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1322 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1323 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1324 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1325 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1327 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1328 @findex gnus-change-server
1329 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1330 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1331 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1332 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1333 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1335 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1336 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1337 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1338 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1339 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1341 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1342 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1343 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1344 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1345 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1346 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1348 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1349 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1350 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1354 @section Startup Files
1355 @cindex startup files
1360 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1361 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1363 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1364 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1365 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1366 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1367 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1368 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1369 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1371 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1372 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1373 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1374 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1375 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1376 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1378 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1379 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1380 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1381 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1382 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1383 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1384 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1385 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1386 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1387 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1389 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1390 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1391 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1392 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1393 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1394 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1395 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1396 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1397 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1398 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1399 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1400 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1402 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1403 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1404 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1405 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1407 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1408 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1409 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1410 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1411 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1412 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1413 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1414 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1415 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1416 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1419 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1420 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1422 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1423 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1426 @vindex gnus-init-file
1427 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1428 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1429 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1430 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1431 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1432 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1433 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1434 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1435 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1441 @cindex dribble file
1444 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1445 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1446 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1447 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1448 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1451 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1452 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1455 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1456 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1457 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1459 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1460 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1461 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1462 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1463 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1464 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1466 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1467 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1468 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1471 @node The Active File
1472 @section The Active File
1474 @cindex ignored groups
1476 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1477 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1478 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1480 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1481 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1482 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1483 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1484 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1485 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1486 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1489 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1490 @c if you set it to anything else.
1492 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1494 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1495 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1496 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1498 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1499 you actually subscribe to.
1501 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1502 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1503 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1504 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1506 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1507 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1508 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1509 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1510 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1511 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1513 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1514 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1515 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1518 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1519 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1520 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1521 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1522 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1523 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1525 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1526 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1528 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1529 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1531 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1532 secondary select methods.
1535 @node Startup Variables
1536 @section Startup Variables
1540 @item gnus-load-hook
1541 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1542 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1543 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1544 times you start gnus.
1546 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1547 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1548 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1550 @item gnus-startup-hook
1551 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1552 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1554 @item gnus-started-hook
1555 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1556 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1559 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1560 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1561 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1562 generating the group buffer.
1564 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1565 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1566 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1567 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1568 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1569 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1570 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1571 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1573 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1574 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1575 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1576 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1577 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1578 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1580 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1581 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1582 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1584 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1585 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1586 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1588 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1589 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1590 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1591 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1597 @chapter Group Buffer
1598 @cindex group buffer
1600 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1602 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1603 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1604 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1605 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1606 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1607 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1608 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1609 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1610 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1611 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1612 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1613 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1614 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1615 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1616 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1617 @c human rights at 9...
1620 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1621 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1622 long as gnus is active.
1626 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1627 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1628 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1629 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1630 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1631 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1632 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1633 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1639 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1640 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1641 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1642 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1643 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1644 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1645 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1646 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1647 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1648 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1649 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1650 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1651 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1652 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1653 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1654 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1655 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1659 @node Group Buffer Format
1660 @section Group Buffer Format
1663 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1664 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1665 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1669 @node Group Line Specification
1670 @subsection Group Line Specification
1671 @cindex group buffer format
1673 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1674 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1676 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1679 25: news.announce.newusers
1680 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1685 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1686 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1687 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1688 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1690 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1691 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1692 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1693 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1694 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1695 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1697 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1699 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1700 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1701 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1702 never examined by gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1705 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1706 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1707 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1709 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1714 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1717 Whether the group is subscribed.
1720 Level of subscribedness.
1723 Number of unread articles.
1726 Number of dormant articles.
1729 Number of ticked articles.
1732 Number of read articles.
1735 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1736 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1738 Gnus uses this estimation because the NNTP protocol provides efficient
1739 access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting the true
1740 unread message count is not possible efficiently. For hysterical
1741 raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of unread
1742 messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1743 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the
1744 back end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1745 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1748 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1751 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1760 Newsgroup description.
1763 @samp{m} if moderated.
1766 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1775 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1779 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1782 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1783 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1784 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1785 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1786 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1789 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1791 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1795 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1798 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1802 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1803 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1804 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1805 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1806 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1807 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1812 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1813 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1814 group, or a bogus native group.
1817 @node Group Modeline Specification
1818 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1819 @cindex group modeline
1821 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1822 The mode line can be changed by setting
1823 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1824 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1828 The native news server.
1830 The native select method.
1834 @node Group Highlighting
1835 @subsection Group Highlighting
1836 @cindex highlighting
1837 @cindex group highlighting
1839 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1840 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1841 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1842 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1843 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1845 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1849 (cond (window-system
1850 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1851 (defface my-group-face-1
1852 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1853 (defface my-group-face-2
1854 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1855 (defface my-group-face-3
1856 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1857 (defface my-group-face-4
1858 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1859 (defface my-group-face-5
1860 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1862 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1863 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1864 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1865 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1866 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1867 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1870 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1872 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1879 The number of unread articles in the group.
1883 Whether the group is a mail group.
1885 The level of the group.
1887 The score of the group.
1889 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1891 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1892 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1894 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1895 topic being inserted.
1898 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1899 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1900 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1902 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1903 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1904 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1905 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1906 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1909 @node Group Maneuvering
1910 @section Group Maneuvering
1911 @cindex group movement
1913 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1914 expected, hopefully.
1920 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1921 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1922 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1928 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1929 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1930 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1934 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1935 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1939 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1940 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1944 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1945 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1946 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1950 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1951 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1952 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1955 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1961 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1962 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1963 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1968 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1969 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1970 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1974 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1975 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1976 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1979 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1980 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1981 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1982 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1986 @node Selecting a Group
1987 @section Selecting a Group
1988 @cindex group selection
1993 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1994 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1995 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1996 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1997 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1998 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1999 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2000 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2001 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2002 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2004 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2005 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2006 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2008 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2009 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2014 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2015 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2016 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2017 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2018 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2022 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2023 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2024 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2025 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2026 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2027 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2028 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2029 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2030 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2031 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2034 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2035 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2036 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2037 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2038 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2041 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
2042 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2043 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2044 doing any processing of its contents
2045 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2046 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2047 manner will have no permanent effects.
2051 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2052 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
2053 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2054 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2055 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2056 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2057 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2058 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2061 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2062 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2063 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
2064 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2069 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
2070 full summary buffer.
2073 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
2076 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
2081 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2082 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
2083 Useful functions include:
2086 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2087 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2088 don't select the article.
2090 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2091 Select the first unread article.
2093 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2094 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2098 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2099 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2100 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2104 @node Subscription Commands
2105 @section Subscription Commands
2106 @cindex subscription
2114 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2115 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2116 Toggle subscription to the current group
2117 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2123 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2124 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2125 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2126 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2132 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2133 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2134 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2140 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2141 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2144 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2145 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2146 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2147 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2148 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2154 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2155 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2159 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2160 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2163 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2164 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2165 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2166 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2167 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2168 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2169 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2170 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2171 @file{.newsrc} file.
2175 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2185 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2186 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2187 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2188 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2189 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2190 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2195 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2196 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2197 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2201 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2202 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2203 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2205 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2206 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2207 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2208 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2209 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2210 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2217 @section Group Levels
2221 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2222 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2223 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2224 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2225 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2227 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2233 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2234 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2235 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2236 prompted for a level.
2239 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2240 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2241 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2242 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2243 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2244 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2245 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2246 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2247 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2248 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2249 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2250 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2251 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2252 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2253 reasons of efficiency.
2255 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2256 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2258 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2259 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2260 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2261 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2262 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2263 groups are hidden, in a way.
2265 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2266 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2267 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2268 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2269 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2270 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2272 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2273 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2274 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2275 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2276 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2277 list of killed groups.)
2279 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2280 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2281 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2283 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2284 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2285 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2286 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2287 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2288 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2289 relevant valid ranges.
2291 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2292 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2293 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2294 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2295 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2296 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2299 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2300 one with the best level.
2302 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2303 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2304 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2307 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2308 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2309 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2310 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2313 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2314 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2315 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2316 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2318 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2319 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2320 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2321 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2322 to 5. The default is 6.
2326 @section Group Score
2331 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2332 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2333 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2336 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2337 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2338 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2339 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2340 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2341 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2342 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2343 least significant part.))
2345 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2346 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2347 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2348 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2349 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2350 action after each summary exit, you can add
2351 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2352 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2353 slow things down somewhat.
2356 @node Marking Groups
2357 @section Marking Groups
2358 @cindex marking groups
2360 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2361 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2362 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2363 bidding on those groups.
2365 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2366 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2367 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2375 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2376 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2382 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2383 Remove the mark from the current group
2384 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2388 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2389 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2393 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2394 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2398 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2399 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2403 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2404 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2405 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2408 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2410 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2411 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2412 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2413 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2414 the command to be executed.
2417 @node Foreign Groups
2418 @section Foreign Groups
2419 @cindex foreign groups
2421 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2422 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2423 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2424 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2431 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2432 @cindex making groups
2433 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2434 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2435 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2439 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2440 @cindex renaming groups
2441 Rename the current group to something else
2442 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2443 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2449 @findex gnus-group-customize
2450 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2454 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2455 @cindex renaming groups
2456 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2457 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2461 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2462 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2463 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2467 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2468 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2469 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2473 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2475 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2476 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2481 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2482 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2486 @cindex (ding) archive
2487 @cindex archive group
2488 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2489 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2490 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2491 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2492 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2493 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2494 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2498 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2500 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2501 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2502 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2503 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2507 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2509 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2510 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2511 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2515 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2516 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2518 Make a group based on some file or other
2519 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2520 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2521 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
2522 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
2523 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
2524 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2525 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2529 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2530 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2531 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2532 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2536 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2541 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2542 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2543 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2544 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2545 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2546 @xref{Web Searches}.
2548 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2549 to a particular group by using a match string like
2550 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2553 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2554 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2555 This function will delete the current group
2556 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2557 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2558 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2559 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2560 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2564 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2565 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2566 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2570 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2571 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2572 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2575 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2578 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2579 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2580 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2581 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2582 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2583 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2587 @node Group Parameters
2588 @section Group Parameters
2589 @cindex group parameters
2591 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2592 Here's an example group parameter list:
2595 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2599 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2600 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2601 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2602 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2604 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2605 is an alist of regexps and values.
2607 The following group parameters can be used:
2612 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2615 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2618 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2619 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2620 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2621 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2622 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2624 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2625 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2626 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2627 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2628 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2629 list address instead.
2631 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2635 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2638 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2641 It is totally ignored
2642 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2643 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2645 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2646 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2647 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2648 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2649 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2651 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2652 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2653 sending the message.
2655 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2656 @cindex Mail List Groups
2657 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2658 entering summary buffer.
2660 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2664 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2665 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2666 of whether it has any unread articles.
2668 @item broken-reply-to
2669 @cindex broken-reply-to
2670 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2671 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2672 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2673 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2674 broken behavior. So there!
2678 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2679 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2683 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2684 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2685 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2690 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2691 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2692 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2693 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2694 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2695 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2696 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2700 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2701 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2702 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2704 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2707 @cindex total-expire
2708 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2709 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2710 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2711 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2714 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2718 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2719 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2720 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2721 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2722 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2723 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2726 @cindex score file group parameter
2727 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2728 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2729 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2732 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2733 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2734 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2735 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2738 @cindex admin-address
2739 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2740 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2741 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2742 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2746 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2747 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2751 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2754 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2758 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2760 Here are some examples:
2764 Display only read articles.
2767 Display everything except expirable articles.
2769 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2770 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2774 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2775 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2776 @code{read}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2777 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2778 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{seen} and @code{recent}.
2782 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2783 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2784 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2788 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2789 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2790 gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2795 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2796 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2797 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2799 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2801 @item ignored-charsets
2802 @cindex ignored-charset
2803 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2804 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2805 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2807 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2810 @cindex posting-style
2811 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2812 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2813 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2814 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2815 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2817 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2818 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2819 like this in the group parameters:
2824 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2829 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2830 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2834 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2835 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2836 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2837 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2838 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2840 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2841 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2842 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2843 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2844 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2845 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2846 @code{eval}ed there.
2848 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2849 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2850 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2851 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2852 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2856 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2857 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2858 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2859 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2860 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2862 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2863 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2867 (setq gnus-parameters
2869 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2870 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2871 (gnus-summary-line-format
2872 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2876 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2880 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2884 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2887 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2888 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2891 @node Listing Groups
2892 @section Listing Groups
2893 @cindex group listing
2895 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2903 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2904 List all groups that have unread articles
2905 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2906 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2907 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2908 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2915 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2916 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2917 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2918 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2919 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2920 unsubscribed groups).
2924 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2925 List all unread groups on a specific level
2926 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2927 with no unread articles.
2931 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2932 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2933 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2934 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2939 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2940 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2944 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2945 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2946 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2950 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2951 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2955 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2956 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2957 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2958 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2959 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2960 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2961 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2962 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2966 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2967 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2968 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2972 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2973 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2974 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2978 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
2979 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
2983 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
2984 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
2988 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
2989 List groups limited within the current selection
2990 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
2994 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
2995 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
2999 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3000 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3004 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3005 @cindex visible group parameter
3006 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3007 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3008 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3009 get the same effect.
3011 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3012 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3013 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3014 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3015 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3018 @node Sorting Groups
3019 @section Sorting Groups
3020 @cindex sorting groups
3022 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3023 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3024 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3025 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3026 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3027 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3032 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3033 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3034 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3036 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3037 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3038 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3040 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3041 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3042 Sort by group level.
3044 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3045 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3046 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3048 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3049 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3050 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3051 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3053 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3054 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3055 Sort by number of unread articles.
3057 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3058 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3059 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3061 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3062 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3063 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3068 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3069 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3073 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3074 some sorting criteria:
3078 @kindex G S a (Group)
3079 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3080 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3081 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3084 @kindex G S u (Group)
3085 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3086 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3087 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3090 @kindex G S l (Group)
3091 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3092 Sort the group buffer by group level
3093 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3096 @kindex G S v (Group)
3097 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3098 Sort the group buffer by group score
3099 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3102 @kindex G S r (Group)
3103 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3104 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3105 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3108 @kindex G S m (Group)
3109 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3110 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3111 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3115 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3116 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3118 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3119 commands will sort in reverse order.
3121 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3125 @kindex G P a (Group)
3126 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3127 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3128 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3131 @kindex G P u (Group)
3132 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3133 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3134 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3137 @kindex G P l (Group)
3138 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3139 Sort the groups by group level
3140 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3143 @kindex G P v (Group)
3144 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3145 Sort the groups by group score
3146 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3149 @kindex G P r (Group)
3150 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3151 Sort the groups by group rank
3152 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3155 @kindex G P m (Group)
3156 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3157 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3158 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3162 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3166 @node Group Maintenance
3167 @section Group Maintenance
3168 @cindex bogus groups
3173 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3174 Find bogus groups and delete them
3175 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3179 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3180 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3181 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3182 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3183 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3187 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3188 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3189 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3190 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3191 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3192 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3195 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
3196 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3197 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3198 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3203 @node Browse Foreign Server
3204 @section Browse Foreign Server
3205 @cindex foreign servers
3206 @cindex browsing servers
3211 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3212 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3213 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3214 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3217 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3218 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3219 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3220 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3222 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3227 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3228 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3232 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3233 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3236 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3237 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3238 Enter the current group and display the first article
3239 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3242 @kindex RET (Browse)
3243 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3244 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3248 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3249 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3250 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3256 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3257 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3261 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3262 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3263 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3268 @section Exiting gnus
3269 @cindex exiting gnus
3271 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3276 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3277 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3278 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3279 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3283 @findex gnus-group-exit
3284 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3285 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3289 @findex gnus-group-quit
3290 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3291 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3294 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3295 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3296 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3297 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3298 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3303 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3304 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3305 trying to customize meta-variables.
3310 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3311 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3312 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3318 @section Group Topics
3321 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3322 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3323 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3324 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3325 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3326 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3330 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3331 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3342 2: alt.religion.emacs
3345 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3347 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3348 13: comp.sources.unix
3351 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3353 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3354 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3355 is a toggling command.)
3357 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3358 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3359 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3360 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3363 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3364 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3365 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3368 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3372 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3373 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3374 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3375 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3376 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3380 @node Topic Commands
3381 @subsection Topic Commands
3382 @cindex topic commands
3384 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3385 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3386 definitions slightly.
3388 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3389 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3390 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3391 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3392 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3393 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3395 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3402 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3403 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3404 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3408 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3410 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3411 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3412 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3413 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3416 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3417 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3418 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3419 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3423 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3424 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3425 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3426 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3432 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3433 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3434 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3438 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3439 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3440 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3443 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3444 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3445 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3446 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3447 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3449 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3450 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3454 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3455 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3462 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3464 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3465 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3466 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3467 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3468 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3469 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3473 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3479 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3480 Move the current group to some other topic
3481 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3482 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3486 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3487 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3491 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3492 Copy the current group to some other topic
3493 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3494 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3498 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3499 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3500 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3504 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3505 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3506 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3510 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3511 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3512 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3513 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3514 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3515 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3516 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3519 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3520 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3524 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3525 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3526 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3530 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3531 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3532 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3536 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3537 Toggle hiding empty topics
3538 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3542 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3543 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3544 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3547 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3548 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3549 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3550 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3553 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3554 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3555 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3556 expiry process (if any)
3557 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3561 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3562 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3565 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3566 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3567 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3571 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3572 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3573 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3577 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3578 @cindex group parameters
3579 @cindex topic parameters
3581 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3582 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3587 @node Topic Variables
3588 @subsection Topic Variables
3589 @cindex topic variables
3591 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3592 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3594 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3595 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3596 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3609 Number of groups in the topic.
3611 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3613 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3616 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3617 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3618 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3621 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3622 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3624 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3625 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3626 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3630 @subsection Topic Sorting
3631 @cindex topic sorting
3633 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3639 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3640 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3641 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3642 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3645 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3646 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3647 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3648 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3651 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3652 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3653 Sort the current topic by group level
3654 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3657 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3658 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3659 Sort the current topic by group score
3660 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3663 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3664 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3665 Sort the current topic by group rank
3666 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3669 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3670 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3671 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3672 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3676 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3679 @node Topic Topology
3680 @subsection Topic Topology
3681 @cindex topic topology
3684 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3690 2: alt.religion.emacs
3693 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3695 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3696 13: comp.sources.unix
3699 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3700 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3701 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3706 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3707 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3711 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3712 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3713 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3714 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3715 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3716 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3718 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3719 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3720 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3723 @node Topic Parameters
3724 @subsection Topic Parameters
3725 @cindex topic parameters
3727 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3728 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3729 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3731 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3736 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3737 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3738 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3743 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3744 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3745 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3746 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3752 2: alt.religion.emacs
3756 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3758 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3759 13: comp.sources.unix
3763 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3764 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3765 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3766 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3767 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3768 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3770 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3771 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3772 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3773 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3774 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3776 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3777 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3778 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3779 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3780 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3781 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3782 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3783 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3786 @node Misc Group Stuff
3787 @section Misc Group Stuff
3790 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3791 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3792 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3793 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3800 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3801 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3802 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3806 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3807 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3808 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3812 @findex gnus-group-mail
3813 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3817 Variables for the group buffer:
3821 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3822 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3823 is called after the group buffer has been
3826 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3827 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3828 is called after the group buffer is
3829 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3832 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3833 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3834 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3835 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3837 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3838 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3839 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3840 whether they are empty or not.
3842 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3843 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3844 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3845 non-ASCII group names.
3849 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3850 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3853 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3854 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3855 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
3856 It is used to show non-ASCII group names.
3860 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3861 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3866 @node Scanning New Messages
3867 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3868 @cindex new messages
3869 @cindex scanning new news
3875 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3876 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3877 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3878 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3879 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3880 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3885 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3886 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3887 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3888 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3889 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3890 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3891 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3893 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3894 @cindex activating groups
3896 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3897 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3902 @findex gnus-group-restart
3903 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3904 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3905 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
3909 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3910 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3912 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3913 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3917 @node Group Information
3918 @subsection Group Information
3919 @cindex group information
3920 @cindex information on groups
3927 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3928 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3931 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3932 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3933 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3934 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3935 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3936 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3937 for fetching the file.
3939 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
3940 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3944 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3946 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3947 @cindex describing groups
3948 @cindex group description
3949 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3950 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3951 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3955 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3956 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3957 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3964 @findex gnus-version
3965 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3969 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3970 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3973 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3976 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3977 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3981 @node Group Timestamp
3982 @subsection Group Timestamp
3984 @cindex group timestamps
3986 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
3987 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3988 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3991 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3994 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3996 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3997 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4000 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4001 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4004 This will result in lines looking like:
4007 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4008 0: custom 19961002T012713
4011 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4012 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4016 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4017 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4022 @subsection File Commands
4023 @cindex file commands
4029 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4030 @vindex gnus-init-file
4031 @cindex reading init file
4032 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4033 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4037 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4038 @cindex saving .newsrc
4039 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4040 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4041 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4044 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4045 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4046 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4051 @node Summary Buffer
4052 @chapter Summary Buffer
4053 @cindex summary buffer
4055 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4056 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4058 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4059 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4061 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4064 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4065 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4066 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4067 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4068 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4069 * Delayed Articles::
4070 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4071 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4072 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4073 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4074 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4075 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4076 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4077 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4078 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4079 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4080 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4081 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4082 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4083 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4084 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4085 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4086 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4087 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4088 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4089 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4090 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4091 or reselecting the current group.
4092 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4093 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4094 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4095 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4099 @node Summary Buffer Format
4100 @section Summary Buffer Format
4101 @cindex summary buffer format
4105 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4106 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4107 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4113 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4114 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4115 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4116 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4119 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4120 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4121 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4122 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4123 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4124 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4125 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4126 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4127 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4128 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4129 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4130 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4131 other function instead:
4134 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4135 'mail-extract-address-components)
4138 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4139 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4140 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4141 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4144 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4145 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4147 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4148 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4149 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4150 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4151 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4153 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4154 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4155 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4156 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4157 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4159 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%) %s\n}.
4161 The following format specification characters are understood:
4167 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4168 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4170 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4171 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4172 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4174 Full @code{From} header.
4176 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4178 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
4179 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
4181 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4182 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4183 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4184 may be more thorough.
4186 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4189 Number of lines in the article.
4191 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4192 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4194 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4196 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4199 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4200 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4202 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4203 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4205 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4206 for adopted articles.
4208 One space for each thread level.
4210 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4215 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4216 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4220 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4222 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4223 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4224 default level. If the difference between
4225 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4226 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4234 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4236 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4242 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4243 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4245 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4246 article has any children.
4252 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4253 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4254 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4255 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4256 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4257 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4260 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4261 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4262 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4263 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4264 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4265 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4267 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4268 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4270 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4273 @node To From Newsgroups
4274 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4278 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4279 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4280 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4281 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4282 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4286 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4287 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4288 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4292 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4293 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4296 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4297 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4300 @findex gnus-extra-header
4301 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4302 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4303 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4306 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4310 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4311 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4312 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4313 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4314 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4315 headers are used instead.
4319 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4320 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4321 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4322 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4325 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4326 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4327 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4328 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4330 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4334 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4336 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4337 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4338 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4339 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4343 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4344 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4351 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4352 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4355 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4356 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4358 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4359 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4360 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4361 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4363 Here are the elements you can play with:
4369 Unprefixed group name.
4371 Current article number.
4373 Current article score.
4377 Number of unread articles in this group.
4379 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4382 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4383 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4384 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4385 and no unselected ones.
4387 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4388 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4390 Subject of the current article.
4392 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4394 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4396 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4398 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4400 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4402 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4406 @node Summary Highlighting
4407 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4411 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4412 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4413 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4414 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4415 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4417 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4418 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4419 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4420 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4422 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4423 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4424 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4425 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4427 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4428 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4429 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4430 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4431 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4432 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4435 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4436 ((> score default) . bold))
4438 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4439 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4443 @node Summary Maneuvering
4444 @section Summary Maneuvering
4445 @cindex summary movement
4447 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4448 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4450 None of these commands select articles.
4455 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4456 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4457 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4458 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4459 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4463 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4464 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4465 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4466 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4467 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4470 @kindex G g (Summary)
4471 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4472 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4473 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4476 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4477 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4478 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4479 to the group buffer.
4481 Variables related to summary movement:
4485 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4486 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4487 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4488 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4489 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4490 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4491 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4492 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4493 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
4494 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4495 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4496 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4497 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4498 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4500 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4501 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4502 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4503 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4504 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4505 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4506 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4508 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4510 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4511 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4512 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4513 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4514 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4516 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4517 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4518 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4519 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4520 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4521 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4522 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4523 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4526 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4527 the given number of lines from the top.
4532 @node Choosing Articles
4533 @section Choosing Articles
4534 @cindex selecting articles
4537 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4538 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4542 @node Choosing Commands
4543 @subsection Choosing Commands
4545 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4546 and they all select and display an article.
4548 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4549 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4553 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4554 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4555 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4556 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4561 @kindex G n (Summary)
4562 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4563 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4564 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4569 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4570 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4571 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4576 @kindex G N (Summary)
4577 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4578 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4583 @kindex G P (Summary)
4584 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4585 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4588 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4589 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4590 Go to the next article with the same subject
4591 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4594 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4595 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4596 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4597 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4601 @kindex G f (Summary)
4603 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4604 Go to the first unread article
4605 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4609 @kindex G b (Summary)
4611 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4612 Go to the article with the highest score
4613 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4618 @kindex G l (Summary)
4619 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4620 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4623 @kindex G o (Summary)
4624 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4626 @cindex article history
4627 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4628 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4629 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4630 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4631 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4632 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4637 @kindex G j (Summary)
4638 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4639 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4640 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4645 @node Choosing Variables
4646 @subsection Choosing Variables
4648 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4651 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4652 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4653 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4654 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4655 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4656 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4658 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4659 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4660 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4661 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4663 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4664 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4665 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4666 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4667 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4668 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4669 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4670 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4671 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4672 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4673 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4674 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4675 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4676 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4681 @node Paging the Article
4682 @section Scrolling the Article
4683 @cindex article scrolling
4688 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4689 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4690 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4691 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4692 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4695 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4696 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4697 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4700 @kindex RET (Summary)
4701 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4702 Scroll the current article one line forward
4703 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4706 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4707 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4708 Scroll the current article one line backward
4709 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4713 @kindex A g (Summary)
4715 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4716 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4717 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4718 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4719 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4720 the way it came from the server.
4722 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4723 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4724 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4727 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4732 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4737 @kindex A < (Summary)
4738 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4739 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4740 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4745 @kindex A > (Summary)
4746 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4747 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4751 @kindex A s (Summary)
4753 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4754 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4755 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4759 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4760 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4765 @node Reply Followup and Post
4766 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4769 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4770 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4771 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4772 * Canceling and Superseding::
4776 @node Summary Mail Commands
4777 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4779 @cindex composing mail
4781 Commands for composing a mail message:
4787 @kindex S r (Summary)
4789 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4790 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4791 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4792 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4793 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4798 @kindex S R (Summary)
4799 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4800 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4801 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4802 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4803 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4806 @kindex S w (Summary)
4807 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4808 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4809 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4810 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4811 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4814 @kindex S W (Summary)
4815 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4816 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4817 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4818 the process/prefix convention.
4821 @kindex S v (Summary)
4822 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
4823 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
4824 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
4825 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4826 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
4827 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
4831 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4832 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4833 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4834 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4835 Forward the current article to some other person
4836 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4837 headers of the forwarded article.
4842 @kindex S m (Summary)
4843 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4844 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4845 Send a mail to some other person
4846 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4849 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4850 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4851 @cindex bouncing mail
4852 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4853 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4854 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4855 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4856 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4857 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
4858 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4859 very well fail, though.
4862 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4863 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4864 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4865 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4866 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4867 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4868 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4869 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4870 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4871 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4873 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4874 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4875 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4876 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4877 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4879 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4880 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4883 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4884 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
4885 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4886 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
4887 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4890 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4891 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4892 @cindex crossposting
4893 @cindex excessive crossposting
4894 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4895 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4897 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4898 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4899 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4900 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4901 command understands the process/prefix convention
4902 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4906 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
4907 Manual}, for more information.
4910 @node Summary Post Commands
4911 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4913 @cindex composing news
4915 Commands for posting a news article:
4921 @kindex S p (Summary)
4922 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4923 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4924 Post an article to the current group
4925 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4930 @kindex S f (Summary)
4931 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4932 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4933 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4937 @kindex S F (Summary)
4939 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4940 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4941 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4942 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4943 process/prefix convention.
4946 @kindex S n (Summary)
4947 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4948 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4949 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4952 @kindex S N (Summary)
4953 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4954 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4955 message through mail and include the original message
4956 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4957 the process/prefix convention.
4960 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4961 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4962 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4963 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4964 headers of the forwarded article.
4967 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4968 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
4970 @cindex making digests
4971 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4972 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
4973 process/prefix convention.
4976 @kindex S u (Summary)
4977 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4978 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4979 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4980 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4983 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
4984 Manual}, for more information.
4987 @node Summary Message Commands
4988 @subsection Summary Message Commands
4992 @kindex S y (Summary)
4993 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
4994 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
4995 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
4996 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
4997 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5002 @node Canceling and Superseding
5003 @subsection Canceling Articles
5004 @cindex canceling articles
5005 @cindex superseding articles
5007 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5008 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5010 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5012 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5014 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5015 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5016 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5017 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5018 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5019 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5021 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5022 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5025 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5026 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5027 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5029 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5030 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5031 your original article.
5033 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5035 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5036 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5037 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5040 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5041 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5042 have posted almost the same article twice.
5044 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5045 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5046 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5047 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5048 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5049 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5050 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5051 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5052 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5053 canceled/superseded.
5055 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5057 @node Delayed Articles
5058 @section Delayed Articles
5059 @cindex delayed sending
5060 @cindex send delayed
5062 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5063 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5064 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5065 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5068 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5071 @findex gnus-delay-article
5072 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5073 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5074 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5075 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5079 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5080 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5081 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5082 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5085 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5086 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5087 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5090 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5091 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5092 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5093 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5094 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5095 that means a time tomorrow.
5098 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5099 couple of variables:
5102 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5103 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5104 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5105 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5107 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5108 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5109 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5110 formats described above.
5112 @item gnus-delay-group
5113 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5114 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5115 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5116 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5118 @item gnus-delay-header
5119 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5120 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5121 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5122 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5125 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5126 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5127 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5128 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5129 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5131 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5132 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts}
5133 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5134 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5135 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5136 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts} function.
5139 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5140 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5141 By default, this function installs the @kbd{C-c C-j} key binding in
5142 Message mode and @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts} in
5143 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts two optional arguments,
5144 @code{no-keymap} and @code{no-check}. If @code{no-keymap} is non-nil,
5145 the @kbd{C-c C-j} binding is not intalled. If @code{no-check} is
5146 non-nil, @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed.
5148 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to change the
5149 keymap but not to change @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. Presumably, you
5150 want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles. Just don't
5151 forget to set that up :-)
5155 @node Marking Articles
5156 @section Marking Articles
5157 @cindex article marking
5158 @cindex article ticking
5161 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5163 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5164 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5165 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5167 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5170 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5171 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5172 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5176 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5180 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5181 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5182 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5186 @node Unread Articles
5187 @subsection Unread Articles
5189 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5194 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5195 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5197 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5198 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5199 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5200 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5201 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5202 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5203 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5206 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5207 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5209 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5210 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5211 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5212 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5216 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5217 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5219 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5224 @subsection Read Articles
5225 @cindex expirable mark
5227 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5232 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5233 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5234 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5237 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5238 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5241 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5242 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5243 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5246 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5247 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5250 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5251 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5254 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5255 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5258 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5259 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5262 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5263 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5266 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5267 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5270 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5271 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5275 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5276 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5277 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5281 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5282 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5284 One more special mark, though:
5288 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5289 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5291 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5292 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5293 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5294 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5300 @subsection Other Marks
5301 @cindex process mark
5304 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5310 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5311 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5312 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5313 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5314 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5317 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5318 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5319 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5320 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5322 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5323 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5324 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5326 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5327 Articles that are ``recently'' arrived in the group will be marked
5328 with an @samp{N} in the second column (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Most
5329 back end doesn't support the mark, in which case it's not shown.
5332 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5333 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5334 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5337 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5338 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5339 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5340 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5343 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5344 Articles that according to the back end haven't been seen by the user
5345 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5346 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all back ends support this
5347 mark, in which case it simply never appear.
5350 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5351 Articles that haven't been seen by the user before are marked with a
5352 @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5355 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5356 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5357 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5358 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5359 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5362 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5363 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5364 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5365 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5366 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5367 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5371 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5372 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5373 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5375 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5376 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5377 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5381 @subsection Setting Marks
5382 @cindex setting marks
5384 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5389 @kindex M c (Summary)
5390 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5391 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5392 @cindex mark as unread
5393 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5394 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5400 @kindex M t (Summary)
5401 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5402 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5403 @xref{Article Caching}.
5408 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5409 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5410 Mark the current article as dormant
5411 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5415 @kindex M d (Summary)
5417 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5418 Mark the current article as read
5419 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5423 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5424 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5425 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5430 @kindex M k (Summary)
5431 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5432 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5433 and then select the next unread article
5434 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5438 @kindex M K (Summary)
5439 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5440 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5441 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5442 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5445 @kindex M C (Summary)
5446 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5447 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5448 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5451 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5452 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5453 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5454 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5457 @kindex M H (Summary)
5458 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5459 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5460 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5463 @kindex M h (Summary)
5464 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5465 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5466 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5469 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5470 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5471 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5472 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5475 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5476 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5477 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5478 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5482 @kindex M e (Summary)
5484 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5485 Mark the current article as expirable
5486 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5489 @kindex M b (Summary)
5490 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5491 Set a bookmark in the current article
5492 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5495 @kindex M B (Summary)
5496 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5497 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5498 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5501 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5502 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5503 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5504 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5507 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5508 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5509 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5510 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5513 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5514 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5515 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5516 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5517 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5520 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5521 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5522 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5523 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5524 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5525 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5526 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5527 The default is @code{t}.
5530 @node Generic Marking Commands
5531 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5533 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5534 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5535 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5536 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5537 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5540 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5541 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5544 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5545 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5546 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5547 to list in this manual.
5549 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5550 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5551 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5552 article, you could say something like:
5555 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5556 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5557 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5563 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5564 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5568 @node Setting Process Marks
5569 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5570 @cindex setting process marks
5577 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5578 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5579 Mark the current article with the process mark
5580 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5581 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5585 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5586 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5587 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5588 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5591 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5592 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5593 Remove the process mark from all articles
5594 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5597 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5598 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5599 Invert the list of process marked articles
5600 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5603 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5604 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5605 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5606 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5609 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5610 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5611 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5612 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5615 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5616 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5617 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5620 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5621 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5622 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5623 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5626 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5627 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5628 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5629 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5632 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5633 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5634 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5635 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5638 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5639 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5640 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5643 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5644 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5645 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5646 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5649 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5650 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5651 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5654 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5655 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5656 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5657 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5660 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5661 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5662 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5663 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5666 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5667 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5668 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5669 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5672 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5673 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5674 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5675 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5679 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5680 set process marks based on article body contents.
5687 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5688 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5689 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5692 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5693 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5694 additional articles.
5700 @kindex / / (Summary)
5701 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5702 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5703 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5706 @kindex / a (Summary)
5707 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5708 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5709 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5712 @kindex / x (Summary)
5713 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5714 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5715 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5716 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}).
5720 @kindex / u (Summary)
5722 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5723 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5724 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5725 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5726 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5729 @kindex / m (Summary)
5730 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5731 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5732 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5735 @kindex / t (Summary)
5736 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5737 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5738 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5739 articles younger than that number of days.
5742 @kindex / n (Summary)
5743 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5744 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5745 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5746 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5749 @kindex / w (Summary)
5750 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5751 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5752 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5756 @kindex / v (Summary)
5757 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5758 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5759 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5762 @kindex / p (Summary)
5763 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter
5764 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
5765 group parameter predicate
5766 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter}). See @pxref{Group
5767 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
5771 @kindex M S (Summary)
5772 @kindex / E (Summary)
5773 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5774 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5775 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5778 @kindex / D (Summary)
5779 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5780 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5781 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5784 @kindex / * (Summary)
5785 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5786 Include all cached articles in the limit
5787 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5790 @kindex / d (Summary)
5791 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5792 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5793 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5796 @kindex / M (Summary)
5797 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5798 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5801 @kindex / T (Summary)
5802 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5803 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5806 @kindex / c (Summary)
5807 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5808 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5809 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5812 @kindex / C (Summary)
5813 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5814 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5815 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5816 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5819 @kindex / N (Summary)
5820 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
5821 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
5822 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
5825 @kindex / o (Summary)
5826 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
5827 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
5828 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
5836 @cindex article threading
5838 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5839 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5840 hierarchical fashion.
5842 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5843 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5844 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5845 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
5846 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5847 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5848 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5850 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5854 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5857 A tree-like article structure.
5860 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5863 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5864 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5865 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5866 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5867 called loose threads.
5869 @item thread gathering
5870 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5872 @item sparse threads
5873 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5874 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
5880 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
5881 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
5885 @node Customizing Threading
5886 @subsection Customizing Threading
5887 @cindex customizing threading
5890 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
5891 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
5892 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
5893 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
5898 @subsubsection Loose Threads
5901 @cindex loose threads
5904 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
5905 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
5906 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
5907 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
5908 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
5909 read or killed the root in a previous session.
5911 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
5912 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
5913 There are four possible values:
5917 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
5918 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
5919 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
5920 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
5921 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
5926 @cindex adopting articles
5931 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
5932 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
5933 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
5934 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
5937 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
5938 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
5939 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
5940 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
5941 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
5942 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
5943 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5946 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
5947 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
5948 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
5952 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
5953 display them after one another.
5956 Don't gather loose threads.
5959 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5960 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5961 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
5962 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
5963 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5964 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5965 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
5966 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
5967 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
5968 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
5969 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
5971 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
5972 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
5973 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
5976 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5977 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5978 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
5979 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
5980 simplification is used.
5982 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5983 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5984 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
5985 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
5987 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
5989 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5995 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
5996 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
5997 "answer" "reference" "announce"
5998 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6003 (mapconcat 'identity
6004 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6006 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6009 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6012 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6013 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6014 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6015 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6016 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6017 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6019 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6022 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6023 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6024 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6026 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6027 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6030 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6031 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6032 Remove excessive whitespace.
6035 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6038 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6039 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6040 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6041 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6042 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6043 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6044 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6045 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6047 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6048 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6049 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6050 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6051 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6052 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6053 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6054 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6055 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6059 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6060 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6061 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6062 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6064 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6065 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6066 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6069 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6073 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6074 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6080 @node Filling In Threads
6081 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6084 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6085 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6086 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6087 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6088 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6089 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6090 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6091 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6092 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6093 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
6094 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
6095 expired by the server, there's not much gnus can do about that.
6097 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6098 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6099 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6101 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6102 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6103 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6104 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6105 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6106 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6107 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6108 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6109 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6110 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6111 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6112 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6113 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6114 @code{nil} by default.
6116 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6117 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6118 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6119 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6120 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6121 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6122 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6124 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6125 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6126 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6131 @node More Threading
6132 @subsubsection More Threading
6135 @item gnus-show-threads
6136 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6137 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6138 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6139 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6140 slower and more awkward.
6142 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6143 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6144 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6147 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6148 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6149 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6150 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6151 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6152 threads are expunged.
6154 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6155 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6156 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6159 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6160 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6161 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6162 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6163 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6164 result in a new thread.
6166 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6167 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6168 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6171 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6172 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6173 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6174 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6175 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6176 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6177 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6178 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6179 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6180 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6181 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6186 @node Low-Level Threading
6187 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6191 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6192 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6193 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6194 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6195 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6196 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6198 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6199 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6200 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6201 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6202 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6203 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6204 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6205 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6206 meaningful. Here's one example:
6209 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6211 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6212 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6214 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6216 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6223 @node Thread Commands
6224 @subsection Thread Commands
6225 @cindex thread commands
6231 @kindex T k (Summary)
6232 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
6233 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6234 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6235 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6236 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6241 @kindex T l (Summary)
6242 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
6243 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6244 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6245 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6248 @kindex T i (Summary)
6249 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6250 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6251 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6254 @kindex T # (Summary)
6255 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6256 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6257 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6260 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6261 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6262 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6263 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6266 @kindex T T (Summary)
6267 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6268 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6271 @kindex T s (Summary)
6272 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6273 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6274 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6277 @kindex T h (Summary)
6278 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6279 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6282 @kindex T S (Summary)
6283 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6284 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6287 @kindex T H (Summary)
6288 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6289 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6292 @kindex T t (Summary)
6293 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6294 Re-thread the current article's thread
6295 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6296 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6299 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6300 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6301 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6302 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6306 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6307 understand the numeric prefix.
6312 @kindex T n (Summary)
6314 @kindex M-C-n (Summary)
6316 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6317 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6318 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6321 @kindex T p (Summary)
6323 @kindex M-C-p (Summary)
6325 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6326 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6327 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6330 @kindex T d (Summary)
6331 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6332 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6335 @kindex T u (Summary)
6336 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6337 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6340 @kindex T o (Summary)
6341 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6342 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6345 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6346 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6347 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6348 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6349 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6350 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6351 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6352 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6353 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6354 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6355 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6356 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6360 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6361 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6363 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6364 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6365 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6366 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6367 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6368 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6369 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6370 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6371 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6372 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6373 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6375 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6376 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6377 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6378 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
6379 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6381 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6382 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6383 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6385 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6386 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6387 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6388 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6389 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6390 ascending article order.
6392 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6393 by number, you could do something like:
6396 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6397 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6398 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6399 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6402 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6403 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6404 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6405 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6406 which the articles arrived.
6408 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6412 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6414 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6415 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6418 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6419 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6420 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6421 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6424 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6425 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6426 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6427 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6428 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6429 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6430 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6431 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6432 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6433 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6434 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6435 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6436 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6438 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6442 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6443 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6444 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6449 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6450 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6451 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6452 @cindex article pre-fetch
6455 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6456 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6457 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6458 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6459 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6461 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6462 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
6464 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6465 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6466 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6467 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6468 connection is blocked.
6470 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6471 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6472 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6473 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
6475 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6476 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6477 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6478 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6481 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6484 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6485 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6486 happen automatically.
6488 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6489 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6490 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6491 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6492 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6493 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6494 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6496 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6497 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6498 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6499 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6500 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6501 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6502 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6503 data structure as the only parameter.
6505 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6508 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6509 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6510 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6511 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6514 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6517 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6518 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
6519 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6521 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6522 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6523 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6524 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6528 Remove articles when they are read.
6531 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6534 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6536 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6537 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6538 @c from the next group.
6541 @node Article Caching
6542 @section Article Caching
6543 @cindex article caching
6546 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6547 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6548 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6549 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6550 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6552 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6554 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6555 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6556 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6557 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6558 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6559 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6560 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6561 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6563 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6564 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6565 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6566 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6567 as dormant, and don't worry.
6569 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6571 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6572 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6573 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6574 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6575 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6576 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6577 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6578 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6579 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6580 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6582 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6583 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6584 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6585 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6586 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6587 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6588 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6589 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6590 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6591 not then be downloaded by this command.
6593 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6594 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6595 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6596 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6597 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6598 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6600 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6601 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6602 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6603 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6604 variables, the group is not cached.
6606 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6607 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6608 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6609 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6610 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6611 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
6612 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6613 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6614 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6618 @node Persistent Articles
6619 @section Persistent Articles
6620 @cindex persistent articles
6622 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6623 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6624 useful in my opinion.
6626 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6627 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6628 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6629 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6630 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6631 the expiry going on at the news server.
6633 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6634 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6635 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6641 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6642 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6645 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6646 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6647 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6648 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6652 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6654 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6655 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6656 interested in persistent articles:
6659 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6663 @node Article Backlog
6664 @section Article Backlog
6666 @cindex article backlog
6668 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6669 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6670 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
6671 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6672 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6673 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6674 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
6675 increase memory usage some.
6677 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6678 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
6679 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6680 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
6681 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6682 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6683 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6685 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6688 @node Saving Articles
6689 @section Saving Articles
6690 @cindex saving articles
6692 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6693 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6694 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6695 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6696 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6698 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6699 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
6700 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6702 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6703 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6704 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6705 deleted before saving.
6711 @kindex O o (Summary)
6713 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6714 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6715 Save the current article using the default article saver
6716 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6719 @kindex O m (Summary)
6720 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6721 Save the current article in mail format
6722 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6725 @kindex O r (Summary)
6726 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6727 Save the current article in rmail format
6728 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6731 @kindex O f (Summary)
6732 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6733 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6734 Save the current article in plain file format
6735 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6738 @kindex O F (Summary)
6739 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6740 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6741 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6744 @kindex O b (Summary)
6745 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6746 Save the current article body in plain file format
6747 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6750 @kindex O h (Summary)
6751 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6752 Save the current article in mh folder format
6753 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6756 @kindex O v (Summary)
6757 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6758 Save the current article in a VM folder
6759 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6763 @kindex O p (Summary)
6765 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6766 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6767 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6770 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6771 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6772 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6773 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6774 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6775 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6776 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6777 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6778 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6779 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6780 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6781 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6785 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6786 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6787 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6788 functions below, or you can create your own.
6792 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6793 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6794 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6795 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6796 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6797 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6798 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6800 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6801 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6802 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6803 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6804 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6805 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6807 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6808 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6809 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6810 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6811 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6812 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6813 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6815 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6816 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6817 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6818 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6819 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6821 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6822 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6823 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6824 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6825 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6828 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6829 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6830 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6831 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6832 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6834 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6835 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6836 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6837 reader to use this setting.
6840 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6841 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6842 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6843 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6846 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6847 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6848 available functions that generate names:
6852 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6853 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6854 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6856 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6857 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6858 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6860 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6861 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6862 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6864 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6865 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6866 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6868 @item gnus-sender-save-name
6869 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
6870 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
6873 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6874 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6875 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6876 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6877 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
6881 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
6882 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
6883 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
6884 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
6887 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
6888 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
6889 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
6890 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
6891 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
6892 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
6893 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
6894 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
6895 called returns a string or a list of strings.
6897 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
6898 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
6899 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
6900 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
6902 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
6903 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
6904 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
6907 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
6908 lots of mail groups called things like
6909 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
6910 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
6911 following will do just that:
6914 (defun my-save-name (group)
6915 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
6916 (substring group (match-end 0))))
6918 (setq gnus-split-methods
6919 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
6924 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6925 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
6926 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
6927 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
6928 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
6929 all the files in the top level directory
6930 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
6931 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
6932 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
6933 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
6935 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
6936 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
6937 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
6938 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
6939 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
6942 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
6946 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
6947 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
6948 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
6951 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
6952 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
6953 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
6954 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
6957 @node Decoding Articles
6958 @section Decoding Articles
6959 @cindex decoding articles
6961 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
6962 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
6965 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
6966 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
6967 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
6968 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
6969 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
6970 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
6974 @cindex article series
6975 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
6976 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
6977 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
6978 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
6979 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
6981 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
6982 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
6983 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
6985 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
6986 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
6987 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
6989 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
6990 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
6991 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
6994 @node Uuencoded Articles
6995 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
6997 @cindex uuencoded articles
7002 @kindex X u (Summary)
7003 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7004 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7005 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7008 @kindex X U (Summary)
7009 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7010 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7011 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7014 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7015 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7016 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7019 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7020 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7021 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7022 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7026 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7027 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7028 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7029 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7030 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7032 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7033 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7034 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7035 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7038 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7039 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7040 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7041 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7042 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7043 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7047 @node Shell Archives
7048 @subsection Shell Archives
7050 @cindex shell archives
7051 @cindex shared articles
7053 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7054 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7055 some commands to deal with these:
7060 @kindex X s (Summary)
7061 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7062 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7065 @kindex X S (Summary)
7066 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7067 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7070 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7071 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7072 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7075 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7076 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7077 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7078 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7082 @node PostScript Files
7083 @subsection PostScript Files
7089 @kindex X p (Summary)
7090 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7091 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7094 @kindex X P (Summary)
7095 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7096 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7097 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7100 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7101 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7102 View the current PostScript series
7103 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7106 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7107 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7108 View and save the current PostScript series
7109 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7114 @subsection Other Files
7118 @kindex X o (Summary)
7119 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7120 Save the current series
7121 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7124 @kindex X b (Summary)
7125 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7126 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7127 doesn't really work yet.
7131 @node Decoding Variables
7132 @subsection Decoding Variables
7134 Adjective, not verb.
7137 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7138 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7139 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7143 @node Rule Variables
7144 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7145 @cindex rule variables
7147 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7148 variables are of the form
7151 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7158 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7159 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7161 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7162 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7165 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7166 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7169 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7170 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7171 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7172 user and default view rules.
7174 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7175 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7176 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7181 @node Other Decode Variables
7182 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7185 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7187 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7188 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7189 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7190 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7191 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7195 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7196 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7199 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7200 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7201 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7204 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7205 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7206 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7207 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7208 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7211 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7212 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7213 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7215 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7216 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7217 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7218 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7219 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7222 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7223 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7224 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7226 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7227 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7228 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7229 looking for files to display.
7231 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7232 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7233 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7236 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7237 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7238 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7241 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7242 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7243 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7246 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7247 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7248 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7251 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7252 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7253 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7254 decoded articles as unread.
7256 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7257 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7258 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7259 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7261 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7262 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7263 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7265 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7266 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7268 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7269 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7270 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7271 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7273 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7274 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7275 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7276 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7277 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7278 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7279 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7280 simply dropped them.
7285 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7286 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7290 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7291 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7292 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7293 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7294 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7295 for you when you post the article.
7297 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7298 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7299 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7300 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7302 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7303 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7304 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7305 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7306 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7307 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7308 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7310 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7311 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7312 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7313 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7314 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7315 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7316 Default is @code{t}.
7322 @subsection Viewing Files
7323 @cindex viewing files
7324 @cindex pseudo-articles
7326 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7327 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7328 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7329 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7330 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7331 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7332 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7334 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7335 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7336 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7337 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7339 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7340 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7341 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7343 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7344 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7345 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7346 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7347 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7349 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7350 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7351 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7352 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7353 a list of parameters to that command.
7355 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7356 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7357 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7359 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7360 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7361 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7364 @node Article Treatment
7365 @section Article Treatment
7367 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7368 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7369 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7370 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7371 these articles easier.
7374 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7375 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7376 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7377 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7378 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7379 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7380 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7381 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7385 @node Article Highlighting
7386 @subsection Article Highlighting
7387 @cindex highlighting
7389 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7390 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7395 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7396 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7397 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7398 Do much highlighting of the current article
7399 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7400 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7403 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7404 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7405 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7406 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7407 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7408 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7409 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7410 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7411 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7412 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7413 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7414 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7417 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7418 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7419 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7421 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7424 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7426 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7427 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7428 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7430 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7431 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7432 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7434 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7435 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7436 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7437 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7438 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7439 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7441 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7442 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7443 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7445 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7446 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7447 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7449 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7450 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7451 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7452 that it's a citation.
7454 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7455 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7456 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7458 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7459 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7460 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7462 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7463 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7464 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7465 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7471 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7472 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7473 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7474 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7475 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7476 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7477 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7478 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7483 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7486 @node Article Fontisizing
7487 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7489 @cindex article emphasis
7491 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7492 @kindex W e (Summary)
7493 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7494 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7495 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7496 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7498 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7499 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7500 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7501 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7502 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7503 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7504 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7505 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7509 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7510 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7511 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7520 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7521 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7522 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7523 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7524 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7525 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7526 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7527 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7528 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7529 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7530 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7531 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7532 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7534 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7535 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7536 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7540 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7543 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7545 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7546 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7547 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7548 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7550 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7553 @node Article Hiding
7554 @subsection Article Hiding
7555 @cindex article hiding
7557 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7558 too much cruft in most articles.
7563 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7564 @findex gnus-article-hide
7565 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7566 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7567 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7570 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7571 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7572 Toggle hiding of headers (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7576 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7577 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7578 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7579 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7582 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7583 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7584 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7588 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7589 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7590 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7591 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7592 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7593 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7594 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7595 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7599 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7600 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7601 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7602 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7607 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7608 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7609 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7610 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7611 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7612 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7613 articles that have signatures in them do:
7615 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7617 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7619 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7620 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7622 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7625 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7630 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7631 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7632 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7633 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7636 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7637 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7640 @cindex stripping advertisements
7641 @cindex advertisements
7642 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7643 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7644 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7645 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7646 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7647 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7648 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7649 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7650 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7651 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7655 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7656 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7657 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7658 customizing the hiding:
7662 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7663 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7664 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7665 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7666 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7667 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7668 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7673 Starting point of the hidden text.
7675 Ending point of the hidden text.
7677 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7679 Number of lines of hidden text.
7682 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7683 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7684 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7685 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7686 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7691 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7692 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7694 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7695 following two variables:
7698 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7699 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7700 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7701 50), hide the cited text.
7703 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7704 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7705 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7710 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7711 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7712 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7713 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7714 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7715 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7719 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7720 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7721 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7723 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7724 citation customization.
7726 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7730 @node Article Washing
7731 @subsection Article Washing
7733 @cindex article washing
7735 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7736 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7738 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7739 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7742 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
7743 articles by default.
7748 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
7749 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
7753 @kindex W l (Summary)
7754 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7755 Remove page breaks from the current article
7756 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7760 @kindex W r (Summary)
7761 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7762 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7763 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7764 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7765 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7766 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7768 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7769 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7770 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7771 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7775 @kindex W t (Summary)
7777 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7778 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7779 (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}).
7782 @kindex W v (Summary)
7783 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7784 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7785 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7788 @kindex W m (Summary)
7789 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
7790 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
7791 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
7794 @kindex W o (Summary)
7795 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7796 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7799 @kindex W d (Summary)
7800 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7801 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7803 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
7805 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7806 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7807 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7808 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7811 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
7812 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
7813 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
7814 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
7817 @kindex W w (Summary)
7818 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7819 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7821 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7825 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7826 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7827 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7830 @kindex W C (Summary)
7831 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7832 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7833 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7836 @kindex W c (Summary)
7837 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7838 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7839 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7840 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7841 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7844 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
7845 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
7846 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
7847 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
7848 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
7849 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
7850 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
7852 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7855 @kindex W Z (Summary)
7856 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
7857 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
7858 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
7859 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
7862 @kindex W h (Summary)
7863 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
7864 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
7865 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
7866 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
7868 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7871 @kindex W f (Summary)
7873 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
7874 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
7875 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
7876 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
7883 Look for and display any X-Face headers
7884 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
7885 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
7886 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
7887 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
7888 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
7889 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
7890 The default action under Emacs is to fork off the @code{display}
7891 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For the
7892 @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
7893 like `compface' or `faces-xface' on a GNU/Linux system.}
7894 to view the face. Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image
7895 support, the default action is to display the face before the
7896 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
7897 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
7898 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
7899 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
7900 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
7901 like @code{netpbm} or @code{libgr-progs}.}) If you
7902 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
7906 @kindex W b (Summary)
7907 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
7908 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
7909 @xref{Article Buttons}.
7912 @kindex W B (Summary)
7913 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
7914 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
7915 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
7918 @kindex W p (Summary)
7919 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
7920 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
7921 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
7922 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
7923 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
7924 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
7925 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
7928 @kindex W W H (Summary)
7929 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
7930 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
7931 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
7934 @kindex W E l (Summary)
7935 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
7936 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
7937 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
7940 @kindex W E m (Summary)
7941 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
7942 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
7943 lines with a single empty line.
7944 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
7947 @kindex W E t (Summary)
7948 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
7949 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
7950 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
7953 @kindex W E a (Summary)
7954 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
7955 Do all the three commands above
7956 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
7959 @kindex W E A (Summary)
7960 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
7961 Remove all blank lines
7962 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
7965 @kindex W E s (Summary)
7966 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
7967 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
7968 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
7971 @kindex W E e (Summary)
7972 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
7973 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
7974 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
7978 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
7981 @node Article Buttons
7982 @subsection Article Buttons
7985 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
7986 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
7987 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
7988 button on these references.
7990 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
7991 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
7992 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
7997 @item gnus-button-alist
7998 @vindex gnus-button-alist
7999 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8002 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8008 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
8009 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
8010 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
8013 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8014 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8015 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8018 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8019 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8020 avoid false matches.
8023 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8026 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8027 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8031 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8034 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8037 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8038 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8039 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8040 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8041 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8044 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8047 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8049 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8050 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8051 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8052 default values of the variables above.
8054 @item gnus-article-button-face
8055 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8056 Face used on buttons.
8058 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8059 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8060 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8064 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8068 @subsection Article Date
8070 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8071 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8072 when the article was sent.
8077 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8078 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8079 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8080 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8083 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8084 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8086 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8087 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8090 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8091 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8092 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8095 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8096 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8097 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8098 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8101 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8102 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8103 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8104 @findex format-time-string
8105 Display the date using a user-defined format
8106 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8107 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8108 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8109 for a list of possible format specs.
8112 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8113 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8114 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8115 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8116 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8117 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8120 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8123 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8124 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8127 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8128 into wonderful absurdities.
8130 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8133 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8136 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8137 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8141 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8142 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8143 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8144 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8145 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8146 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8147 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8151 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8152 preferred format automatically.
8155 @node Article Signature
8156 @subsection Article Signature
8158 @cindex article signature
8160 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8161 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8162 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8163 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8164 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8165 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8166 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8167 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8168 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8171 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8172 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8173 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8174 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8175 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8176 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8177 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8178 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8181 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8184 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8185 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8186 signature when displaying articles.
8190 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8193 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8196 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8197 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8199 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8200 in question is not a signature.
8203 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8204 listed above. Here's an example:
8207 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8208 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8211 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8212 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8213 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8214 signature after all.
8217 @node Article Miscellania
8218 @subsection Article Miscellania
8222 @kindex A t (Summary)
8223 @findex gnus-article-babel
8224 Translate the article from one language to another
8225 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8231 @section @sc{mime} Commands
8232 @cindex MIME decoding
8234 @cindex viewing attachments
8236 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8237 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8243 @kindex K v (Summary)
8244 View the @sc{mime} part.
8247 @kindex K o (Summary)
8248 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8251 @kindex K c (Summary)
8252 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8255 @kindex K e (Summary)
8256 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8259 @kindex K i (Summary)
8260 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8263 @kindex K | (Summary)
8264 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8267 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8272 @kindex K b (Summary)
8273 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8274 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8278 @kindex K m (Summary)
8279 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8280 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8281 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8282 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8283 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8286 @kindex X m (Summary)
8287 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8288 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8289 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8290 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8293 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8294 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
8295 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8296 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8299 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8300 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8301 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8304 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8305 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8306 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8308 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8309 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8310 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8311 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
8312 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
8313 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8316 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8317 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8318 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8325 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8326 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8327 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8328 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8331 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8334 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8338 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8339 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8340 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8341 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8342 displayed or this variable is overriden by
8343 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8346 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8347 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8348 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8349 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8350 displayed. This variable overrides
8351 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8353 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8354 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8355 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} to the default value.
8357 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8358 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8359 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8360 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8361 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8362 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8363 save all jpegs into some directory).
8365 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8368 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8369 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8371 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8372 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8373 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8374 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8375 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8378 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8379 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8380 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8382 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8383 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8384 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8385 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8387 Ready-made functions include@*
8388 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8389 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8390 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8391 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8392 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8393 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8394 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8395 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8396 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8397 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8398 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8399 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8401 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8402 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8404 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8405 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8406 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8409 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8410 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8411 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8412 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8416 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8425 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8426 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8427 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8428 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8429 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8430 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8431 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8433 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8434 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8435 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8436 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8438 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8439 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
8440 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8441 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8442 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
8443 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8444 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
8445 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
8447 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8448 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8449 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8450 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8451 quoted-printable header encoding.
8453 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8454 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8455 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8459 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8462 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8463 means encode all charsets),
8465 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8466 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8467 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8474 @cindex coding system aliases
8475 @cindex preferred charset
8477 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8479 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8480 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8483 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8484 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8487 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8488 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8490 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8493 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8496 This will almost do the right thing.
8498 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8502 (codepage-setup 1251)
8503 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8507 @node Article Commands
8508 @section Article Commands
8515 @kindex A P (Summary)
8516 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8517 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8518 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8519 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
8520 run just before printing the buffer.
8525 @node Summary Sorting
8526 @section Summary Sorting
8527 @cindex summary sorting
8529 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8530 can't really see why you'd want that.
8535 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8536 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8537 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8540 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8541 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8542 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8545 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8546 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8547 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8550 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8551 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8552 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8555 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8556 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8557 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8560 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8561 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8562 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8565 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8566 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8567 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8570 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
8571 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
8572 Sort using the default sorting method
8573 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
8576 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8577 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8578 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8579 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8580 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8584 @node Finding the Parent
8585 @section Finding the Parent
8586 @cindex parent articles
8587 @cindex referring articles
8592 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8593 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8594 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8595 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8596 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8597 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8598 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8599 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8600 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8602 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8603 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8604 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
8605 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8606 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8610 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8611 @kindex A R (Summary)
8612 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8613 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8616 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8617 @kindex A T (Summary)
8618 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8619 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8620 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8621 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8622 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8623 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8624 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8626 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8627 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8628 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8629 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8630 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8631 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8634 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8635 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8637 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8638 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8639 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8640 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8641 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8642 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8643 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8646 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8647 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8648 by giving this command a prefix.
8650 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8651 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
8652 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8653 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8654 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8655 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8658 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8659 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8660 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8663 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8664 then ask Deja if that fails:
8667 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8669 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8672 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
8673 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox}
8674 and @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8675 @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder} and @code{nnimap}1 are only able to locate
8676 articles that have been posted to the current group. (Anything else
8677 would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at
8681 @node Alternative Approaches
8682 @section Alternative Approaches
8684 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8685 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8688 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8689 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8694 @subsection Pick and Read
8695 @cindex pick and read
8697 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8698 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8699 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8700 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8702 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8703 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8704 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8705 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8706 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8707 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8709 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8714 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8715 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8716 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8717 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8718 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8719 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8720 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8721 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8724 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8725 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8726 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8727 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8731 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8732 Unpick the thread or article
8733 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8734 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8735 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8736 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8737 the thread or article at that line.
8741 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8742 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8743 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8744 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8745 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8746 will still be visible when you are reading.
8750 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8751 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8752 which is mapped to the same function
8753 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8755 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8758 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8761 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8762 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8764 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8765 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8766 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8768 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8769 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8770 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8771 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8772 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8773 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8774 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8778 @subsection Binary Groups
8779 @cindex binary groups
8781 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8782 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8783 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8784 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8785 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8786 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8787 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8790 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8791 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8792 command, when you have turned on this mode
8793 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8795 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8796 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8800 @section Tree Display
8803 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8804 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
8805 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8806 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8809 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8812 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8813 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8814 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8816 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8817 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8818 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8819 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8820 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8822 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8823 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8824 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8825 default is @code{modeline}.
8827 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8828 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8829 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8830 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8831 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8832 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8833 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8839 The name of the poster.
8841 The @code{From} header.
8843 The number of the article.
8845 The opening bracket.
8847 The closing bracket.
8852 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8854 Variables related to the display are:
8857 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8858 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8859 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8860 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8861 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8862 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8864 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8865 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8866 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8867 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8871 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8872 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
8873 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
8874 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
8875 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
8876 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
8877 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
8878 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
8879 other windows displayed next to it.
8881 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
8882 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
8883 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8884 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
8885 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
8886 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
8887 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
8891 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
8894 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
8904 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
8908 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
8909 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
8911 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
8913 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
8918 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
8919 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
8920 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
8923 (setq gnus-use-trees t
8924 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8925 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
8926 (gnus-add-configuration
8930 (summary 0.75 point)
8935 @xref{Window Layout}.
8938 @node Mail Group Commands
8939 @section Mail Group Commands
8940 @cindex mail group commands
8942 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
8943 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
8945 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
8946 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8951 @kindex B e (Summary)
8952 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
8953 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
8954 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
8955 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
8956 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
8959 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
8960 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
8961 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
8962 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
8963 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
8964 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
8967 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
8968 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
8969 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
8970 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
8971 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
8972 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
8975 @kindex B m (Summary)
8977 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
8978 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
8979 Move the article from one mail group to another
8980 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8981 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8984 @kindex B c (Summary)
8986 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
8987 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
8988 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
8989 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8990 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8993 @kindex B B (Summary)
8994 @cindex crosspost mail
8995 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
8996 Crosspost the current article to some other group
8997 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
8998 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
8999 be properly updated.
9002 @kindex B i (Summary)
9003 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9004 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9005 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9006 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9009 @kindex B r (Summary)
9010 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9011 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9012 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9013 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9014 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9015 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9016 (which is the default).
9020 @kindex B w (Summary)
9022 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9023 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9024 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9025 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9026 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9027 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9030 @kindex B q (Summary)
9031 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9032 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9033 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9034 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9037 @kindex B t (Summary)
9038 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9039 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9040 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9043 @kindex B p (Summary)
9044 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9045 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9046 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9047 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9048 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9049 article from your news server (or rather, from
9050 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9051 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9052 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9053 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9054 just not have arrived yet.
9058 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9059 @cindex moving articles
9060 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
9061 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9062 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9063 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9064 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9065 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9066 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9069 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9070 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9071 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9072 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9076 @node Various Summary Stuff
9077 @section Various Summary Stuff
9080 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9081 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9082 * Summary Generation Commands::
9083 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9087 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9088 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9089 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9091 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9092 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9093 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9094 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9095 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9096 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9099 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9100 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9101 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9102 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9103 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9105 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9106 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9107 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9110 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9111 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9112 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9113 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9114 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9115 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9116 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
9117 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9118 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9119 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9121 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9122 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9123 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9124 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9125 list of articles to be selected.
9127 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9128 the list in one particular group:
9131 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9132 (if (string= group "some.group")
9133 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9140 @node Summary Group Information
9141 @subsection Summary Group Information
9146 @kindex H f (Summary)
9147 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9148 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9149 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9150 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9151 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9152 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9153 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9154 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9155 be used for fetching the file.
9158 @kindex H d (Summary)
9159 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9160 Give a brief description of the current group
9161 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9162 rereading the description from the server.
9165 @kindex H h (Summary)
9166 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9167 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9168 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9171 @kindex H i (Summary)
9172 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9173 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9177 @node Searching for Articles
9178 @subsection Searching for Articles
9183 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9184 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9185 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9186 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9189 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9190 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9191 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9192 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9196 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9197 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9198 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9199 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9200 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9201 search backward instead.
9203 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9204 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9207 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9208 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9209 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9210 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9213 @node Summary Generation Commands
9214 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9219 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9220 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9221 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9224 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9225 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9226 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9227 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9232 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9233 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9239 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9240 @kindex A D (Summary)
9241 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9242 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9243 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9244 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9245 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9246 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9247 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9248 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9252 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
9253 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9254 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9255 several documents into one biiig group
9256 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9257 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9258 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9259 command understands the process/prefix convention
9260 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9263 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9264 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9265 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9266 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9267 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9268 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9272 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9273 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9274 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9277 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
9278 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9279 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9280 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9283 @kindex M-C-a (Summary)
9284 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9285 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9286 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9291 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9292 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9293 @cindex summary exit
9294 @cindex exiting groups
9296 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9297 group and return you to the group buffer.
9303 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9305 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9306 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9307 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9308 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9309 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9310 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9311 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9312 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9313 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9314 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9315 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9319 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9321 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9322 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9323 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9327 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9329 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9330 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9331 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9332 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9335 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9336 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9337 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9338 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9341 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9342 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9343 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9344 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9347 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9348 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9349 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9350 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9351 all articles, both read and unread.
9355 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9356 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9357 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9358 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9359 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9360 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9361 articles, both read and unread.
9364 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9365 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9366 Exit the group and go to the next group
9367 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9370 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9371 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9372 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9373 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9376 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9377 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9378 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9379 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9380 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9381 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9384 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9385 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9386 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9387 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9389 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9390 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9391 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9392 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9393 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9394 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9395 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9396 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9397 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9398 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9399 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9400 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9402 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9404 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9405 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9406 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9407 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9408 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9409 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9410 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9411 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9412 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9415 @node Crosspost Handling
9416 @section Crosspost Handling
9420 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9421 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9422 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9423 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9424 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9425 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9428 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9429 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9430 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9431 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9432 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9434 @cindex cross-posting
9437 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9438 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9439 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9440 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9441 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9442 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9443 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9444 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9445 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9446 the cross reference mechanism.
9448 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9449 @cindex overview.fmt
9450 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9451 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9452 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9453 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9454 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9455 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9458 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9459 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9460 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9465 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9468 @node Duplicate Suppression
9469 @section Duplicate Suppression
9471 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9472 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9473 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9474 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9479 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9480 is evil and not very common.
9483 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9484 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9487 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9488 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9491 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9494 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9495 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9497 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9498 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9499 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9500 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9501 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9502 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9503 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9506 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9507 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9508 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9509 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9510 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9514 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9515 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9516 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9518 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9519 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9520 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9521 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9522 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
9523 session are suppressed.
9525 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9526 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9527 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9528 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9530 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9531 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9532 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9533 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9536 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
9537 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9538 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9539 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9540 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
9541 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9542 to you to figure out, I think.
9547 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
9548 The formats that are supported are PGP and S/MIME, however you need
9549 some external programs to get things to work:
9553 To verify or decrypt PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or
9554 gpg.el as well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG). @xref{Using GPG}.
9557 To verify or decrypt S/MIME message, you need to install OpenSSL.
9558 OpenSSL 0.9.6 or newer is recommended.
9562 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
9563 manual. @xref{Security, ,Security, message, The Message Manual}.
9566 @item mm-verify-option
9567 @vindex mm-verify-option
9568 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9569 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9570 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9572 @item mm-decrypt-option
9573 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9574 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9575 @code{always}, always decrypt @code{known}, only decrypt known
9576 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9581 @section Mailing List
9583 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
9584 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
9585 possibly using @kbd{A M} in the summary buffer, or say:
9588 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
9591 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
9596 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
9597 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
9598 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
9601 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
9602 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
9603 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
9606 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
9607 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
9608 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
9612 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
9613 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
9614 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
9617 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
9618 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9619 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
9622 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
9623 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9624 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
9628 @node Article Buffer
9629 @chapter Article Buffer
9630 @cindex article buffer
9632 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9633 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9634 tell gnus otherwise.
9637 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9638 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9639 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9640 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9641 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9645 @node Hiding Headers
9646 @section Hiding Headers
9647 @cindex hiding headers
9648 @cindex deleting headers
9650 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9651 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9653 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9654 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9655 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9656 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9657 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9658 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9659 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9660 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9661 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9663 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9667 @item gnus-visible-headers
9668 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9669 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9670 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9671 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9673 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9674 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9677 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9680 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9683 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9684 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9685 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9686 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9687 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9688 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9690 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
9691 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
9694 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9697 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9700 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9701 variable will have no effect.
9705 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9706 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9707 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9708 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9709 the headers are to be displayed.
9711 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
9712 and then the subject, you might say something like:
9715 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
9718 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
9719 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
9721 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9722 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
9723 You can hide further boring headers by setting
9724 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
9725 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
9726 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
9727 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
9730 These conditions are:
9733 Remove all empty headers.
9735 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
9736 @code{Newsgroups} header.
9738 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
9741 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9744 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
9745 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
9747 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9750 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9752 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9755 To include these three elements, you could say something like;
9758 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9759 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9762 This is also the default value for this variable.
9766 @section Using @sc{mime}
9769 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9770 while people stand around yawning.
9772 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9773 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9775 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9776 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9777 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9779 @vindex gnus-show-mime
9780 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
9781 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
9782 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
9783 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
9784 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
9785 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
9786 calls the SEMI MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
9787 information on SEMI MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is not
9788 existed yet, sorry).
9790 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
9791 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
9792 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
9793 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
9794 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
9795 buffer. These can't be avoided.
9797 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
9798 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
9799 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
9800 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
9801 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
9802 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
9803 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
9804 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
9805 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
9808 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
9810 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
9811 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
9812 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
9813 buffer when there are nobody else.
9815 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
9818 @node Customizing Articles
9819 @section Customizing Articles
9820 @cindex article customization
9822 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
9823 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
9824 called automatically when you select the articles.
9826 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
9827 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
9828 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
9829 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
9831 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
9832 for sensible values.
9836 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
9839 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
9842 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
9845 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
9848 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
9852 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
9853 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
9854 regexps in the list.
9857 A list where the first element is not a string:
9859 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
9860 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
9861 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
9865 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
9869 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
9874 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
9875 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
9876 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
9877 considered to contain just a single part.
9879 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
9880 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
9881 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
9882 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
9883 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
9884 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
9885 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
9887 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
9888 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
9889 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
9890 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
9893 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
9894 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
9895 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
9896 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
9897 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
9898 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
9899 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
9900 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
9901 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
9902 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
9903 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
9904 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
9905 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
9906 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
9907 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
9908 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
9909 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
9910 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
9911 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
9912 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
9913 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
9914 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
9915 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
9916 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
9917 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
9918 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
9919 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
9920 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
9921 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
9922 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
9923 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
9924 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
9925 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
9926 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
9927 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
9928 @item gnus-treat-translate
9929 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset
9932 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
9933 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
9934 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
9935 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
9936 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
9940 @node Article Keymap
9941 @section Article Keymap
9943 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
9944 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
9945 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
9946 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
9949 A few additional keystrokes are available:
9954 @kindex SPACE (Article)
9955 @findex gnus-article-next-page
9956 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
9959 @kindex DEL (Article)
9960 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
9961 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
9964 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
9965 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
9966 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
9967 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
9968 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
9971 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
9972 @findex gnus-article-mail
9973 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
9974 given a prefix, include the mail.
9978 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
9979 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
9980 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
9984 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
9985 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
9986 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
9989 @kindex TAB (Article)
9990 @findex gnus-article-next-button
9991 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
9992 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
9995 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
9996 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
9997 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10003 @section Misc Article
10007 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10008 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10009 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10010 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10013 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10014 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10016 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10017 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10019 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10020 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10021 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10022 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10023 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10024 the contents of the article buffer.
10026 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10027 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10028 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10030 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10031 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10032 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10033 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10035 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10036 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10037 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10038 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10039 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10044 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10045 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10048 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10051 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10053 @item gnus-break-pages
10054 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10055 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10056 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10057 paging will not be done.
10059 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10060 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10061 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10066 @node Composing Messages
10067 @chapter Composing Messages
10068 @cindex composing messages
10071 @cindex sending mail
10077 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10078 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10079 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10080 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
10081 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10082 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10085 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10086 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
10087 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10088 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10089 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10090 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10091 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10092 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
10095 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10096 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10102 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10105 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10106 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10107 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10108 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
10110 @item gnus-add-to-list
10111 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10112 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10113 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10118 @node Posting Server
10119 @section Posting Server
10121 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10122 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10124 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10126 @vindex gnus-post-method
10128 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will post using the same
10129 select method as you're reading from (which might be convenient if
10130 you're reading lots of groups from different private servers).
10131 However. If the server you're reading from doesn't allow posting,
10132 just reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
10133 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
10134 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10137 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10140 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10141 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10142 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10143 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10145 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10146 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10148 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10149 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10152 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10153 you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
10156 @node Mail and Post
10157 @section Mail and Post
10159 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10163 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10164 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10165 @cindex mailing lists
10167 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10168 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10169 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10170 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10171 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10172 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10173 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10174 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10175 still a pain, though.
10179 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10180 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10181 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10184 @findex ispell-message
10186 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10189 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10190 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10193 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10197 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10198 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10200 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10203 Modify to suit your needs.
10206 @node Archived Messages
10207 @section Archived Messages
10208 @cindex archived messages
10209 @cindex sent messages
10211 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10212 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10213 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10214 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10217 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10218 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
10219 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10222 (nnfolder "archive"
10223 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
10224 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
10225 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
10226 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
10229 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
10230 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
10231 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
10232 directory chosen, you could say something like:
10235 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
10236 '(nnfolder "archive"
10237 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
10238 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
10239 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
10242 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
10244 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
10245 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
10246 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
10248 This variable can be used to do the following:
10252 Messages will be saved in that group.
10254 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
10255 message will not be stored in the select method given by
10256 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
10257 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
10258 has the default value shown above. Then setting
10259 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
10260 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
10261 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
10263 @item a list of strings
10264 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
10265 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
10266 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
10268 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
10273 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
10275 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
10278 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
10280 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
10283 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
10285 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10286 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
10287 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
10288 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
10291 More complex stuff:
10293 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10294 '((if (message-news-p)
10299 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
10300 messages in one file per month:
10303 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10304 '((if (message-news-p)
10306 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
10309 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
10310 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
10312 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
10313 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
10314 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
10315 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
10316 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
10317 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
10318 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
10319 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
10320 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
10321 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
10323 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
10324 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
10325 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
10326 this will disable archiving.
10329 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
10330 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
10331 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
10332 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
10333 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
10336 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
10337 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
10338 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
10341 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
10342 but the latter is the preferred method.
10344 @item gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10345 @vindex gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10346 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
10351 @node Posting Styles
10352 @section Posting Styles
10353 @cindex posting styles
10356 All them variables, they make my head swim.
10358 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
10359 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
10360 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
10363 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
10364 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
10365 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
10366 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
10367 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
10372 (signature "Peace and happiness")
10373 (organization "What me?"))
10375 (signature "Death to everybody"))
10376 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
10377 (organization "Emacs is it")))
10380 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
10381 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
10382 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
10383 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
10384 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
10385 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
10386 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
10387 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
10389 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
10390 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
10391 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header (the
10392 next element in the match) in the original article , and compare that to
10393 the last regexp in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function
10394 will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the
10395 variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be
10396 @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value,
10397 then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
10399 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
10400 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
10401 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
10402 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
10403 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
10404 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
10405 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
10406 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
10407 result is thrown away.
10409 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
10410 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
10411 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
10412 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
10413 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
10414 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
10416 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
10417 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
10418 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
10420 @findex message-mail-p
10421 @findex message-news-p
10423 So here's a new example:
10426 (setq gnus-posting-styles
10428 (signature-file "~/.signature")
10430 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
10431 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
10433 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
10434 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
10435 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
10437 (signature my-news-signature))
10438 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
10439 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
10440 ((posting-from-work-p)
10441 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
10442 (address "user@@bar.foo")
10443 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
10444 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
10446 (From (save-excursion
10447 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
10448 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
10450 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
10453 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
10454 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
10455 if you fill many roles.
10462 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
10463 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
10464 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
10465 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
10466 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
10468 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
10469 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
10470 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
10471 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
10472 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
10476 @vindex nndraft-directory
10477 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
10478 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
10479 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
10480 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
10481 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
10482 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
10484 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
10485 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
10488 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
10489 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
10490 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
10491 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
10492 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
10493 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
10494 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
10495 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
10496 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
10497 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
10498 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
10499 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
10500 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
10501 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
10503 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
10504 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
10505 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
10507 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
10508 @kindex D e (Draft)
10509 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
10510 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
10511 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
10513 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
10516 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
10517 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
10518 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
10519 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
10520 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
10521 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
10522 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
10525 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
10526 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
10527 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
10530 @node Rejected Articles
10531 @section Rejected Articles
10532 @cindex rejected articles
10534 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
10535 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
10536 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
10537 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
10539 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
10540 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
10541 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
10542 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
10543 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
10545 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
10546 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
10547 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
10553 Gnus has an ALPHA support to GPG that's provided by @file{gpg.el}. See
10554 @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} to enable Gnus to
10555 verify or decrypt messages accordingly.
10557 To use this correctly with GPG, you'll need the following lisp code in your
10558 @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10562 (setq mml2015-use 'gpg)
10563 (setq gpg-temp-directory (expand-file-name "~/.gnupg/tmp"))
10566 The @code{gpg-temp-directory} need to point to a directory with permissions set
10567 to 700, for your own safety.
10569 If you want to benefit of PGP2.6 compatibility, you might create a script named
10570 @file{gpg-2comp} with these instructions:
10574 exec gpg --rfc1991 "$@@"
10577 If you don't want to use such compatibility, you can add the following line to
10578 your @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10581 (setq gpg-command-default-alist (quote ((gpg . "gpg") (gpg-2comp . "gpg"))))
10584 To sign or encrypt your message you may choose to use the MML Security
10585 menu or @kbd{C-c C-m s p} to sign your message using PGP/MIME,
10586 @kbd{C-c C-m s s} to sign your message using S/MIME. There's also
10587 @kbd{C-c C-m c p} to encrypt your message with PGP/MIME and @kbd{C-c
10588 C-m c s} to encrypt using S/MIME. @xref{Security, ,Security, message,
10589 The Message Manual}.
10591 Gnus will ask for your passphrase and then it will send your message, if
10592 you've typed it correctly.
10594 @node Select Methods
10595 @chapter Select Methods
10596 @cindex foreign groups
10597 @cindex select methods
10599 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
10600 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
10601 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
10602 personal mail group.
10604 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
10605 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
10606 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
10607 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
10608 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
10609 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
10611 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
10612 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
10614 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
10617 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
10618 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
10619 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
10620 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
10621 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
10623 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
10626 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
10627 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
10628 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
10629 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
10630 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
10631 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
10632 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
10633 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
10637 @node Server Buffer
10638 @section Server Buffer
10640 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
10641 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
10642 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
10643 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
10644 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
10645 back end represents a virtual server.
10647 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
10648 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
10649 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
10650 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
10652 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
10653 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
10654 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
10655 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
10656 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
10657 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
10658 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
10660 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
10661 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
10664 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
10665 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
10666 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
10667 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
10668 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
10669 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
10670 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
10673 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
10674 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
10677 @node Server Buffer Format
10678 @subsection Server Buffer Format
10679 @cindex server buffer format
10681 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
10682 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
10683 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
10684 variable, with some simple extensions:
10689 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
10692 The name of this server.
10695 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
10698 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
10701 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
10702 The mode line can also be customized by using the
10703 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
10704 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
10714 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
10717 @node Server Commands
10718 @subsection Server Commands
10719 @cindex server commands
10725 @findex gnus-server-add-server
10726 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
10730 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
10731 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
10734 @kindex SPACE (Server)
10735 @findex gnus-server-read-server
10736 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
10740 @findex gnus-server-exit
10741 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
10745 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
10746 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
10750 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
10751 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
10755 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
10756 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
10760 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
10761 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
10765 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
10766 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
10767 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
10772 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
10773 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
10774 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
10775 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
10780 @node Example Methods
10781 @subsection Example Methods
10783 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
10786 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
10789 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
10795 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
10796 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
10799 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
10800 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
10802 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
10803 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
10807 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
10810 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
10811 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
10813 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
10814 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
10815 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
10819 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
10822 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
10825 Here's the method for a public spool:
10829 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
10830 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
10836 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
10837 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
10838 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
10839 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
10840 should probably look something like this:
10844 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
10845 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
10846 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
10847 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
10850 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
10851 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
10852 configuration to the example above:
10855 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
10858 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
10859 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
10860 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
10864 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
10865 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
10866 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
10867 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
10870 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
10871 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
10872 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
10873 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
10876 @node Creating a Virtual Server
10877 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
10879 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
10880 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
10882 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
10883 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
10884 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
10886 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
10888 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
10889 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
10890 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
10891 will contain the following:
10901 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
10902 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
10903 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
10906 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
10907 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
10908 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
10911 @node Server Variables
10912 @subsection Server Variables
10914 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
10915 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
10916 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
10917 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
10918 won't change the "derived" variables.
10920 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
10921 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
10922 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
10923 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
10924 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
10925 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
10926 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
10927 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
10928 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
10932 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
10933 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
10934 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
10938 @node Servers and Methods
10939 @subsection Servers and Methods
10941 Wherever you would normally use a select method
10942 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
10943 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
10944 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
10948 @node Unavailable Servers
10949 @subsection Unavailable Servers
10951 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
10952 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
10953 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
10954 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
10955 actually the case or not.
10957 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
10958 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
10959 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
10960 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
10961 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
10962 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
10963 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
10964 it will regard that server as ``down''.
10966 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
10967 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
10969 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
10970 with the following commands:
10976 @findex gnus-server-open-server
10977 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
10978 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
10982 @findex gnus-server-close-server
10983 Close the connection (if any) to the server
10984 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
10988 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
10989 Mark the current server as unreachable
10990 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
10993 @kindex M-o (Server)
10994 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
10995 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
10996 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
10999 @kindex M-c (Server)
11000 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11001 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11002 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11006 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11007 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11008 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11014 @section Getting News
11015 @cindex reading news
11016 @cindex news back ends
11018 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11019 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11020 or it can read from a local spool.
11023 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11024 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11029 @subsection @sc{nntp}
11032 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11033 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11034 server as the, uhm, address.
11036 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11037 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11038 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11039 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11041 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11042 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11043 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11045 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11050 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11051 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11052 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11054 @cindex authentification
11055 @cindex nntp authentification
11056 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11057 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11058 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11059 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11060 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11061 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11062 present in this hook.
11064 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11065 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11066 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11067 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11068 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11069 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11070 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11071 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11072 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11073 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11074 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11075 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11079 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11082 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11084 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11085 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11086 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11087 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11088 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11089 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11090 @samp{force} is explained below.
11094 Here's an example file:
11097 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11098 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11101 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11102 have to be first, for instance.
11104 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
11105 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
11106 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
11107 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
11108 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
11109 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
11110 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
11112 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
11113 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
11119 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
11120 previously mentioned.
11122 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11124 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11125 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11126 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11127 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11128 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
11131 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
11132 '(("innd" (ding))))
11135 You probably don't want to do that, though.
11137 The default value is
11140 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
11141 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
11142 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
11145 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
11146 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
11148 @item nntp-maximum-request
11149 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
11150 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
11151 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
11152 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
11153 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
11154 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
11155 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
11157 @item nntp-connection-timeout
11158 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
11159 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
11160 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
11161 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
11162 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
11163 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
11164 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
11165 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
11166 no timeouts are done.
11168 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
11169 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
11170 @c @cindex PPP connections
11171 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
11172 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
11173 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
11174 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
11175 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
11176 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
11177 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
11178 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
11179 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
11180 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
11182 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
11183 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
11184 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
11185 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
11186 @c described above.
11188 @item nntp-server-hook
11189 @vindex nntp-server-hook
11190 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
11193 @item nntp-buggy-select
11194 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
11195 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
11197 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
11198 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
11199 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
11200 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
11203 @item nntp-xover-commands
11204 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
11207 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
11208 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
11212 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
11213 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
11214 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
11215 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
11216 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
11217 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
11218 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
11219 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
11220 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
11221 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
11222 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
11224 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
11225 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
11226 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
11228 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11229 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11230 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
11231 server closes connection.
11233 @item nntp-record-commands
11234 @vindex nntp-record-commands
11235 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
11236 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
11237 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
11238 that doesn't seem to work.
11240 @item nntp-open-connection-function
11241 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
11242 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
11243 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
11244 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
11245 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
11246 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
11247 indirect ones (two pre-made).
11249 @item nntp-list-options
11250 @vindex nntp-list-options
11251 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
11252 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
11253 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
11254 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
11255 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
11259 (setq gnus-select-method
11260 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11261 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
11264 @item nntp-options-subscribe
11265 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
11266 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
11267 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
11268 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
11269 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
11270 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
11273 (setq gnus-select-method
11274 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11275 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
11278 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
11279 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
11280 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
11281 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
11282 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
11283 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
11284 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
11287 (setq gnus-select-method
11288 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11289 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
11294 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
11295 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
11296 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
11300 @node Direct Functions
11301 @subsubsection Direct Functions
11302 @cindex direct connection functions
11304 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
11305 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
11306 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
11307 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11310 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
11311 @item nntp-open-network-stream
11312 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
11315 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
11316 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
11317 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
11318 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
11319 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
11320 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
11321 define a server as follows:
11324 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
11326 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
11328 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
11329 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
11330 (nntp-port-number "snews")
11331 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
11334 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
11335 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
11336 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
11337 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
11338 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
11339 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
11340 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
11341 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
11345 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11346 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
11347 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
11350 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
11351 session, which is not a good idea.
11355 @node Indirect Functions
11356 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
11357 @cindex indirect connection functions
11359 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
11360 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
11361 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
11362 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
11363 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
11364 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11367 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11368 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11369 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
11370 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
11371 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
11373 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11376 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
11377 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
11378 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
11379 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
11382 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11383 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11384 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
11385 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
11387 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11390 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
11391 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
11392 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
11395 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
11396 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
11397 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
11398 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
11400 @item nntp-via-user-password
11401 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
11402 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
11404 @item nntp-via-envuser
11405 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
11406 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
11407 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
11408 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
11410 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
11411 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
11412 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
11413 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
11420 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
11425 @item nntp-via-user-name
11426 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
11427 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
11429 @item nntp-via-address
11430 @vindex nntp-via-address
11431 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
11436 @node Common Variables
11437 @subsubsection Common Variables
11439 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
11440 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
11445 @item nntp-pre-command
11446 @vindex nntp-pre-command
11447 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
11448 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
11449 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
11450 wrapper for instance.
11453 @vindex nntp-address
11454 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
11456 @item nntp-port-number
11457 @vindex nntp-port-number
11458 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
11460 @item nntp-end-of-line
11461 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
11462 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
11463 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
11464 using a non native connection function.
11466 @item nntp-telnet-command
11467 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
11468 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
11469 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
11470 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
11472 @item nntp-telnet-switches
11473 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
11474 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
11481 @subsection News Spool
11485 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
11486 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
11487 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
11490 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
11491 anything else) as the address.
11493 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
11494 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
11495 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
11496 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
11500 @item nnspool-inews-program
11501 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
11502 Program used to post an article.
11504 @item nnspool-inews-switches
11505 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
11506 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
11508 @item nnspool-spool-directory
11509 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
11510 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
11511 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
11513 @item nnspool-nov-directory
11514 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
11515 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
11516 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
11518 @item nnspool-lib-dir
11519 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
11520 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
11522 @item nnspool-active-file
11523 @vindex nnspool-active-file
11524 The path to the active file.
11526 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
11527 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
11528 The path to the group descriptions file.
11530 @item nnspool-history-file
11531 @vindex nnspool-history-file
11532 The path to the news history file.
11534 @item nnspool-active-times-file
11535 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
11536 The path to the active date file.
11538 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
11539 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
11540 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
11543 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11544 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11546 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
11547 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
11548 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
11554 @section Getting Mail
11555 @cindex reading mail
11558 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
11562 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
11563 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
11564 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
11565 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
11566 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
11567 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
11568 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
11569 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
11570 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
11571 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
11572 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
11573 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
11574 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
11575 * Archiving Mail:: How to backup your mail.
11579 @node Mail in a Newsreader
11580 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
11582 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
11583 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
11584 of a culture shock.
11586 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
11587 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
11589 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
11590 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
11591 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
11592 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
11594 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
11596 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
11597 deleted? How awful!
11599 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
11600 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
11601 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
11602 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
11605 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
11606 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
11607 they want to treat a message.
11609 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
11610 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
11611 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
11612 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
11613 archived somewhere else.
11615 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
11616 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
11617 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
11618 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
11619 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
11621 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
11622 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
11623 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
11625 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
11626 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
11629 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
11630 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
11631 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
11632 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
11633 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
11635 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
11636 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
11637 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
11638 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
11639 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
11640 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
11644 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
11645 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
11647 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
11648 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
11649 and things will happen automatically.
11651 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
11652 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
11655 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
11658 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
11659 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
11660 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
11661 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
11662 like any other group.
11664 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
11667 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11668 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11669 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11673 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
11674 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
11675 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
11678 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
11679 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
11680 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
11683 @node Splitting Mail
11684 @subsection Splitting Mail
11685 @cindex splitting mail
11686 @cindex mail splitting
11688 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
11689 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
11690 to be split into groups.
11693 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11694 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11695 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11696 ("mail.other" "")))
11699 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
11700 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
11701 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
11702 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
11703 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
11704 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
11705 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
11708 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
11711 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
11712 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
11713 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
11714 mail belongs in that group.
11716 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
11717 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
11718 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
11719 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
11720 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
11721 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
11723 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
11724 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
11725 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
11726 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
11727 thinks should carry this mail message.
11729 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
11730 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
11731 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
11732 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
11734 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
11735 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
11736 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
11737 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
11738 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
11740 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
11743 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
11744 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
11745 links. If that's the case for you, set
11746 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
11747 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
11749 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
11750 @kindex nnmail-split-history
11751 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
11752 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
11753 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
11754 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
11757 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
11758 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
11759 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
11760 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
11761 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
11762 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
11763 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
11764 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
11765 month's rent money.
11769 @subsection Mail Sources
11771 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
11772 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
11776 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
11777 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
11778 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
11782 @node Mail Source Specifiers
11783 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
11785 @cindex mail server
11788 @cindex mail source
11790 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
11791 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
11796 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
11799 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
11800 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
11801 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
11804 The following mail source types are available:
11808 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
11814 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
11815 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
11818 An example file mail source:
11821 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
11824 Or using the default path:
11830 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
11831 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
11832 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
11835 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
11839 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
11842 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
11846 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
11849 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
11851 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
11854 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
11858 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
11859 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. Setting
11860 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus to
11861 scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you want
11862 to scan mail groups at a specified level.
11868 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
11872 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
11876 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
11877 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
11878 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
11879 predicate are considered.
11883 Script run before/after fetching mail.
11887 An example directory mail source:
11890 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
11895 Get mail from a POP server.
11901 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
11902 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11905 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
11906 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
11907 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
11908 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
11909 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
11912 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
11916 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
11920 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
11921 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
11924 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
11927 The valid format specifier characters are:
11931 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
11932 included in this string.
11935 The name of the server.
11938 The port number of the server.
11941 The user name to use.
11944 The password to use.
11947 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11948 corresponding keywords.
11951 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11952 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11955 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11956 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11959 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
11960 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
11963 @item :authentication
11964 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
11965 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
11970 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
11971 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
11973 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
11974 default user name, and default fetcher:
11980 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
11983 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
11984 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11987 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
11990 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
11994 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
11995 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
11996 contains exactly one mail.
12002 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12003 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12006 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12007 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12009 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12010 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12011 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12014 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12015 from locking problems).
12019 Two example maildir mail sources:
12022 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12023 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12027 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12032 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12033 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12034 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12035 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12042 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12043 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12046 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12047 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
12050 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12054 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12058 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12059 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12060 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
12061 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
12063 @item :authentication
12064 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
12065 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
12066 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
12067 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
12070 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
12071 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
12072 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
12078 The valid format specifier characters are:
12082 The name of the server.
12085 User name from `imap-default-user'.
12088 The port number of the server.
12091 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12092 corresponding keywords.
12095 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
12096 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
12099 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
12100 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
12101 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
12102 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
12103 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
12104 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
12107 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
12108 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
12109 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
12110 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
12113 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
12114 after finishing the fetch.
12118 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
12121 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
12123 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
12127 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
12128 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
12130 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
12133 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
12134 required for url "4.0pre.46".
12136 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
12142 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
12143 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
12146 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
12150 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
12154 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
12155 folder after finishing the fetch.
12159 An example webmail source:
12162 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
12164 :password "secret")
12169 @item Common Keywords
12170 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
12176 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
12177 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
12181 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
12186 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
12187 useful when you use local mail and news.
12192 @subsubsection Function Interface
12194 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
12195 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
12196 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
12197 consider the following mail-source setting:
12200 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
12201 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
12204 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
12205 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
12206 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
12207 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
12208 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
12210 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
12213 @node Mail Source Customization
12214 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
12216 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
12217 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
12221 @item mail-source-crash-box
12222 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
12223 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
12224 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
12226 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
12227 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
12228 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
12230 @item mail-source-directory
12231 @vindex mail-source-directory
12232 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
12233 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
12234 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
12237 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12238 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12239 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
12240 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
12241 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
12242 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
12244 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
12245 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
12246 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
12251 @node Fetching Mail
12252 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
12254 @vindex mail-sources
12255 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
12256 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
12257 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
12258 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
12260 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
12261 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
12264 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
12265 mail server, you'd say something like:
12270 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12271 :password "secret")))
12274 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
12278 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
12279 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12282 :password "secret")))
12286 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
12287 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
12288 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
12289 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
12290 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
12291 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
12295 @node Mail Back End Variables
12296 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
12298 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
12302 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12303 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12304 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
12305 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
12307 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
12308 @item nnmail-split-hook
12309 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
12310 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
12311 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
12312 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
12313 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
12314 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
12315 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
12316 in the buffer will show up in any files.
12317 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
12320 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12321 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12322 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12323 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12324 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
12325 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
12326 starting to handle the new mail) and
12327 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
12328 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
12329 default file modes the new mail files get:
12332 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12333 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
12335 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12336 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
12339 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
12340 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
12341 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
12342 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
12343 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
12344 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
12345 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
12347 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
12348 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
12349 @findex delete-file
12350 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
12352 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12353 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12354 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
12355 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
12356 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
12361 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
12362 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
12363 @cindex mail splitting
12364 @cindex fancy mail splitting
12366 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
12367 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
12368 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
12369 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
12370 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
12371 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
12373 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
12376 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
12377 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
12378 ;; from real errors.
12379 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
12381 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
12382 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
12383 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
12384 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
12385 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
12386 ;; Other mailing lists...
12387 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
12388 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
12389 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
12390 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
12391 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
12392 ;; message was really cross-posted.
12393 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
12394 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
12396 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
12397 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
12401 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
12402 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
12403 the five possible split syntaxes:
12408 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
12409 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
12413 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
12414 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
12415 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
12416 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
12417 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
12418 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
12419 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
12420 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
12423 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12424 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
12425 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
12426 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
12429 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12430 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
12433 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
12434 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
12437 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
12438 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
12439 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
12440 function should return a @var{split}.
12443 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
12444 body of the messages:
12447 (defun split-on-body ()
12449 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
12450 (goto-char (point-min))
12451 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
12455 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
12456 when the @code{:} function is run.
12459 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12460 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
12461 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
12465 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
12469 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
12470 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
12471 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
12472 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
12473 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
12475 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
12476 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
12477 are expanded as specified by the variable
12478 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
12479 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
12482 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
12483 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
12484 when all this splitting is performed.
12486 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
12487 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
12488 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
12491 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
12494 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
12495 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
12497 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
12498 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
12499 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
12500 groupings 1 through 9.
12502 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
12503 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
12504 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
12505 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
12506 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
12507 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
12508 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
12509 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
12510 it once per thread.
12512 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
12513 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
12514 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
12517 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12518 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
12519 ;; other splits go here
12523 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
12524 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
12525 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
12526 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
12527 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
12528 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
12529 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
12530 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
12531 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
12532 unless the group name matches the regexp
12533 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
12534 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
12535 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
12536 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
12537 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12538 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
12539 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
12540 messages goes into the new group.
12543 @node Group Mail Splitting
12544 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
12545 @cindex mail splitting
12546 @cindex group mail splitting
12548 @findex gnus-group-split
12549 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
12550 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
12551 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
12552 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
12553 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
12554 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
12555 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
12556 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
12558 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
12559 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
12560 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
12561 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
12563 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
12564 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
12565 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
12566 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
12567 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
12568 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
12569 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
12571 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
12572 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
12573 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
12574 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
12575 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
12576 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
12577 @code{gnus-group-split}.
12579 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
12580 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
12581 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
12582 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
12583 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
12584 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
12585 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
12586 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
12587 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
12588 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
12589 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
12590 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
12591 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
12593 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
12598 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
12599 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
12601 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
12602 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
12603 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
12604 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
12606 ((split-spec . catch-all))
12609 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
12610 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
12611 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
12614 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
12615 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
12616 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
12620 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
12621 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
12622 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
12626 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
12629 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
12630 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
12631 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
12632 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
12633 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
12634 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
12635 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
12636 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
12637 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
12639 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
12640 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
12641 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
12642 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
12643 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
12644 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
12645 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
12646 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
12647 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
12649 @findex gnus-group-split-update
12650 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
12651 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
12652 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
12653 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
12654 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
12657 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
12660 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
12661 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
12662 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
12663 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
12664 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
12667 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
12668 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
12669 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
12670 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
12672 @node Incorporating Old Mail
12673 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
12674 @cindex incorporating old mail
12675 @cindex import old mail
12677 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
12678 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
12679 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
12682 Doing so can be quite easy.
12684 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
12685 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
12686 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
12687 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
12688 your @code{nnml} groups.
12694 Go to the group buffer.
12697 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
12698 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12701 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
12704 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
12705 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
12708 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
12709 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
12712 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
12713 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
12714 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
12715 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
12716 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
12718 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
12719 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
12720 using the new mail back end.
12723 @node Expiring Mail
12724 @subsection Expiring Mail
12725 @cindex article expiry
12727 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
12728 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
12729 different approach to mail reading.
12731 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
12732 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
12733 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
12734 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
12735 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
12736 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
12739 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
12740 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
12741 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
12742 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
12743 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
12744 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
12745 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
12746 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
12748 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12749 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
12750 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
12751 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
12752 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
12753 column in the summary buffer.
12755 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
12756 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
12757 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
12758 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
12761 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
12763 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
12764 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
12765 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
12768 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
12769 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
12770 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
12771 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
12772 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
12774 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
12775 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
12778 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12779 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
12782 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
12783 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
12785 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
12786 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
12787 don't really mix very well.
12789 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
12790 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
12791 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
12792 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
12795 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
12796 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
12797 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
12798 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
12801 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12803 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12805 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
12807 ((string= group "mail.junk")
12809 ((string= group "important")
12815 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
12816 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
12818 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
12819 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
12820 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
12823 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
12824 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
12826 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
12827 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
12828 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
12829 other groups instead of deleting them. The variable @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
12830 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
12831 variable supplies a default value for all groups, which can be
12832 overridden for specific groups by the group parameter.
12833 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
12834 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
12835 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
12836 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
12837 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
12840 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
12842 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
12846 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
12847 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
12848 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
12849 easier for procmail users.
12851 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
12852 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
12853 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
12854 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
12855 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
12856 caution. Even more dangerous is the
12857 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
12858 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
12859 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
12860 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
12861 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
12862 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
12863 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
12866 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
12868 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
12869 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
12870 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
12871 auto-expire turned on.
12875 @subsection Washing Mail
12876 @cindex mail washing
12877 @cindex list server brain damage
12878 @cindex incoming mail treatment
12880 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
12881 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
12882 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
12883 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
12884 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
12885 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
12887 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
12888 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
12889 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
12892 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
12893 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
12894 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
12895 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
12898 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12899 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12900 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
12901 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
12902 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
12905 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12906 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12907 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
12908 Emacs running on MS machines.
12912 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12913 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12914 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
12915 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
12918 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12919 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12920 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
12921 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
12923 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12924 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12925 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
12926 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
12927 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
12928 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
12929 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
12932 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
12933 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
12936 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
12937 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
12940 This can also be done non-destructively with
12941 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
12943 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
12944 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
12945 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
12947 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12948 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12950 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
12951 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
12952 @code{References} headers.
12956 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12957 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12958 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
12962 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
12963 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
12964 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
12971 @subsection Duplicates
12973 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
12974 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
12975 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
12976 @cindex duplicate mails
12977 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
12978 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
12979 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
12980 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
12981 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
12982 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
12983 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
12984 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
12985 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
12986 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
12987 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
12988 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
12989 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
12991 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
12992 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
12993 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
12994 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
12996 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
12999 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
13000 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
13004 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13005 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
13006 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
13007 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
13008 (any mail "mail.misc")
13015 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13016 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
13021 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
13022 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
13023 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
13024 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
13025 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
13028 @node Not Reading Mail
13029 @subsection Not Reading Mail
13031 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
13032 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
13033 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
13035 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
13036 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
13037 mail, which should help.
13039 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13040 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13041 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13042 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13043 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13044 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
13045 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
13046 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
13047 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
13048 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
13049 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
13051 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
13052 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
13056 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
13057 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
13059 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
13060 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
13061 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
13063 There are five different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
13064 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
13065 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
13066 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
13069 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
13070 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
13071 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
13072 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
13073 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
13074 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
13078 @node Unix Mail Box
13079 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
13081 @cindex unix mail box
13083 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13084 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13085 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
13086 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
13087 which group it belongs in.
13089 Virtual server settings:
13092 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
13093 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13094 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
13097 @item nnmbox-active-file
13098 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13099 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
13100 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
13102 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
13103 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13104 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
13105 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
13110 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
13114 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13115 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13116 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
13117 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
13118 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
13120 Virtual server settings:
13123 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
13124 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13125 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
13127 @item nnbabyl-active-file
13128 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13129 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
13130 @file{~/.rmail-active}
13132 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13133 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13134 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
13140 @subsubsection Mail Spool
13142 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
13144 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
13145 format. It should be used with some caution.
13147 @vindex nnml-directory
13148 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
13149 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
13150 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
13151 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
13153 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
13156 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
13157 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
13158 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
13159 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
13160 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
13161 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
13162 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
13163 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
13165 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
13166 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
13167 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
13168 back end when it comes to reading mail.
13170 @cindex self contained nnml servers
13171 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
13172 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13173 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13174 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
13175 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
13176 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
13177 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
13178 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
13181 Virtual server settings:
13184 @item nnml-directory
13185 @vindex nnml-directory
13186 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
13187 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
13190 @item nnml-active-file
13191 @vindex nnml-active-file
13192 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
13193 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
13195 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
13196 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
13197 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13198 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
13200 @item nnml-get-new-mail
13201 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13202 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
13205 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
13206 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
13207 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13208 default is @code{nil}.
13210 @item nnml-nov-file-name
13211 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
13212 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
13214 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13215 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13216 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
13218 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
13219 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
13220 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13221 default is @code{nil}.
13223 @item nnml-marks-file-name
13224 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
13225 The name of the @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
13229 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
13230 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
13231 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
13232 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
13233 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
13234 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
13235 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
13240 @subsubsection MH Spool
13242 @cindex mh-e mail spool
13244 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
13245 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
13246 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
13247 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
13249 Virtual server settings:
13252 @item nnmh-directory
13253 @vindex nnmh-directory
13254 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
13255 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13258 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
13259 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13260 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
13264 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
13265 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
13266 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
13267 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
13268 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
13269 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
13270 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
13275 @subsubsection Mail Folders
13277 @cindex mbox folders
13278 @cindex mail folders
13280 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
13281 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
13282 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
13285 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
13286 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
13287 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13288 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13289 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
13290 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
13291 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
13292 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
13293 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
13294 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
13295 @code{nnfolder} directory).
13297 Virtual server settings:
13300 @item nnfolder-directory
13301 @vindex nnfolder-directory
13302 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
13303 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13306 @item nnfolder-active-file
13307 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
13308 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
13310 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13311 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13312 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13313 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
13315 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
13316 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13317 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
13320 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13321 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13322 @cindex backup files
13323 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
13324 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
13325 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
13326 your @file{.emacs} file:
13329 (defun turn-off-backup ()
13330 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
13332 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
13335 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13336 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13337 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
13338 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
13339 extract some information from it before removing it.
13341 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13342 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13343 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13344 default is @code{nil}.
13346 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13347 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13348 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
13350 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
13351 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
13352 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
13353 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13355 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13356 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13357 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13358 default is @code{nil}.
13360 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13361 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13362 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
13364 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
13365 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
13366 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
13367 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13372 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
13373 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
13374 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
13375 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
13376 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
13377 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
13380 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
13381 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
13383 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
13384 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
13385 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
13386 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
13387 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
13389 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
13390 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
13391 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
13392 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
13393 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
13394 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
13395 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
13396 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
13399 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
13400 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
13401 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
13402 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
13407 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
13408 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
13409 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
13410 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
13411 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
13412 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
13413 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
13414 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
13415 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
13416 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
13417 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
13418 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
13419 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
13424 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
13425 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
13426 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
13427 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
13428 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
13429 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
13430 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
13431 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
13432 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
13433 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
13434 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
13435 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
13436 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
13437 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
13439 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
13440 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
13445 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
13446 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
13447 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
13448 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
13449 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
13450 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
13451 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
13452 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
13453 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
13454 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
13455 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
13456 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
13457 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
13458 provided by the active file and overviews.
13460 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
13461 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
13462 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
13463 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
13464 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
13467 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
13468 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
13473 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
13474 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
13475 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
13476 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
13477 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
13478 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
13479 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
13483 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
13484 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
13485 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
13486 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
13487 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
13488 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
13489 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
13490 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
13491 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
13493 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
13494 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
13495 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
13496 friendly mail back end all over.
13501 @node Browsing the Web
13502 @section Browsing the Web
13504 @cindex browsing the web
13508 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
13509 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
13510 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
13511 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
13512 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
13513 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
13514 even know what a news group is.
13516 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
13517 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
13518 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
13519 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
13520 you mad in the end.
13522 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
13525 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
13526 interfaces to these sources.
13529 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
13530 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
13531 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
13532 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
13533 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
13534 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
13537 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
13539 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
13540 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
13541 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
13542 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
13543 though, you should be ok.
13545 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
13546 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
13547 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
13548 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
13549 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
13551 @node Archiving Mail
13552 @subsection Archiving Mail
13553 @cindex archiving mail
13554 @cindex backup of mail
13556 Some of the back ends, notably nnml and nnfolder, now actually store
13557 the article marks with each group. For these servers, archiving and
13558 restoring a group while preserving marks is fairly simple.
13560 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
13561 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @code{.newsrc.eld} deity
13564 To archive an entire @code{nnml} or @code{nnfolder} server, take a
13565 recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need to shut down
13566 Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or similar. You
13567 restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and adding a server
13568 definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The @ref{Article
13569 Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things might interfer
13570 with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus before you
13573 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml} or
13574 @code{nnfolder} groups, while preserving marks. For @code{nnml}, you
13575 copy all files in the group's directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need
13576 to copy both the base folder file itself (@code{FOO}, say), and the
13577 marks file (@code{FOO.mrk} in this example). Restoring the group is
13578 done with @kbd{G m} from the Group buffer. The last step makes Gnus
13579 notice the new directory.
13582 @subsection Web Searches
13586 @cindex InReference
13587 @cindex Usenet searches
13588 @cindex searching the Usenet
13590 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
13591 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
13592 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
13593 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
13594 searches without having to use a browser.
13596 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
13597 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
13598 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
13599 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
13600 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
13602 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
13603 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
13604 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
13605 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
13606 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
13607 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
13608 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
13609 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
13610 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
13611 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
13614 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
13615 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
13616 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
13617 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
13618 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
13619 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
13621 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
13622 to use @code{nnweb}.
13624 Virtual server variables:
13629 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
13630 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
13634 @vindex nnweb-search
13635 The search string to feed to the search engine.
13637 @item nnweb-max-hits
13638 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
13639 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
13642 @item nnweb-type-definition
13643 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
13644 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
13645 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
13650 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
13654 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
13657 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
13660 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
13664 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
13671 @subsection Slashdot
13675 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
13676 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
13677 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
13679 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
13680 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
13683 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
13684 '((nnslashdot "")))
13687 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
13688 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
13689 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
13690 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
13691 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
13694 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
13695 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13697 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
13698 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
13699 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
13700 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
13701 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
13702 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
13705 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
13708 @item nnslashdot-threaded
13709 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
13710 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
13711 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
13712 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
13713 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
13714 but much, much slower than untreaded.
13716 @item nnslashdot-login-name
13717 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
13718 The login name to use when posting.
13720 @item nnslashdot-password
13721 @vindex nnslashdot-password
13722 The password to use when posting.
13724 @item nnslashdot-directory
13725 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
13726 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
13727 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
13729 @item nnslashdot-active-url
13730 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
13731 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
13732 news articles and comments. The default is
13733 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
13735 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
13736 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
13737 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
13739 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
13741 @item nnslashdot-article-url
13742 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
13743 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
13745 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
13747 @item nnslashdot-threshold
13748 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
13749 The score threshold. The default is -1.
13751 @item nnslashdot-group-number
13752 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
13753 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
13754 updated. The default is 0.
13761 @subsection Ultimate
13763 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
13765 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
13766 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
13767 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
13768 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
13770 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
13771 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
13772 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
13773 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
13774 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
13775 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
13776 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
13778 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
13781 @item nnultimate-directory
13782 @vindex nnultimate-directory
13783 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
13784 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
13789 @subsection Web Archive
13791 @cindex Web Archive
13793 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
13794 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
13795 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
13796 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13799 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
13800 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
13801 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
13802 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
13803 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
13804 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
13805 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
13807 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
13810 @item nnwarchive-directory
13811 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
13812 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
13813 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
13815 @item nnwarchive-login
13816 @vindex nnwarchive-login
13817 The account name on the web server.
13819 @item nnwarchive-passwd
13820 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
13821 The password for your account on the web server.
13829 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
13830 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
13831 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13834 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
13835 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
13838 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
13841 @item nnrss-directory
13842 @vindex nnrss-directory
13843 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
13844 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
13848 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
13849 the summary buffer.
13852 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
13853 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
13855 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
13857 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
13858 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
13861 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
13864 (require 'browse-url)
13866 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
13868 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
13871 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
13872 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
13874 (browse-url (cdr url))
13875 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
13877 (eval-after-load "gnus"
13878 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
13879 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
13880 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
13883 @node Customizing w3
13884 @subsection Customizing w3
13890 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
13891 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
13892 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
13894 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
13895 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
13896 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
13899 (eval-after-load "w3"
13901 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
13902 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
13903 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
13904 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
13906 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
13909 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
13910 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
13918 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
13919 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
13920 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
13921 specify the network address of the server.
13923 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
13924 POP can, it can hence be viewed as POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
13925 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
13926 protocol. (@sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp} because news
13927 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.)
13929 If you want to use @sc{imap} as POP++, use an imap entry in
13930 mail-sources. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the @sc{imap}
13931 server and store them on the local disk. This is not the usage
13932 described in this section. @xref{Mail Sources}.
13934 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
13935 entry in gnus-secondary-select-methods. With this, Gnus will
13936 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
13937 usage explained in this section.
13939 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
13940 might look something like this:
13943 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
13944 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
13945 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
13947 (nnimap-address "localhost")
13948 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
13949 ; a UW server running on localhost
13951 (nnimap-server-port 143)
13952 (nnimap-address "localhost")
13953 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
13954 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
13955 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
13956 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
13957 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
13958 (nnimap-stream network))
13959 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
13961 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
13962 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
13963 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
13966 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
13971 @item nnimap-address
13972 @vindex nnimap-address
13974 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
13975 server name if not specified.
13977 @item nnimap-server-port
13978 @vindex nnimap-server-port
13979 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
13981 Note that this should be a integer, example server specification:
13984 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13985 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
13988 @item nnimap-list-pattern
13989 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
13990 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
13991 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
13992 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
13993 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
13994 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
13996 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
13997 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
13998 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14001 Example server specification:
14004 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14005 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14006 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14009 @item nnimap-stream
14010 @vindex nnimap-stream
14011 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14012 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14013 of SSL. (SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can be automatically
14014 detected, but it's not widely deployed yet).
14016 Example server specification:
14019 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14020 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14023 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14027 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Requires the
14028 @samp{imtest} program.
14030 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
14032 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14033 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14036 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the
14037 program @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
14039 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14041 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14044 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14045 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
14046 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
14047 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
14048 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
14049 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
14050 restrictions on IMAP commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
14051 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
14052 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14055 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14056 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14057 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14058 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
14059 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14060 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14061 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14064 @vindex imap-shell-program
14065 @vindex imap-shell-host
14066 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14067 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14069 @item nnimap-authenticator
14070 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14072 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14073 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14075 Example server specification:
14078 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14079 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14082 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14086 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
14087 external program @code{imtest}.
14089 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
14092 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
14093 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14095 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14097 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14099 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14102 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14104 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14105 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14106 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14107 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14108 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14109 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14112 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14113 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14114 running in circles yet?
14116 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14117 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14120 The possible options are:
14125 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14128 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14129 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14130 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14131 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14133 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14138 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
14139 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
14141 If non-nil, marks dormant articles as ticked (as well), for other IMAP
14142 clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will naturally still (only) be
14143 marked as ticked. This is to make dormant articles stand out, just
14144 like ticked articles, in other IMAP clients. (In other words, Gnus has
14145 two ``Tick'' marks and IMAP has only one.)
14147 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
14148 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
14151 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
14152 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14153 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
14154 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14157 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
14158 as ticked for other users.
14160 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
14162 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
14164 This variable contain the IMAP search command sent to server when
14165 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
14166 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
14167 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
14169 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
14170 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
14171 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
14172 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
14174 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14175 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14177 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14178 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14179 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14185 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14186 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14187 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14192 @node Splitting in IMAP
14193 @subsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
14194 @cindex splitting imap mail
14196 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14197 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14198 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14199 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14200 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14204 Here are the variables of interest:
14208 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14209 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14211 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14213 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14214 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14216 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14218 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14219 @cindex splitting, inbox
14221 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14223 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14224 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14228 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14229 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14232 No nnmail equivalent.
14234 @item nnimap-split-rule
14235 @cindex Splitting, rules
14236 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14238 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14241 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14242 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14243 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14244 Neither did I, we need examples.
14247 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14249 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14250 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14251 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14254 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14255 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14256 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
14258 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14259 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14263 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14266 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14267 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14268 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14269 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14271 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14272 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14273 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14274 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
14275 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14276 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14278 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14279 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14280 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14282 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14283 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14284 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14286 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
14288 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14289 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14290 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14293 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14294 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14295 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14296 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14297 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14298 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14301 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14302 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14303 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14304 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14305 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14306 group/function elements.
14308 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14310 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14312 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14314 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14315 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14317 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14318 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14319 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14322 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14323 @cindex splitting, fancy
14324 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14325 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14327 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14328 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14329 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14331 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14332 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14333 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14334 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14339 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14340 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14343 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14347 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14348 @subsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14349 @cindex editing imap acls
14350 @cindex Access Control Lists
14351 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14353 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14355 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14356 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14357 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14360 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14361 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14362 editing window with detailed instructions.
14364 Some possible uses:
14368 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
14369 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
14370 follow the list without subscribing to it.
14372 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
14373 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
14374 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
14378 @node Expunging mailboxes
14379 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
14383 @cindex Manual expunging
14385 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
14387 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
14388 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
14389 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
14391 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
14396 @node Other Sources
14397 @section Other Sources
14399 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
14400 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
14404 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
14405 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
14406 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
14407 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
14408 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
14412 @node Directory Groups
14413 @subsection Directory Groups
14415 @cindex directory groups
14417 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
14418 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
14421 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
14422 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
14423 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
14424 back end to read directories. Big deal.
14426 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
14427 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
14428 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
14429 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
14430 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
14432 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
14434 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
14435 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
14436 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
14437 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
14440 @node Anything Groups
14441 @subsection Anything Groups
14444 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
14445 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
14446 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
14449 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
14450 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
14451 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
14452 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
14453 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
14454 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
14455 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
14456 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
14457 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
14458 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
14461 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
14462 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
14463 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
14464 in the article buffer, just as usual.
14466 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
14467 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
14468 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
14469 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
14471 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
14472 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
14473 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
14474 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
14475 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
14476 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
14477 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
14478 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
14483 @item nneething-map-file-directory
14484 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
14485 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
14486 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
14488 @item nneething-exclude-files
14489 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
14490 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
14491 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
14493 @item nneething-include-files
14494 @vindex nneething-include-files
14495 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
14496 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
14498 @item nneething-map-file
14499 @vindex nneething-map-file
14500 Name of the map files.
14504 @node Document Groups
14505 @subsection Document Groups
14507 @cindex documentation group
14510 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
14511 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
14518 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
14523 The standard Unix mbox file.
14525 @cindex MMDF mail box
14527 The MMDF mail box format.
14530 Several news articles appended into a file.
14533 @cindex rnews batch files
14534 The rnews batch transport format.
14535 @cindex forwarded messages
14538 Forwarded articles.
14541 Netscape mail boxes.
14544 MIME multipart messages.
14546 @item standard-digest
14547 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
14550 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
14553 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
14554 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
14555 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
14558 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
14559 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
14560 group. And that's it.
14562 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
14563 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
14564 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
14565 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
14566 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
14567 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
14568 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
14569 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
14570 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
14571 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
14573 Virtual server variables:
14576 @item nndoc-article-type
14577 @vindex nndoc-article-type
14578 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
14579 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
14580 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
14581 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
14583 @item nndoc-post-type
14584 @vindex nndoc-post-type
14585 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
14586 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
14591 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
14595 @node Document Server Internals
14596 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
14598 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
14599 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
14600 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
14601 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
14603 First, here's an example document type definition:
14607 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
14608 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
14611 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
14612 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
14613 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
14614 types can be defined with very few settings:
14617 @item first-article
14618 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
14619 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
14622 @item article-begin
14623 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
14624 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
14626 @item head-begin-function
14627 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
14630 @item nndoc-head-begin
14631 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
14634 @item nndoc-head-end
14635 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
14636 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
14638 @item body-begin-function
14639 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
14643 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
14646 @item body-end-function
14647 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
14651 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
14654 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
14655 regexp will be totally ignored.
14659 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
14660 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
14661 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
14662 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
14663 something that's palatable for Gnus:
14666 @item prepare-body-function
14667 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
14668 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
14669 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
14671 @item article-transform-function
14672 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
14673 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
14674 body of the article.
14676 @item generate-head-function
14677 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
14678 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
14679 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
14680 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
14684 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
14689 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
14690 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
14691 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
14692 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
14693 (head-end . "^ ?$")
14694 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
14695 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
14696 (subtype digest guess))
14699 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
14700 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
14701 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
14702 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
14703 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
14705 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
14706 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
14707 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
14708 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
14709 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
14710 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
14711 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
14712 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
14713 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
14714 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
14722 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
14723 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
14724 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
14726 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
14727 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
14728 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
14731 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
14732 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
14733 that interested in doing things properly.
14735 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
14736 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
14739 First some terminology:
14744 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
14745 get news and/or mail from.
14748 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
14749 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
14752 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
14756 @item message packets
14757 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
14758 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
14759 default, where @var{x} is a number.
14761 @item response packets
14762 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
14763 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
14764 default, where @var{x} is a number.
14774 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
14775 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
14776 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
14777 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
14780 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
14783 You put the packet in your home directory.
14786 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
14787 the native or secondary server.
14790 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
14791 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
14794 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
14798 You transfer this packet to the server.
14801 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
14804 You then repeat until you die.
14808 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
14809 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
14812 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
14813 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
14814 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
14818 @node SOUP Commands
14819 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
14821 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
14825 @kindex G s b (Group)
14826 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
14827 Pack all unread articles in the current group
14828 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
14829 process/prefix convention.
14832 @kindex G s w (Group)
14833 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
14834 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
14837 @kindex G s s (Group)
14838 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
14839 Send all replies from the replies packet
14840 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
14843 @kindex G s p (Group)
14844 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
14845 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
14848 @kindex G s r (Group)
14849 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
14850 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
14853 @kindex O s (Summary)
14854 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
14855 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
14856 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
14857 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14862 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
14867 @item gnus-soup-directory
14868 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
14869 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
14870 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
14872 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
14873 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
14874 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
14875 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
14877 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
14878 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
14879 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
14880 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
14882 @item gnus-soup-packer
14883 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
14884 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
14885 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
14887 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
14888 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
14889 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
14890 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
14892 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
14893 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
14894 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
14896 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
14897 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
14898 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
14899 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
14905 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
14908 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
14909 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
14910 you can read them at leisure.
14912 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
14916 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
14917 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
14918 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
14919 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
14921 @item nnsoup-directory
14922 @vindex nnsoup-directory
14923 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
14924 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
14926 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
14927 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
14928 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
14929 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
14931 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
14932 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
14933 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
14934 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
14935 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
14937 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
14938 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
14939 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
14940 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
14942 @item nnsoup-active-file
14943 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
14944 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
14945 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
14946 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
14947 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
14949 @item nnsoup-packer
14950 @vindex nnsoup-packer
14951 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
14952 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
14954 @item nnsoup-unpacker
14955 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
14956 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
14957 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
14959 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
14960 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
14961 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
14964 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
14965 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
14966 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
14969 @item nnsoup-always-save
14970 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
14971 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
14977 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
14979 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
14980 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
14981 more for that to happen.
14983 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
14984 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
14985 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
14988 In specific, this is what it does:
14991 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
14992 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
14995 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
14996 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
14997 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
15000 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
15001 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
15002 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
15005 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
15006 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
15007 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
15009 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
15015 @item nngateway-address
15016 @vindex nngateway-address
15017 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
15019 @item nngateway-header-transformation
15020 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
15021 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
15022 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
15023 transformation should be called, and defaults to
15024 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
15025 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
15028 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
15029 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
15030 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
15033 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
15036 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
15039 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
15042 The following pre-defined functions exist:
15044 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15047 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15048 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15049 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
15051 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15053 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15054 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15055 @code{nngateway-address}.
15060 (setq gnus-post-method
15062 "mail2news@@replay.com"
15063 (nngateway-header-transformation
15064 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
15072 So, to use this, simply say something like:
15075 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
15080 @node Combined Groups
15081 @section Combined Groups
15083 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
15087 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
15088 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
15092 @node Virtual Groups
15093 @subsection Virtual Groups
15095 @cindex virtual groups
15096 @cindex merging groups
15098 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
15101 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
15102 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
15103 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
15105 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
15106 regexp to match component groups.
15108 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
15109 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
15110 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
15111 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
15112 the virtual group.)
15114 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
15115 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
15118 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
15121 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
15122 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
15124 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
15125 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
15126 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
15127 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
15130 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
15133 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
15134 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
15135 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
15137 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
15138 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
15139 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
15140 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
15141 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
15143 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
15144 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
15145 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
15147 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
15148 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
15149 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
15150 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15151 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
15152 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
15153 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
15154 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
15155 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
15156 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
15157 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
15159 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
15160 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
15161 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
15162 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
15163 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
15164 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
15165 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
15167 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
15168 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
15172 @node Kibozed Groups
15173 @subsection Kibozed Groups
15177 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
15178 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
15179 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
15180 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
15182 @kindex G k (Group)
15183 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
15186 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
15187 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
15188 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
15189 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
15191 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
15192 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
15193 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
15195 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
15196 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
15197 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
15198 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
15199 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
15200 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
15201 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
15202 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
15204 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
15205 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
15206 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
15207 Stranger things have happened.
15209 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
15210 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
15212 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
15213 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
15214 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
15215 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
15216 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
15217 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
15219 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
15220 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
15223 @node Gnus Unplugged
15224 @section Gnus Unplugged
15229 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
15231 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
15232 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
15233 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
15234 read news. Believe it or not.
15236 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
15237 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
15238 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
15239 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
15240 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
15242 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
15243 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
15244 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
15245 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
15246 reading news on a machine.
15248 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
15252 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
15253 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
15257 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
15258 @file{.gnus.el} file:
15265 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
15267 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
15270 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
15271 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
15272 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
15273 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
15274 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
15275 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
15276 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
15277 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
15278 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
15279 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
15284 @subsection Agent Basics
15286 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
15288 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
15289 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
15290 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
15291 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
15293 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
15294 connected to the net continuously.
15296 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
15297 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
15299 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
15304 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
15305 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
15306 already fetched while in this mode.
15309 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
15310 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
15311 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
15312 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
15313 Source Specifiers}).
15316 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
15317 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
15318 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
15319 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
15320 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
15323 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
15324 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
15325 then you read the news offline.
15328 And then you go to step 2.
15331 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
15337 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
15338 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
15339 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
15340 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
15341 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
15342 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
15345 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
15352 @node Agent Categories
15353 @subsection Agent Categories
15355 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
15356 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
15357 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
15358 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
15359 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
15360 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
15361 you're interested in the articles anyway.
15363 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
15364 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
15365 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
15366 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
15367 managing categories.
15370 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
15371 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
15372 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
15376 @node Category Syntax
15377 @subsubsection Category Syntax
15379 A category consists of two things.
15383 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
15384 are eligible for downloading; and
15387 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
15388 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
15389 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
15392 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
15393 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
15394 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
15395 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
15397 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
15398 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
15399 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
15401 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
15402 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
15403 operators sprinkled in between.
15405 Perhaps some examples are in order.
15407 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
15408 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
15414 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
15415 short (for some value of ``short'').
15417 Here's a more complex predicate:
15426 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
15427 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
15430 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
15431 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
15432 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
15434 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
15435 you want to do, you can write your own.
15439 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
15440 lines; default 100.
15443 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
15444 lines; default 200.
15447 True iff the article has a download score less than
15448 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
15451 True iff the article has a download score greater than
15452 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
15455 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
15456 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
15457 checksum and sees whether articles match.
15466 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
15467 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
15468 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
15471 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
15472 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
15473 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
15474 something along the lines of the following:
15477 (defun my-article-old-p ()
15478 "Say whether an article is old."
15479 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
15480 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
15483 with the predicate then defined as:
15486 (not my-article-old-p)
15489 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
15490 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
15491 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
15492 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
15495 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
15496 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
15497 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
15500 and simply specify your predicate as:
15506 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
15507 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
15508 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
15509 just don't give a damn.
15511 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
15512 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
15513 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
15514 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
15515 parameters like so:
15518 (agent-predicate . short)
15521 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
15522 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
15523 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
15525 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
15528 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
15531 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
15532 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
15533 predicate is assumed to be a list.
15536 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
15537 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
15538 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
15539 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
15540 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
15541 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
15543 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
15544 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
15545 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
15546 if it's to be specific to that group.
15548 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
15555 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
15556 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
15562 Category specification
15566 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15572 Group Parameter specification
15575 (agent-score ("from"
15576 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15581 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
15587 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
15594 Category specification
15597 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
15603 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
15607 Group Parameter specification
15610 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
15613 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
15618 Use @code{normal} score files
15620 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
15621 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
15622 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
15623 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
15625 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
15626 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
15627 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
15628 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
15632 Category Specification
15639 Group Parameter specification
15642 (agent-score . file)
15647 @node Category Buffer
15648 @subsubsection Category Buffer
15650 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
15651 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
15652 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
15654 The following commands are available in this buffer:
15658 @kindex q (Category)
15659 @findex gnus-category-exit
15660 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
15663 @kindex k (Category)
15664 @findex gnus-category-kill
15665 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
15668 @kindex c (Category)
15669 @findex gnus-category-copy
15670 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
15673 @kindex a (Category)
15674 @findex gnus-category-add
15675 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
15678 @kindex p (Category)
15679 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
15680 Edit the predicate of the current category
15681 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
15684 @kindex g (Category)
15685 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
15686 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
15687 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
15690 @kindex s (Category)
15691 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
15692 Edit the download score rule of the current category
15693 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
15696 @kindex l (Category)
15697 @findex gnus-category-list
15698 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
15702 @node Category Variables
15703 @subsubsection Category Variables
15706 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
15707 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
15708 Hook run in category buffers.
15710 @item gnus-category-line-format
15711 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
15712 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
15713 Variables}). Valid elements are:
15717 The name of the category.
15720 The number of groups in the category.
15723 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
15724 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
15725 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
15727 @item gnus-agent-short-article
15728 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
15729 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
15731 @item gnus-agent-long-article
15732 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
15733 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
15735 @item gnus-agent-low-score
15736 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
15737 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
15740 @item gnus-agent-high-score
15741 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
15742 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
15748 @node Agent Commands
15749 @subsection Agent Commands
15751 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
15752 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
15753 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
15757 * Group Agent Commands::
15758 * Summary Agent Commands::
15759 * Server Agent Commands::
15762 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
15763 following incantation:
15765 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
15767 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
15772 @node Group Agent Commands
15773 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
15777 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
15778 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
15779 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
15780 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
15783 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
15784 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
15785 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
15788 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
15789 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
15790 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
15791 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
15794 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
15795 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
15796 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
15797 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
15800 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
15801 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
15802 Add the current group to an Agent category
15803 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
15804 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15807 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
15808 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
15809 Remove the current group from its category, if any
15810 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
15811 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15814 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
15815 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15816 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
15822 @node Summary Agent Commands
15823 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
15827 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
15828 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
15829 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
15832 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
15833 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
15834 Remove the downloading mark from the article
15835 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
15838 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
15839 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
15840 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
15843 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
15844 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
15845 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
15848 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
15849 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
15850 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
15851 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
15856 @node Server Agent Commands
15857 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
15861 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
15862 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
15863 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
15864 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
15867 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
15868 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
15869 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
15870 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
15876 @subsection Agent Expiry
15878 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
15879 @findex gnus-agent-expire
15880 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
15881 @cindex Agent expiry
15882 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
15885 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
15886 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
15887 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
15888 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
15889 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
15890 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
15892 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
15893 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
15894 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
15895 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
15896 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
15899 @node Agent and IMAP
15900 @subsection Agent and IMAP
15902 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
15903 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
15904 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
15905 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
15907 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
15908 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
15909 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
15910 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
15912 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
15913 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
15914 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
15915 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
15916 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
15918 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15919 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
15920 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
15921 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
15922 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
15923 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
15925 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
15926 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
15927 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
15928 in the group buffer by default.
15930 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
15931 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
15936 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
15939 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
15943 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
15944 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
15945 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
15946 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
15947 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
15948 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
15949 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
15950 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
15953 @node Outgoing Messages
15954 @subsection Outgoing Messages
15956 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
15957 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
15958 after posting, and edit them at will.
15960 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
15961 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
15962 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
15963 messages in the draft group.
15967 @node Agent Variables
15968 @subsection Agent Variables
15971 @item gnus-agent-directory
15972 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
15973 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
15974 @file{~/News/agent/}.
15976 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
15977 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
15978 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
15979 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
15980 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
15983 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15984 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15985 Hook run when connecting to the network.
15987 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15988 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15989 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
15994 @node Example Setup
15995 @subsection Example Setup
15997 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
15998 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
15999 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
16002 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
16003 ;;; from your ISP's server.
16004 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
16006 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
16007 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
16008 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
16010 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
16011 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
16013 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
16017 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
16018 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
16021 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
16022 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
16023 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
16024 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
16025 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
16028 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
16029 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
16030 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
16031 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
16032 back all the killed groups.)
16034 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
16035 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
16036 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
16039 @node Batching Agents
16040 @subsection Batching Agents
16042 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
16043 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
16044 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
16048 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
16052 @node Agent Caveats
16053 @subsection Agent Caveats
16055 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
16056 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
16060 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
16065 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
16066 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
16072 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
16073 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
16080 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
16081 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
16082 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
16085 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
16086 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
16087 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
16088 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
16089 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
16091 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
16092 before generating the summary buffer.
16094 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
16095 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
16096 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
16098 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
16099 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
16100 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
16101 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
16104 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
16105 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
16106 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
16107 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
16108 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
16109 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
16110 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
16111 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
16112 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
16113 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
16114 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
16115 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
16116 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
16117 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
16118 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
16119 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
16120 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
16124 @node Summary Score Commands
16125 @section Summary Score Commands
16126 @cindex score commands
16128 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
16129 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
16130 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
16131 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
16132 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
16134 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
16135 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
16136 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
16137 score file the current one.
16139 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
16144 @kindex V s (Summary)
16145 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
16146 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
16149 @kindex V S (Summary)
16150 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
16151 Display the score of the current article
16152 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
16155 @kindex V t (Summary)
16156 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
16157 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
16158 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
16161 @kindex V R (Summary)
16162 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
16163 Run the current summary through the scoring process
16164 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
16165 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
16166 effect you're having.
16169 @kindex V c (Summary)
16170 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
16171 Make a different score file the current
16172 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
16175 @kindex V e (Summary)
16176 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
16177 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
16178 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
16182 @kindex V f (Summary)
16183 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
16184 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
16185 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
16188 @kindex V F (Summary)
16189 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16190 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
16191 after editing score files.
16194 @kindex V C (Summary)
16195 @findex gnus-score-customize
16196 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
16197 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
16201 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
16206 @kindex V m (Summary)
16207 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
16208 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
16209 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
16212 @kindex V x (Summary)
16213 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
16214 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
16215 expunge all articles below this score
16216 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
16219 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
16220 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
16223 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
16224 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
16228 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
16229 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
16231 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
16232 keys are available:
16236 Score on the author name.
16239 Score on the subject line.
16242 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
16245 Score on the @code{References} line.
16251 Score on the number of lines.
16254 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
16257 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
16258 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
16259 @file{ADAPT} files.)
16268 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
16274 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
16275 what headers you are scoring on.
16287 Substring matching.
16290 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
16319 Greater than number.
16324 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
16325 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
16326 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
16330 Temporary score entry.
16333 Permanent score entry.
16336 Immediately scoring.
16341 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
16342 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
16343 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
16344 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
16346 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
16347 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
16348 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
16349 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
16350 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
16352 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
16353 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
16354 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
16355 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
16356 current score file.
16358 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
16359 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
16360 pretend they are keymaps or not.
16363 @node Group Score Commands
16364 @section Group Score Commands
16365 @cindex group score commands
16367 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
16372 @kindex W f (Group)
16373 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16374 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
16375 all the time. This command will flush the cache
16376 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
16380 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
16382 @findex gnus-batch-score
16383 @cindex batch scoring
16385 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
16389 @node Score Variables
16390 @section Score Variables
16391 @cindex score variables
16395 @item gnus-use-scoring
16396 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
16397 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
16398 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
16400 @item gnus-kill-killed
16401 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
16402 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
16403 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
16404 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
16405 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
16406 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
16407 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
16409 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
16410 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
16411 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
16412 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
16413 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
16415 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
16416 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
16417 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
16418 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
16420 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16421 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16422 @cindex score cache
16423 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
16424 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
16425 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
16426 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
16427 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
16428 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
16431 @item gnus-save-score
16432 @vindex gnus-save-score
16433 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
16434 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
16435 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
16437 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
16438 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
16439 across group visits.
16441 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16442 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16443 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
16444 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
16445 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
16446 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
16447 manually entered data.
16449 @item gnus-summary-default-score
16450 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
16451 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
16453 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
16454 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
16455 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
16456 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
16457 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
16458 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
16460 @item gnus-score-over-mark
16461 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
16462 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
16463 default. Default is @samp{+}.
16465 @item gnus-score-below-mark
16466 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
16467 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
16468 default. Default is @samp{-}.
16470 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16471 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16472 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
16473 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
16475 Predefined functions available are:
16478 @item gnus-score-find-single
16479 @findex gnus-score-find-single
16480 Only apply the group's own score file.
16482 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
16483 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
16484 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
16485 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
16486 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
16487 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
16488 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
16489 then a regexp match is done.
16491 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
16492 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
16494 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
16495 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
16496 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
16497 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
16499 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16500 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16501 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
16502 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
16503 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
16507 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
16508 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
16509 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
16510 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
16511 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
16512 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
16513 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
16516 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
16517 overall score file, you could use the value
16519 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
16520 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
16523 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
16524 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
16525 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
16526 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
16527 are expired. It's 7 by default.
16529 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16530 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16531 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
16532 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
16533 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
16534 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
16535 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
16538 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16539 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16540 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
16542 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
16543 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
16544 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
16545 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
16546 threading---according to the current value of
16547 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
16548 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
16549 simplified in this manner.
16554 @node Score File Format
16555 @section Score File Format
16556 @cindex score file format
16558 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
16559 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
16560 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
16562 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
16566 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
16568 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
16570 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
16572 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
16577 (mark-and-expunge -10)
16581 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
16582 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
16583 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
16584 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
16588 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
16589 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
16591 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
16592 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
16593 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
16595 Six keys are supported by this alist:
16600 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
16601 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
16602 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
16603 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
16604 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
16605 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
16606 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
16607 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
16608 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
16609 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
16610 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
16611 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
16612 to articles that matches these score entries.
16614 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
16615 score entry has one to four elements.
16619 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
16620 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
16624 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
16625 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
16626 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
16627 is successful. If this element is not present, the
16628 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
16629 instead. This is 1000 by default.
16632 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
16633 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
16634 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
16635 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
16636 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
16639 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
16640 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
16641 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
16642 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
16645 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
16646 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
16647 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
16648 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
16649 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
16650 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
16651 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
16652 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
16653 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
16654 instead, if you feel like.
16657 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
16658 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
16660 These predicates are true if
16663 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
16666 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
16667 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
16674 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
16675 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
16676 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
16677 it's not. I think.)
16679 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
16680 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
16681 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
16682 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
16685 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
16686 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
16687 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
16688 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
16689 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
16690 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
16691 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
16695 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
16696 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
16697 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
16698 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
16699 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
16700 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
16701 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
16702 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
16705 @item Head, Body, All
16706 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
16710 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
16711 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
16712 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
16713 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
16714 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
16715 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
16716 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
16720 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
16721 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
16722 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
16723 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
16724 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
16725 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
16726 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
16727 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
16728 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
16729 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
16730 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
16734 @cindex Score File Atoms
16736 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16737 lower than this number will be marked as read.
16740 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16741 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
16743 @item mark-and-expunge
16744 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16745 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
16748 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
16749 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
16750 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
16751 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
16752 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
16755 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
16756 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
16759 @item exclude-files
16760 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
16761 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
16765 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
16766 ignored when handling global score files.
16769 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
16770 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
16771 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
16772 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
16775 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
16776 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
16777 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
16778 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
16780 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
16784 (mark-and-expunge -100)
16787 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
16788 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
16789 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
16790 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
16791 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
16793 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
16794 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
16795 scoring rules exist.
16798 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
16799 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
16800 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
16801 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
16802 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
16803 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
16804 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
16805 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
16806 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
16807 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
16808 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
16812 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
16813 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
16814 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
16815 file for a number of groups.
16818 @cindex local variables
16819 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
16820 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
16821 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
16822 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
16823 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
16827 @node Score File Editing
16828 @section Score File Editing
16830 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
16831 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
16832 with a mode for that.
16834 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
16835 additional commands:
16840 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
16841 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
16842 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
16843 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
16846 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
16847 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
16848 Insert the current date in numerical format
16849 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
16850 you were wondering.
16853 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
16854 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
16855 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
16856 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
16857 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
16862 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
16864 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
16865 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
16867 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
16868 e} to begin editing score files.
16871 @node Adaptive Scoring
16872 @section Adaptive Scoring
16873 @cindex adaptive scoring
16875 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
16876 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
16877 stupidity, to be precise.
16879 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
16880 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
16881 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
16882 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
16883 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
16884 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
16885 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
16886 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
16887 variable to @code{(word line)}.
16889 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16890 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
16891 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
16892 might look something like this:
16895 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16896 '((gnus-unread-mark)
16897 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
16898 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
16899 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
16900 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
16901 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
16902 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
16903 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
16904 (gnus-ancient-mark)
16905 (gnus-low-score-mark)
16906 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
16909 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
16910 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
16911 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
16912 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
16913 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
16914 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
16917 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
16918 will be applied to each article.
16920 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
16921 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
16922 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
16923 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
16925 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
16926 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
16927 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
16928 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
16930 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
16931 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
16932 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
16933 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
16935 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
16936 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
16937 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
16938 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
16939 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
16940 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
16942 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
16943 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
16944 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
16945 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
16946 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
16947 aspirins afterwards.)
16949 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
16950 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
16951 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
16953 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
16954 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
16955 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
16957 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
16958 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
16959 let you use different rules in different groups.
16961 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
16962 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
16963 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
16966 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
16967 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
16968 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
16969 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
16970 the length of the match is less than
16971 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
16972 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
16975 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16976 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
16977 headers. If you adapt on words, the
16978 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
16979 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
16982 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16983 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
16984 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
16985 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
16986 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
16989 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
16990 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
16991 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
16992 score with 30 points.
16994 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
16995 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
16996 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
16997 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
16998 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
17000 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
17001 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
17002 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
17003 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
17004 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
17006 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
17007 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
17008 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
17009 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
17011 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
17012 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
17013 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
17014 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
17016 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
17017 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
17018 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
17019 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
17020 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
17022 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
17023 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
17024 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
17026 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
17027 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
17028 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
17029 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
17032 @node Home Score File
17033 @section Home Score File
17035 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
17036 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
17037 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
17038 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
17040 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
17041 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
17042 could perhaps use the same home score file.
17044 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
17045 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
17050 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
17054 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
17055 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
17059 A list. The elements in this list can be:
17063 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
17064 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
17067 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
17068 the home score file.
17071 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
17074 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
17079 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
17082 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17083 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
17086 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
17087 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
17089 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
17091 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17092 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
17095 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
17096 Other functions include
17099 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
17100 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
17101 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
17102 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
17106 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
17107 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
17108 their own home score files:
17111 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17112 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
17113 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
17114 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
17115 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
17118 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
17119 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
17120 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
17121 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
17122 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
17124 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
17125 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
17126 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
17127 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
17128 precedence over this variable.
17131 @node Followups To Yourself
17132 @section Followups To Yourself
17134 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
17135 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
17136 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
17137 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
17138 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
17139 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
17143 @item gnus-score-followup-article
17144 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
17145 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
17148 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
17149 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
17150 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
17154 @vindex message-sent-hook
17155 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
17156 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
17158 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
17162 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
17163 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
17167 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17168 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17171 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
17172 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
17177 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
17181 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
17182 is system-dependent.
17185 @node Scoring On Other Headers
17186 @section Scoring On Other Headers
17187 @cindex scoring on other headers
17189 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
17190 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
17191 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
17192 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
17193 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
17195 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
17196 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
17197 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
17198 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
17199 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
17201 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
17204 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
17205 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
17208 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
17209 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
17210 time if you have much mail.
17212 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
17213 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
17219 @section Scoring Tips
17220 @cindex scoring tips
17226 @cindex scoring crossposts
17227 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
17228 the @code{Xref} header.
17230 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
17233 @item Multiple crossposts
17234 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
17235 more than, say, 3 groups:
17238 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
17242 @item Matching on the body
17243 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
17244 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
17245 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
17246 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
17247 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
17248 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
17249 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
17252 @item Marking as read
17253 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
17254 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
17255 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
17259 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
17261 @item Negated character classes
17262 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
17263 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
17264 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
17268 @node Reverse Scoring
17269 @section Reverse Scoring
17270 @cindex reverse scoring
17272 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
17273 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
17274 like this in your score file:
17278 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
17283 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
17284 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
17287 @node Global Score Files
17288 @section Global Score Files
17289 @cindex global score files
17291 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
17292 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
17293 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
17295 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
17296 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
17297 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
17299 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
17300 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
17301 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
17302 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
17303 files are applicable to which group.
17305 To use the score file
17306 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
17307 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
17311 (setq gnus-global-score-files
17312 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
17313 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
17316 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
17318 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
17319 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
17320 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
17321 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
17323 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
17324 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
17326 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
17327 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
17328 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
17329 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
17330 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
17331 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
17333 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
17339 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
17341 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
17343 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
17345 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
17346 lowered out of existence.
17348 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
17349 articles completely.
17352 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
17353 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
17354 old articles for a long time.
17357 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
17358 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
17359 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
17360 holding our breath yet?
17364 @section Kill Files
17367 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
17368 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
17369 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
17371 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
17372 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
17373 files into score files.
17375 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
17376 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
17377 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
17378 that isn't a very good idea.
17380 Normal kill files look like this:
17383 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17384 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
17388 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
17389 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
17391 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
17392 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
17395 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
17400 @kindex M-k (Summary)
17401 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
17402 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
17405 @kindex M-K (Summary)
17406 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
17407 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
17410 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
17415 @kindex M-k (Group)
17416 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
17417 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
17420 @kindex M-K (Group)
17421 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
17422 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
17425 Kill file variables:
17428 @item gnus-kill-file-name
17429 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
17430 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
17431 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
17432 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
17433 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
17434 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
17436 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17437 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17438 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
17439 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
17442 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
17443 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
17444 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
17445 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
17446 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
17447 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
17448 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
17449 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
17450 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
17452 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17453 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17454 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
17459 @node Converting Kill Files
17460 @section Converting Kill Files
17462 @cindex converting kill files
17464 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
17465 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
17466 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
17469 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
17470 You can fetch it from
17471 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
17473 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
17474 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
17475 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
17483 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
17484 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
17485 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
17486 news articles generated every day.
17488 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
17489 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
17490 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
17491 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
17492 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
17493 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
17494 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
17495 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
17498 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
17499 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
17502 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
17503 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
17504 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
17505 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
17509 @node Using GroupLens
17510 @subsection Using GroupLens
17512 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
17514 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
17515 better bit in town at the moment.
17517 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
17521 @item gnus-use-grouplens
17522 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
17523 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
17524 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
17526 @item grouplens-pseudonym
17527 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
17528 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
17529 with the Better Bit Bureau.
17531 @item grouplens-newsgroups
17532 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
17533 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
17537 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
17538 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
17539 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
17540 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
17541 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
17542 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
17545 @node Rating Articles
17546 @subsection Rating Articles
17548 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
17549 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
17550 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
17551 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
17554 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
17559 @kindex r (GroupLens)
17560 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
17561 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
17564 @kindex k (GroupLens)
17565 @findex grouplens-score-thread
17566 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
17567 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
17568 threads in rec.humor.
17572 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
17573 the score of the article you're reading.
17578 @kindex n (GroupLens)
17579 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
17580 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
17583 @kindex , (GroupLens)
17584 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
17585 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
17589 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
17590 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
17593 @node Displaying Predictions
17594 @subsection Displaying Predictions
17596 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
17597 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
17598 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
17599 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
17600 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
17602 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
17603 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
17604 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
17605 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
17606 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
17607 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
17608 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
17609 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
17610 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
17611 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
17612 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
17613 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
17614 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
17616 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
17617 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
17618 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
17619 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
17621 The following are valid values for that variable.
17624 @item prediction-spot
17625 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
17628 @item confidence-interval
17629 A numeric confidence interval.
17631 @item prediction-bar
17632 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
17634 @item confidence-bar
17635 Numerical confidence.
17637 @item confidence-spot
17638 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
17640 @item prediction-num
17641 Plain-old numeric value.
17643 @item confidence-plus-minus
17644 Prediction +/- confidence.
17649 @node GroupLens Variables
17650 @subsection GroupLens Variables
17654 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
17655 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
17656 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
17657 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
17660 @item grouplens-bbb-host
17661 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
17664 @item grouplens-bbb-port
17665 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
17667 @item grouplens-score-offset
17668 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
17669 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
17672 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
17673 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
17674 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
17679 @node Advanced Scoring
17680 @section Advanced Scoring
17682 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
17683 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
17684 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
17685 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
17686 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
17688 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
17692 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
17693 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
17694 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
17698 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
17699 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
17701 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
17702 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
17703 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
17704 non-@code{nil} value.
17706 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
17707 operator, and various match operators.
17714 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
17715 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
17716 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
17721 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
17722 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
17723 then this operator will return @code{false}.
17728 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
17729 logical negation of the value of its argument.
17733 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
17734 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
17735 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
17736 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
17737 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
17738 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
17739 the ancestry you want to go.
17741 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
17742 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
17743 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
17744 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
17745 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
17748 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
17749 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
17751 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
17752 when he's talking about Gnus:
17756 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17757 ("subject" "Gnus"))
17763 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
17767 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17774 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
17775 really don't want to read what he's written:
17779 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17780 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
17784 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
17785 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
17786 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
17793 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
17794 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
17795 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
17796 ("body" "white.*socks"))
17800 The possibilities are endless.
17803 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
17804 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
17806 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
17807 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
17808 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
17809 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
17810 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
17811 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
17812 @samp{subject}) first.
17814 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
17815 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
17826 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
17827 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
17833 ("subject" "Gnus")))
17840 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
17841 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
17846 @section Score Decays
17847 @cindex score decays
17850 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
17851 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
17852 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
17853 use them in any sensible way.
17855 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
17856 @findex gnus-decay-score
17857 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
17858 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
17859 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
17860 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
17861 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
17862 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
17863 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
17864 definition of that function:
17867 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
17869 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
17870 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
17873 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
17875 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
17877 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
17880 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
17881 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
17882 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
17883 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
17887 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
17890 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
17893 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
17897 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
17898 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
17899 the new score, which should be an integer.
17901 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
17902 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
17909 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
17910 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
17911 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
17912 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
17913 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
17914 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
17915 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
17916 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
17917 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
17918 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
17919 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
17920 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
17921 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
17922 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
17923 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
17924 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
17925 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
17926 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
17930 @node Process/Prefix
17931 @section Process/Prefix
17932 @cindex process/prefix convention
17934 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
17935 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
17937 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
17938 command to be performed on.
17942 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
17943 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
17944 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
17945 with the current one.
17947 @vindex transient-mark-mode
17948 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
17949 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
17951 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
17952 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
17955 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
17956 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
17958 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
17961 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
17962 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
17963 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
17964 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
17966 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
17967 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
17968 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
17969 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
17970 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
17971 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
17972 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
17973 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
17975 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
17976 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
17977 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
17978 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
17979 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
17983 @section Interactive
17984 @cindex interaction
17988 @item gnus-novice-user
17989 @vindex gnus-novice-user
17990 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
17991 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
17992 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
17993 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
17996 @item gnus-expert-user
17997 @vindex gnus-expert-user
17998 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
17999 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
18000 matter how strange.
18002 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
18003 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
18004 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
18005 is @code{t} by default.
18007 @item gnus-interactive-exit
18008 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
18009 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18014 @node Symbolic Prefixes
18015 @section Symbolic Prefixes
18016 @cindex symbolic prefixes
18018 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
18019 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
18020 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
18021 rule of 900 to the current article.
18023 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
18024 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
18025 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
18026 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
18027 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
18028 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
18029 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
18031 @kindex M-i (Summary)
18032 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
18033 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
18034 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
18035 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
18036 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
18037 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
18038 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
18039 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
18041 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
18042 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
18043 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
18045 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
18049 @node Formatting Variables
18050 @section Formatting Variables
18051 @cindex formatting variables
18053 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
18054 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
18055 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
18056 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
18057 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
18060 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
18061 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
18062 lots of percentages everywhere.
18065 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
18066 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
18067 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
18068 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
18069 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
18070 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
18071 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
18072 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
18075 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
18076 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
18077 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
18078 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
18079 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
18080 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
18081 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
18082 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
18084 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
18085 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
18087 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
18088 @findex gnus-update-format
18089 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
18090 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
18091 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
18092 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
18096 @node Formatting Basics
18097 @subsection Formatting Basics
18099 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
18100 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
18101 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
18103 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
18104 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
18105 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
18106 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
18107 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
18110 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
18111 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
18112 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
18113 less than 4 characters wide.
18116 @node Mode Line Formatting
18117 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
18119 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
18120 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
18121 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
18122 with the following two differences:
18127 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
18130 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
18131 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
18132 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
18133 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
18134 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
18135 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
18136 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
18141 @node Advanced Formatting
18142 @subsection Advanced Formatting
18144 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
18145 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
18146 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
18147 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
18149 These are the valid modifiers:
18154 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
18158 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
18163 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
18166 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
18171 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
18174 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
18177 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
18180 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
18184 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
18185 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
18186 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
18187 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
18188 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
18189 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
18190 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
18192 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
18193 last operation, padding.
18195 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
18196 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
18197 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
18198 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
18199 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
18200 the look of your lines.
18201 @xref{Compilation}.
18204 @node User-Defined Specs
18205 @subsection User-Defined Specs
18207 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
18208 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
18209 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
18210 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
18211 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
18212 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
18213 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
18214 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
18215 should protect against that.
18217 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
18218 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
18219 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
18220 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
18224 @node Formatting Fonts
18225 @subsection Formatting Fonts
18227 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
18228 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
18229 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
18230 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
18233 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
18234 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
18235 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
18236 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
18237 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
18238 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
18240 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
18241 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
18242 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
18243 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
18244 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
18245 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
18246 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
18247 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
18249 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
18252 ;; Create three face types.
18253 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
18254 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
18256 ;; We want the article count to be in
18257 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
18258 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
18259 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
18261 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
18262 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
18264 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
18265 (setq gnus-group-line-format
18266 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
18269 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
18270 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
18272 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
18273 mode-line variables.
18275 @node Positioning Point
18276 @subsection Positioning Point
18278 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
18279 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
18280 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
18282 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
18284 @findex gnus-goto-colon
18285 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
18286 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
18288 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
18289 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
18290 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
18295 @subsection Tabulation
18297 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
18298 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
18299 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
18300 about lining up the following text afterwards.
18302 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
18303 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
18305 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18306 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
18307 This is the soft tabulator.
18309 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18310 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
18311 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
18314 @node Wide Characters
18315 @subsection Wide Characters
18317 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
18318 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
18319 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
18321 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
18322 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
18323 these coutries, that's not true.
18325 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
18326 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
18327 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
18328 prettieer. The default value is @code{t}.
18332 @node Window Layout
18333 @section Window Layout
18334 @cindex window layout
18336 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
18338 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
18339 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
18340 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
18341 @code{t} by default.
18343 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
18344 glitches. Use at your own peril.
18346 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
18347 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
18348 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
18351 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
18352 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
18353 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18357 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
18358 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
18359 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
18360 possible names is listed below.
18362 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
18363 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
18366 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18370 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
18371 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
18372 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
18373 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
18374 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
18375 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
18376 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
18377 size spec per split.
18379 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
18380 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
18381 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
18382 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
18383 present) gets focus.
18385 Here's a more complicated example:
18388 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
18389 (summary 0.25 point)
18390 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
18394 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
18395 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
18396 occupy, not a percentage.
18398 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
18399 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
18400 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
18401 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
18402 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
18405 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
18408 (article (horizontal 1.0
18413 (summary 0.25 point)
18418 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
18419 @code{horizontal} thingie?
18421 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
18422 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
18423 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
18424 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
18425 the screen is to be given to this strip.
18427 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
18428 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
18429 lines from the splits.
18431 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
18435 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
18436 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
18437 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
18438 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
18439 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
18440 size = number | frame-params
18441 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
18444 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
18445 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
18446 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
18447 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
18449 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
18450 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
18451 @cindex window height
18452 @cindex window width
18453 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
18454 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
18455 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
18456 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
18457 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
18458 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
18460 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
18461 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
18462 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
18463 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
18465 @findex gnus-configure-frame
18466 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
18467 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
18468 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
18469 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
18470 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
18471 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
18472 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
18473 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
18474 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
18475 configuration list.
18478 (gnus-configure-frame
18482 (article 0.3 point))
18490 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
18491 @code{frame} split:
18494 (gnus-configure-frame
18497 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
18499 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
18500 (user-position . t)
18501 (left . -1) (top . 1))
18506 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
18507 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
18508 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
18509 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
18510 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
18511 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
18512 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
18513 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
18515 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
18516 be found in its default value.
18518 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
18519 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
18520 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
18524 (message (horizontal 1.0
18525 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
18527 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
18532 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
18533 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
18534 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
18539 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
18540 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
18541 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
18542 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
18543 (name . "Message"))
18544 (message 1.0 point))))
18547 @findex gnus-add-configuration
18548 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
18549 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
18550 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
18551 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
18554 (gnus-add-configuration
18555 '(article (vertical 1.0
18557 (summary .25 point)
18561 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
18562 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
18563 Gnus has been loaded.
18565 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
18566 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
18567 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
18568 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
18569 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
18571 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
18572 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
18573 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
18576 @subsection Example Window Configurations
18580 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
18581 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
18596 (gnus-add-configuration
18599 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18601 (summary 0.16 point)
18604 (gnus-add-configuration
18607 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18608 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
18614 @node Faces and Fonts
18615 @section Faces and Fonts
18620 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
18621 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
18622 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
18627 @section Compilation
18628 @cindex compilation
18629 @cindex byte-compilation
18631 @findex gnus-compile
18633 Remember all those line format specification variables?
18634 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
18635 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
18636 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
18637 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
18638 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
18639 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
18640 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
18643 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
18644 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
18645 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
18646 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
18647 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
18650 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
18651 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
18652 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
18653 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
18654 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
18659 @section Mode Lines
18662 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
18663 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
18664 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
18665 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
18666 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
18667 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
18668 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
18671 @cindex display-time
18673 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
18674 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
18675 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
18676 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
18677 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
18678 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
18679 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
18680 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
18683 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
18685 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
18686 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
18688 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
18689 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
18690 (length display-time-string)))))
18693 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
18694 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
18695 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
18696 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
18697 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
18700 @node Highlighting and Menus
18701 @section Highlighting and Menus
18703 @cindex highlighting
18706 @vindex gnus-visual
18707 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
18708 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
18709 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
18712 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
18713 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
18716 @item group-highlight
18717 Do highlights in the group buffer.
18718 @item summary-highlight
18719 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
18720 @item article-highlight
18721 Do highlights in the article buffer.
18723 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
18725 Create menus in the group buffer.
18727 Create menus in the summary buffers.
18729 Create menus in the article buffer.
18731 Create menus in the browse buffer.
18733 Create menus in the server buffer.
18735 Create menus in the score buffers.
18737 Create menus in all buffers.
18740 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
18741 buffers, you could say something like:
18744 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
18747 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
18750 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
18753 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
18754 in all Gnus buffers.
18756 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
18759 @item gnus-mouse-face
18760 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
18761 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
18762 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
18766 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
18770 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
18771 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
18772 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
18774 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
18775 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
18776 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
18778 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
18779 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
18780 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
18782 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
18783 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
18784 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
18786 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
18787 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
18788 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
18790 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
18791 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
18792 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
18803 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
18804 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
18805 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
18806 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
18807 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
18811 @vindex gnus-carpal
18812 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
18813 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
18814 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
18819 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
18820 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
18821 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
18823 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
18824 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
18825 Face used on buttons.
18827 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
18828 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
18829 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
18831 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
18832 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
18833 Buttons in the group buffer.
18835 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
18836 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
18837 Buttons in the summary buffer.
18839 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
18840 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
18841 Buttons in the server buffer.
18843 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
18844 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
18845 Buttons in the browse buffer.
18848 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
18849 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
18850 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
18858 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
18859 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
18860 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
18861 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
18862 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
18864 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
18865 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
18866 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
18868 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
18869 been idle for thirty minutes:
18872 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
18875 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
18879 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
18882 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
18883 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
18884 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
18886 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
18887 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
18888 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
18889 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
18891 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
18892 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
18893 @var{idle} minutes.
18895 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
18896 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
18899 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
18900 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
18901 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
18903 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
18904 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
18905 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
18906 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
18908 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
18909 your @file{.gnus} file:
18911 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
18913 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
18916 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
18917 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
18918 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
18919 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
18920 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
18921 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
18922 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
18923 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
18924 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
18925 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
18926 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
18928 @findex gnus-demon-init
18929 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
18930 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
18931 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
18932 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
18933 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
18935 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
18936 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
18937 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
18946 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
18947 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
18949 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
18950 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
18951 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
18952 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
18955 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
18956 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
18957 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
18958 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
18960 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
18961 this will make spam disappear.
18963 There are some variables to customize, of course:
18966 @item gnus-use-nocem
18967 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
18968 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
18971 @item gnus-nocem-groups
18972 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
18973 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
18974 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
18975 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
18977 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
18978 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
18979 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
18980 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
18981 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
18982 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
18984 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
18985 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
18987 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
18988 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
18989 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
18990 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
18991 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
18992 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
18993 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
18994 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
18995 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
18996 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
18998 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
18999 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
19002 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
19005 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
19006 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
19009 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
19012 The specs are applied left-to-right.
19015 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
19016 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
19018 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
19019 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
19020 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
19021 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
19023 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
19024 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
19027 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
19029 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
19037 This might be dangerous, though.
19039 @item gnus-nocem-directory
19040 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
19041 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
19042 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
19044 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19045 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19046 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
19047 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
19048 might then see old spam.
19050 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
19051 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
19052 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
19053 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
19054 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
19057 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19058 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19059 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
19060 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
19064 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
19065 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
19066 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
19067 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
19074 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
19075 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
19076 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
19078 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
19079 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
19080 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
19081 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
19082 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
19083 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
19084 @code{undo} function.
19086 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
19087 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
19088 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
19089 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
19090 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
19091 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
19092 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
19093 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
19094 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
19095 never be totally undoable.
19097 @findex gnus-undo-mode
19098 @vindex gnus-use-undo
19100 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
19101 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
19102 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
19103 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
19108 @section Moderation
19111 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
19112 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
19113 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
19116 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
19120 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
19123 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
19125 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
19130 You split your incoming mail by matching on
19131 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
19132 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
19135 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
19136 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
19139 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
19140 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
19144 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
19147 (setq gnus-moderated-list
19148 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
19152 @node XEmacs Enhancements
19153 @section XEmacs Enhancements
19156 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
19160 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
19161 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
19162 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
19163 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
19176 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
19177 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
19178 over your shoulder as you read news.
19181 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
19182 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
19183 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
19184 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
19185 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
19190 @subsubsection Picon Basics
19192 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
19201 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
19202 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
19203 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
19204 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
19205 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
19206 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
19207 @code{GIF} formats.
19210 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19211 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
19212 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
19213 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
19214 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
19216 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19217 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
19218 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
19219 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
19220 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
19221 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19224 @node Picon Requirements
19225 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
19227 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
19228 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
19229 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
19230 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
19232 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19233 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
19234 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
19235 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
19236 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
19240 @subsubsection Easy Picons
19242 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
19243 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
19246 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
19247 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
19250 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
19251 containing the Picons databases.
19253 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
19256 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19257 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
19262 @subsubsection Hard Picons
19270 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
19271 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
19272 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
19273 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
19274 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
19279 @item gnus-picons-database
19280 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19281 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
19282 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
19283 subdirectories. This is only useful if
19284 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
19285 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
19287 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19288 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19289 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
19290 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
19291 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
19292 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
19293 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19295 @item gnus-picons-display-where
19296 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19297 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
19298 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
19299 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
19300 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
19301 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
19302 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
19304 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19305 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19306 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
19311 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
19312 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
19314 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
19315 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
19318 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19320 @item gnus-article-display-picons
19321 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
19322 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
19323 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
19325 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
19326 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
19327 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
19333 @node Picon Useless Configuration
19334 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
19342 The following variables offer further control over how things are
19343 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
19344 don't need to worry about.
19348 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
19349 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
19350 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19351 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
19353 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
19354 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
19355 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
19356 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
19358 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
19359 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
19360 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19361 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
19362 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
19364 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19365 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19366 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
19367 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
19368 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
19369 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
19370 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
19372 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
19373 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
19374 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
19375 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
19377 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
19378 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
19379 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
19380 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
19381 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
19382 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
19383 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
19385 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
19386 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
19387 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
19388 Defaults to @code{nil}.
19390 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
19391 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
19392 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
19393 Defaults to @code{t}.
19395 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
19396 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
19397 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
19398 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
19400 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
19401 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
19402 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
19404 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19405 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19406 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
19407 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
19409 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
19410 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
19412 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19413 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19414 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
19415 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
19416 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
19417 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
19418 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
19419 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
19430 @subsection Smileys
19435 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
19440 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
19441 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
19443 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
19444 @file{.gnus.el} file:
19447 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
19450 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
19451 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
19452 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
19453 text and maps that to file names.
19455 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
19456 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
19457 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
19458 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
19459 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
19460 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
19462 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
19463 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
19465 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
19466 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
19467 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
19469 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
19470 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
19474 @item smiley-data-directory
19475 @vindex smiley-data-directory
19476 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
19478 @item smiley-flesh-color
19479 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
19480 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
19482 @item smiley-features-color
19483 @vindex smiley-features-color
19484 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19486 @item smiley-tongue-color
19487 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
19488 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
19490 @item smiley-circle-color
19491 @vindex smiley-circle-color
19492 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19494 @item smiley-mouse-face
19495 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
19496 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
19502 @subsection Toolbar
19512 @item gnus-use-toolbar
19513 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
19514 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
19515 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
19516 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
19518 @item gnus-group-toolbar
19519 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
19520 The toolbar in the group buffer.
19522 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
19523 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
19524 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
19526 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19527 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19528 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
19534 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
19537 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19538 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19539 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
19540 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
19541 unusual directory structure.
19543 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19544 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19545 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
19546 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
19548 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19549 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19550 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
19551 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
19552 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
19553 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
19555 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19556 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19557 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
19571 @node Fuzzy Matching
19572 @section Fuzzy Matching
19573 @cindex fuzzy matching
19575 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
19576 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
19578 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
19579 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
19580 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
19582 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
19583 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
19584 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
19585 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
19586 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
19589 @node Thwarting Email Spam
19590 @section Thwarting Email Spam
19594 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
19596 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
19597 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
19598 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
19599 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
19600 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
19601 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
19602 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
19603 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
19606 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
19607 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
19608 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
19609 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
19610 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
19611 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
19615 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
19616 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
19618 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
19619 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
19620 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
19621 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
19622 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
19623 part of the mail address.)
19626 (setq message-default-news-headers
19627 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
19630 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
19631 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
19636 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
19637 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
19638 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
19644 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
19645 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
19646 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
19647 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
19649 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
19650 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
19651 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
19652 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
19653 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
19654 your fancy split rule in this way:
19659 (to "larsi" "misc")
19663 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
19664 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
19665 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
19666 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
19667 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
19669 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
19670 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
19671 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
19672 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
19673 cosmic balance somewhat.
19675 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
19676 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
19677 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
19678 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
19681 @node Various Various
19682 @section Various Various
19688 @item gnus-home-directory
19689 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
19690 defaults to @file{~/}.
19692 @item gnus-directory
19693 @vindex gnus-directory
19694 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
19695 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
19696 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
19698 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
19699 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
19700 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
19701 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
19703 @item gnus-default-directory
19704 @vindex gnus-default-directory
19705 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
19706 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
19707 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
19708 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
19709 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
19710 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
19713 @vindex gnus-verbose
19714 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
19715 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
19716 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
19717 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
19718 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
19720 @item gnus-verbose-backends
19721 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
19722 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
19723 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
19725 @item nnheader-max-head-length
19726 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
19727 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
19728 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
19729 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
19730 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
19731 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
19732 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
19733 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
19734 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
19736 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
19737 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
19738 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
19739 read when doing the operation described above.
19741 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19742 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19744 @cindex invalid characters in file names
19745 @cindex characters in file names
19746 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
19747 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
19748 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
19751 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19755 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
19756 Windows (phooey) systems.
19758 @item gnus-hidden-properties
19759 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
19760 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
19761 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
19762 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
19764 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
19765 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
19766 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
19767 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
19768 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
19770 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
19771 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
19772 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
19774 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
19775 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
19777 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
19778 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
19779 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
19780 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
19783 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
19792 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
19793 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
19795 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
19797 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
19803 Not because of victories @*
19806 but for the common sunshine,@*
19808 the largess of the spring.
19812 but for the day's work done@*
19813 as well as I was able;@*
19814 not for a seat upon the dais@*
19815 but at the common table.@*
19820 @chapter Appendices
19823 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
19824 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
19825 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
19826 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
19827 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
19828 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
19829 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
19830 * Frequently Asked Questions::
19838 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
19839 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
19841 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
19842 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
19843 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
19844 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
19845 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
19847 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
19848 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
19849 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
19850 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
19851 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
19852 appropriate name, don't you think?)
19854 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
19855 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
19856 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
19857 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
19860 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
19861 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
19862 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
19863 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
19864 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
19865 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
19866 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
19867 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
19868 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
19872 @node Gnus Versions
19873 @subsection Gnus Versions
19874 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
19876 @cindex September Gnus
19877 @cindex Quassia Gnus
19879 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
19880 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
19881 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
19883 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
19884 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
19886 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
19887 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
19889 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
19890 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
19892 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
19893 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
19896 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
19898 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
19899 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
19900 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
19901 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
19902 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
19903 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
19906 @node Other Gnus Versions
19907 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
19910 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
19911 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
19912 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
19913 @sc{mime} capabilities.
19915 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
19916 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
19917 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
19918 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
19925 What's the point of Gnus?
19927 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
19928 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
19929 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
19930 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
19931 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
19932 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
19933 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
19934 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
19935 keep track of millions of people who post?
19937 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
19938 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
19939 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
19940 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
19941 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
19942 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
19943 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
19944 every one of you to explore and invent.
19946 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
19947 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
19950 @node Compatibility
19951 @subsection Compatibility
19953 @cindex compatibility
19954 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
19955 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
19956 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
19961 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
19965 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
19968 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
19971 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
19972 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
19973 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
19974 important variables have their values copied into their global
19975 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
19976 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
19978 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
19979 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
19980 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
19981 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
19982 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
19986 @cindex highlighting
19987 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
19988 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
19989 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
19990 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
19991 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
19992 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
19995 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
19996 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
19997 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
19998 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
20000 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
20001 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
20002 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
20003 to stop doing it the old way.
20005 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
20007 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
20009 @cindex reporting bugs
20011 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
20012 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
20013 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
20015 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
20016 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
20017 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
20018 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
20023 @subsection Conformity
20025 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
20026 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
20033 There are no known breaches of this standard.
20037 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
20039 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
20040 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
20041 We do have some breaches to this one.
20047 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
20048 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
20049 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
20050 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
20051 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
20056 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
20057 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
20058 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
20059 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
20063 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
20064 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
20069 @subsection Emacsen
20075 Gnus should work on :
20083 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
20087 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
20088 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
20089 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
20090 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
20091 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
20093 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
20094 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
20095 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
20099 @node Gnus Development
20100 @subsection Gnus Development
20102 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
20103 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
20104 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
20105 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
20106 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
20107 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
20108 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
20109 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
20111 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
20112 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
20113 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
20114 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
20115 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
20118 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
20119 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
20120 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
20121 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
20122 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
20124 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
20125 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
20126 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
20127 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
20128 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
20129 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
20130 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
20131 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
20132 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
20133 can't be assumed to do so.
20138 @subsection Contributors
20139 @cindex contributors
20141 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
20142 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
20143 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
20144 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
20145 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
20146 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
20147 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
20148 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
20149 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
20150 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
20152 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
20158 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
20161 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
20162 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
20163 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
20164 functionality and stuff.
20167 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
20168 well as numerous other things).
20171 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
20174 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
20177 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
20180 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
20183 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
20184 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
20187 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
20190 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
20191 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20194 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
20197 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
20200 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
20203 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
20206 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
20207 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
20210 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
20213 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
20216 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
20219 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
20223 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
20226 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
20229 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
20232 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
20233 well as autoconf support.
20237 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
20238 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
20240 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
20249 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
20253 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
20263 Alexei V. Barantsev,
20278 Massimo Campostrini,
20283 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
20284 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
20288 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
20291 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
20297 Michael Welsh Duggan,
20302 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
20306 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
20314 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
20316 Michelangelo Grigni,
20320 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
20322 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
20324 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
20331 François Felix Ingrand,
20332 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
20333 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
20335 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
20346 Peter Skov Knudsen,
20347 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
20349 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
20350 Thor Kristoffersen,
20353 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
20371 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
20372 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
20379 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
20384 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
20388 John McClary Prevost,
20394 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
20399 Christian von Roques,
20402 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
20409 Philippe Schnoebelen,
20411 Randal L. Schwartz,
20425 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
20430 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
20446 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
20451 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
20452 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
20453 (550kB and counting).
20455 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
20458 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
20459 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
20463 @subsection New Features
20464 @cindex new features
20467 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
20468 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
20469 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
20470 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
20471 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
20474 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
20475 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
20476 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
20479 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
20481 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
20486 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
20487 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
20490 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
20491 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
20494 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
20497 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
20498 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
20499 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
20502 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
20503 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
20504 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
20505 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
20508 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
20509 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20512 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
20513 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
20514 (@pxref{The Active File}).
20517 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
20518 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
20521 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
20522 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
20523 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
20526 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
20527 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
20528 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
20531 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
20532 the @file{.emacs} file.
20535 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
20536 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
20539 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
20540 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
20543 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
20544 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20547 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
20548 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
20551 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
20552 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
20555 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
20558 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
20559 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
20562 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
20563 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
20566 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
20567 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
20570 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
20573 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
20574 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
20577 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
20581 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
20585 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
20586 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
20589 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
20595 @node September Gnus
20596 @subsubsection September Gnus
20600 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
20604 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
20609 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
20610 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
20614 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
20615 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
20619 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
20623 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
20624 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
20627 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
20631 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20634 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
20637 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
20640 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
20644 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
20645 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
20648 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
20652 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
20656 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
20660 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
20664 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
20667 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
20668 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
20671 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
20675 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
20676 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
20679 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
20682 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
20683 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
20684 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
20687 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
20691 The Gnus cache is much faster.
20694 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
20698 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
20699 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
20702 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
20703 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
20706 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
20707 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
20710 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
20711 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
20712 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
20715 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
20716 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
20719 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
20722 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
20725 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
20728 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
20731 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
20732 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
20735 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
20739 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
20742 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
20747 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
20750 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
20754 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20757 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
20761 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
20764 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
20767 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
20768 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
20771 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
20772 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
20776 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
20777 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
20780 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
20784 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
20785 buffer to allow easier treatment.
20788 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
20791 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
20795 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
20799 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
20800 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
20803 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
20807 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
20808 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
20811 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
20812 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
20815 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
20819 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
20822 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
20825 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
20831 @subsubsection Red Gnus
20833 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
20837 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
20844 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
20847 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
20848 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
20851 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
20852 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
20856 Article washing status can be displayed in the
20857 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
20860 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
20863 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
20864 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
20867 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
20871 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
20872 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
20876 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
20877 Server Internals}).
20880 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
20884 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
20887 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
20888 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
20891 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
20892 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
20893 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
20896 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
20897 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
20900 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
20901 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
20904 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
20908 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
20909 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
20912 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
20913 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
20916 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
20920 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
20923 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
20927 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
20928 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
20931 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
20932 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
20935 A new command for reading collections of documents
20936 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
20937 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
20940 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
20944 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
20945 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
20948 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
20949 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
20950 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
20953 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
20954 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
20958 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
20962 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
20966 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
20971 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
20975 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
20979 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
20980 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
20983 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
20989 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
20991 New features in Gnus 5.6:
20996 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
20997 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
20998 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
21001 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
21002 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
21003 group, which is created automatically.
21006 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
21010 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
21013 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
21014 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
21017 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
21021 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
21024 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
21025 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
21028 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
21031 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
21032 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
21035 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
21036 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
21039 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
21040 control over simplification.
21043 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
21046 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
21050 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
21053 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
21056 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
21057 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
21058 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
21061 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
21062 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
21065 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
21069 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
21070 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
21073 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
21074 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
21077 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
21081 A history of where mails have been split is available.
21084 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
21087 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
21088 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
21091 A new function for citing in Message has been
21092 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
21095 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
21098 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
21102 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
21103 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
21106 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
21107 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
21110 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
21113 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
21117 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
21118 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
21120 New features in Gnus 5.8:
21125 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
21126 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
21128 If you used procmail like in
21131 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
21132 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
21133 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
21134 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
21137 this now has changed to
21141 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
21145 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
21146 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
21149 Gnus is now a MIME-capable reader. This affects many parts of
21150 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
21153 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
21154 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
21157 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
21158 called to position point.
21161 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
21162 summary buffers and NOV files.
21165 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
21166 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
21169 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
21170 subtly different manner.
21173 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
21174 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
21175 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
21178 Gnus can now read IMAP mail via @code{nnimap}.
21186 @section The Manual
21190 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
21191 either @code{texi2dvi}
21193 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
21194 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
21196 to get what you hold in your hands now.
21198 The following conventions have been used:
21203 This is a @samp{string}
21206 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
21209 This is a @file{file}
21212 This is a @code{symbol}
21216 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
21220 (setq flargnoze "yes")
21223 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
21226 (setq flumphel 'yes)
21229 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
21230 ever get them confused.
21234 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
21235 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
21236 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
21237 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
21238 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
21239 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
21240 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
21246 @node On Writing Manuals
21247 @section On Writing Manuals
21249 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
21250 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
21251 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
21252 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
21253 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
21254 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
21257 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
21258 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
21259 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
21262 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
21263 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
21268 @section Terminology
21270 @cindex terminology
21275 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
21276 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
21277 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
21278 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
21279 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
21283 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
21284 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
21285 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
21286 not posting, and replying is not following up.
21290 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
21294 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
21299 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of back ends, both news and mail
21300 back ends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
21301 is all done by the back ends.
21305 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
21306 default, way of getting news.
21310 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
21311 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
21316 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
21317 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
21321 A message that has been posted as news.
21324 @cindex mail message
21325 A message that has been mailed.
21329 A mail message or news article
21333 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
21338 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
21343 A line from the head of an article.
21347 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
21348 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
21352 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
21353 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
21354 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
21355 normal @sc{head} format.
21359 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
21360 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
21361 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
21362 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
21363 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
21364 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
21366 @item killed groups
21367 @cindex killed groups
21368 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
21369 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
21371 @item zombie groups
21372 @cindex zombie groups
21373 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
21376 @cindex active file
21377 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
21378 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
21379 is rather large, as you might surmise.
21382 @cindex bogus groups
21383 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
21384 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
21385 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
21388 @cindex activating groups
21389 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
21390 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
21391 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
21395 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
21397 @item select method
21398 @cindex select method
21399 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
21402 @item virtual server
21403 @cindex virtual server
21404 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
21405 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
21406 whole is a virtual server.
21410 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
21411 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
21414 @item ephemeral groups
21415 @cindex ephemeral groups
21416 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
21417 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
21418 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
21421 @cindex solid groups
21422 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
21423 group buffer are solid groups.
21425 @item sparse articles
21426 @cindex sparse articles
21427 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
21428 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21432 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21433 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21437 @cindex thread root
21438 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21439 articles in the thread.
21443 An article that has responses.
21447 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21451 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21452 specified by RFC 1153.
21458 @node Customization
21459 @section Customization
21460 @cindex general customization
21462 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
21463 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
21464 for some quite common situations.
21467 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
21468 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
21469 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
21470 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
21474 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
21475 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
21477 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
21478 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
21479 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
21483 @item gnus-read-active-file
21484 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
21485 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
21486 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21487 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
21488 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
21490 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
21491 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
21492 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
21493 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
21497 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21498 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21500 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21501 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21502 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21506 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21507 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21508 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21509 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21510 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21512 @item gnus-visible-headers
21513 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21514 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21515 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21516 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21518 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21520 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21521 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21522 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21525 @item gnus-use-full-window
21526 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21527 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21528 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21529 want to read them anyway.
21531 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21532 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21535 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21536 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21537 lines, which might save some time.
21541 @node Little Disk Space
21542 @subsection Little Disk Space
21545 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21546 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21550 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21551 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21552 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21553 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21556 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21557 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21558 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21559 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21562 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21563 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21564 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21565 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21566 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
21572 @subsection Slow Machine
21573 @cindex slow machine
21575 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
21576 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
21578 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21579 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
21581 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
21582 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
21583 summary buffer faster.
21587 @node Troubleshooting
21588 @section Troubleshooting
21589 @cindex troubleshooting
21591 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
21599 Make sure your computer is switched on.
21602 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
21603 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
21607 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
21608 like @samp{T-gnus 6.15.* (based on Oort Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
21609 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you get
21610 something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some old
21611 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
21614 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
21618 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
21619 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
21620 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
21621 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
21622 something like that.
21625 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
21628 @cindex reporting bugs
21630 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21632 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
21633 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
21634 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
21635 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
21637 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
21638 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
21639 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
21640 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
21643 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
21644 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
21645 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
21646 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
21647 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
21648 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
21650 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
21651 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
21652 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
21656 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
21657 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
21659 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
21660 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
21662 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
21663 @cindex ding mailing list
21664 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
21665 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
21669 @node Gnus Reference Guide
21670 @section Gnus Reference Guide
21672 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
21673 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
21674 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
21675 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
21678 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
21679 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
21680 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
21681 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
21682 and general methods of operation.
21685 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
21686 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
21687 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
21688 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
21689 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
21690 * Group Info:: The group info format.
21691 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
21692 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
21693 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
21697 @node Gnus Utility Functions
21698 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
21699 @cindex Gnus utility functions
21700 @cindex utility functions
21702 @cindex internal variables
21704 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
21705 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
21706 Below is a list of the most common ones.
21710 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
21711 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
21712 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
21714 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
21715 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
21716 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
21718 @item gnus-group-real-name
21719 @findex gnus-group-real-name
21720 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
21723 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
21724 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
21725 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
21726 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
21728 @item gnus-get-info
21729 @findex gnus-get-info
21730 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
21732 @item gnus-group-unread
21733 @findex gnus-group-unread
21734 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
21738 @findex gnus-active
21739 The active entry for @var{group}.
21741 @item gnus-set-active
21742 @findex gnus-set-active
21743 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
21745 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21746 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21747 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
21750 @item gnus-continuum-version
21751 @findex gnus-continuum-version
21752 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
21753 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
21756 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
21757 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
21758 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
21760 @item gnus-news-group-p
21761 @findex gnus-news-group-p
21762 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
21764 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21765 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21766 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
21768 @item gnus-server-to-method
21769 @findex gnus-server-to-method
21770 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
21772 @item gnus-server-equal
21773 @findex gnus-server-equal
21774 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
21776 @item gnus-group-native-p
21777 @findex gnus-group-native-p
21778 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
21780 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
21781 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
21782 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
21784 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
21785 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
21786 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
21788 @item group-group-find-parameter
21789 @findex group-group-find-parameter
21790 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
21791 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
21793 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
21794 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
21795 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
21797 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
21798 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
21799 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
21801 @item gnus-check-backend-function
21802 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
21803 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
21804 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
21807 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
21811 @item gnus-read-method
21812 @findex gnus-read-method
21813 Prompts the user for a select method.
21818 @node Back End Interface
21819 @subsection Back End Interface
21821 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
21822 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
21823 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
21824 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
21825 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
21826 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
21828 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
21829 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
21830 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
21831 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
21832 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
21833 been opened, the function should fail.
21835 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
21836 name. Take this example:
21840 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
21841 (nntp-port-number 4324))
21844 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
21845 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
21847 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
21848 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
21849 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
21851 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
21852 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
21853 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
21855 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
21856 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
21857 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
21858 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
21859 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
21860 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
21863 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
21864 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
21865 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
21866 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
21869 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
21870 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
21871 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
21872 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
21873 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
21874 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
21875 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
21876 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
21877 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
21878 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
21880 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
21881 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
21882 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
21883 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
21884 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
21885 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
21886 of numbers as long as possible.
21888 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
21891 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
21894 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
21895 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
21896 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
21897 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
21898 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
21899 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
21903 @node Required Back End Functions
21904 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
21908 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
21910 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
21911 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
21912 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
21913 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
21915 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
21916 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
21917 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
21918 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
21920 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
21921 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
21922 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
21923 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
21924 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
21925 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
21926 number, do maximum fetches.
21928 Here's an example HEAD:
21931 221 1056 Article retrieved.
21932 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
21933 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
21934 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
21935 Subject: Re: Something very droll
21936 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
21937 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
21939 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
21940 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
21941 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
21945 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
21946 these in the data buffer.
21948 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
21952 head = error / valid-head
21953 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
21954 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
21955 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
21956 header = <text> eol
21959 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
21960 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
21964 nov-buffer = *nov-line
21965 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
21966 field = <text except TAB>
21969 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
21973 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
21975 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
21976 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
21978 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
21979 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
21980 server. In fact, it should do so.
21982 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
21983 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
21986 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
21988 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
21989 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
21992 There should be no data returned.
21995 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
21997 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
21998 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
21999 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
22000 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
22002 There should be no data returned.
22005 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
22007 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
22008 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
22009 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
22010 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
22012 There should be no data returned.
22015 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
22017 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
22019 There should be no data returned.
22022 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
22024 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
22025 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
22026 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
22027 it would be nice if that were possible.
22029 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
22030 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
22031 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
22032 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
22033 into its article buffer.
22035 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
22036 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
22037 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
22038 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
22039 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
22040 on successful article retrieval.
22043 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
22045 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
22046 making @var{group} the current group.
22048 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
22051 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
22054 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
22057 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
22058 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
22059 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
22060 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
22061 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
22062 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
22063 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
22064 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
22067 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
22068 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
22069 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
22073 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22075 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
22076 a no-op on most back ends.
22078 There should be no data returned.
22081 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
22083 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
22086 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
22089 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
22090 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
22093 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
22094 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
22097 active-file = *active-line
22098 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
22100 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
22103 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
22104 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
22105 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
22108 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
22110 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
22111 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
22112 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
22113 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
22114 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
22115 clear if the posting could not be completed.
22117 There should be no result data from this function.
22122 @node Optional Back End Functions
22123 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
22127 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
22129 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
22130 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
22131 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
22133 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
22134 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
22135 former is in the same format as the data from
22136 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
22137 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
22140 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
22144 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
22146 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
22147 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
22148 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
22149 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
22150 should return the (altered) group info.
22152 There should be no result data from this function.
22155 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
22157 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
22158 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
22159 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
22160 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
22161 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
22162 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
22163 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
22164 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
22166 There should be no result data from this function.
22169 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
22171 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
22172 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
22173 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
22174 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
22175 propagate the mark information to the server.
22177 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
22180 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
22183 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
22184 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
22185 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
22186 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
22187 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
22188 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
22189 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
22190 possible, not limit itself to these.
22192 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
22193 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
22194 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
22195 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
22197 An example action list:
22200 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
22201 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
22202 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
22205 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
22206 mark on (currently not used for anything).
22208 There should be no result data from this function.
22210 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
22212 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
22213 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
22214 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
22215 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
22216 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
22218 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
22219 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
22220 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
22223 There should be no result data from this function.
22226 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
22228 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
22229 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
22230 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
22231 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
22232 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
22233 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
22234 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
22236 There should be no result data from this function.
22239 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
22241 The result data from this function should be a description of
22245 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
22247 description = <text>
22250 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
22252 The result data from this function should be the description of all
22253 groups available on the server.
22256 description-buffer = *description-line
22260 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
22262 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
22263 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
22264 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
22265 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
22266 in the active buffer format.
22268 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
22269 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
22270 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
22271 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
22272 many groups, so nnml and the like are probably safe. But for back ends
22273 like nntp, where the groups have been created by the server, it is quite
22274 likely that there can be many groups.
22277 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22279 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
22281 There should be no return data.
22284 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
22286 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
22287 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
22288 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
22289 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
22290 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
22293 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
22296 There should be no result data returned.
22299 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
22302 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
22303 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
22305 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
22306 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
22307 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
22308 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
22309 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
22310 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
22312 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
22313 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
22316 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22317 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22319 There should be no data returned.
22322 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
22324 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
22325 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
22326 this function in short order.
22328 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22329 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22331 There should be no data returned.
22334 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
22336 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
22337 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
22339 There should be no data returned.
22342 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
22344 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
22345 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
22346 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
22348 There should be no data returned.
22351 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
22353 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
22354 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
22356 There should be no data returned.
22361 @node Error Messaging
22362 @subsubsection Error Messaging
22364 @findex nnheader-report
22365 @findex nnheader-get-report
22366 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
22367 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
22368 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
22369 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
22370 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
22371 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
22374 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
22376 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
22379 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
22380 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
22381 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
22382 takes one argument---the server symbol.
22384 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
22385 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
22386 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
22389 @node Writing New Back Ends
22390 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
22392 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
22393 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
22394 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
22395 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
22396 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
22399 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
22400 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
22401 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
22403 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
22404 package called @code{nnoo}.
22406 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
22407 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
22413 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
22414 parameters. For instance:
22417 (nnoo-declare nndir
22421 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
22422 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
22425 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
22426 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
22427 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
22429 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
22430 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
22431 a function in those back ends.
22434 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22435 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22436 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22439 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
22440 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
22441 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
22443 @item nnoo-define-basics
22444 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
22448 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22452 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
22453 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
22454 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
22456 @item nnoo-map-functions
22457 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
22458 functions from the parent back ends.
22461 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22462 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22463 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
22466 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
22467 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
22468 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
22469 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
22472 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
22473 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
22474 haven't already been defined.
22480 nnmh-request-newgroups)
22484 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
22485 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
22486 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
22491 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
22494 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
22495 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22499 (require 'nnheader)
22503 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
22505 (nnoo-declare nndir
22508 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22509 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22510 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22512 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
22513 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
22516 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
22518 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
22519 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
22520 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
22522 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
22523 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
22525 ;;; Interface functions.
22527 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22529 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22530 (setq nndir-directory
22531 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22533 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22534 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22535 (push `(nndir-current-group
22536 ,(file-name-nondirectory
22537 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22539 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22540 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22542 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22544 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22545 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22546 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22547 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22548 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22552 nnmh-status-message
22554 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22560 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
22561 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
22563 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22564 @findex gnus-declare-backend
22565 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
22566 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22567 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22569 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
22570 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
22575 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
22578 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
22580 The abilities can be:
22584 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
22586 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
22588 This back end supports both mail and news.
22590 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
22593 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
22594 articles and groups.
22596 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
22597 true for almost all back ends.
22598 @item prompt-address
22599 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
22600 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
22601 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
22605 @node Mail-like Back Ends
22606 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
22608 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
22609 back ends is the heavy dependence by the mail back ends on common
22610 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
22611 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
22614 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
22615 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
22616 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
22619 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
22620 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
22623 This function takes four parameters.
22627 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
22630 @item exit-function
22631 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
22633 @item temp-directory
22634 Where the temporary files should be stored.
22637 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
22638 performed for one group only.
22641 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
22642 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
22643 find the article number assigned to this article.
22645 The function also uses the following variables:
22646 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
22647 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
22648 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
22649 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
22653 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
22654 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
22658 @node Score File Syntax
22659 @subsection Score File Syntax
22661 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
22662 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
22663 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
22665 Here's a typical score file:
22669 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
22676 BNF definition of a score file:
22679 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
22680 element = rule / atom
22681 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
22682 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
22683 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
22684 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
22686 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
22687 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
22688 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
22689 date-header = "date"
22690 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22691 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22692 score = "nil" / <integer>
22693 date = "nil" / <natural number>
22694 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
22695 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
22696 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
22697 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
22698 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22699 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22700 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
22701 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22702 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
22703 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
22704 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
22705 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
22706 exclude-files / read-only / touched
22707 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
22708 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
22709 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
22710 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
22711 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
22712 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
22713 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
22714 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
22715 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
22716 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
22717 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
22718 eval = "eval" space <form>
22719 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
22722 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
22725 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
22726 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
22727 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
22728 one looong line, then that's ok.
22730 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
22731 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22735 @subsection Headers
22737 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
22738 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
22739 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
22740 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
22742 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
22743 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
22744 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
22745 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
22746 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
22747 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
22748 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
22750 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
22751 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
22752 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
22753 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
22754 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
22756 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
22757 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
22763 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
22764 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
22766 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
22767 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
22768 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
22769 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
22771 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
22775 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
22778 is transformed into
22781 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
22784 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
22785 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
22788 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
22791 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
22792 is slightly tricky:
22795 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
22801 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
22804 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
22810 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
22817 and is equal to the previous range.
22819 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
22820 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
22821 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
22825 range = simple-range / normal-range
22826 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
22827 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
22828 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
22829 number *[ " " contents ]
22832 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
22833 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
22834 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
22835 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
22836 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
22841 @subsection Group Info
22843 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
22844 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
22845 describes the group.
22847 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
22848 second is a more complex one:
22851 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
22853 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
22854 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
22856 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
22859 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
22860 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
22861 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
22862 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
22863 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
22864 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
22865 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
22866 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
22867 this section is about.
22869 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
22870 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
22871 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
22873 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
22876 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
22877 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
22878 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22879 group = quote <string> quote
22880 ralevel = rank / level
22881 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22882 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
22883 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22885 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
22886 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
22887 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
22888 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
22891 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
22892 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
22895 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
22896 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
22899 @item gnus-info-group
22900 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
22901 @findex gnus-info-group
22902 @findex gnus-info-set-group
22903 Get/set the group name.
22905 @item gnus-info-rank
22906 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
22907 @findex gnus-info-rank
22908 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
22909 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
22911 @item gnus-info-level
22912 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
22913 @findex gnus-info-level
22914 @findex gnus-info-set-level
22915 Get/set the group level.
22917 @item gnus-info-score
22918 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
22919 @findex gnus-info-score
22920 @findex gnus-info-set-score
22921 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
22923 @item gnus-info-read
22924 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
22925 @findex gnus-info-read
22926 @findex gnus-info-set-read
22927 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
22929 @item gnus-info-marks
22930 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
22931 @findex gnus-info-marks
22932 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
22933 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
22935 @item gnus-info-method
22936 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
22937 @findex gnus-info-method
22938 @findex gnus-info-set-method
22939 Get/set the group select method.
22941 @item gnus-info-params
22942 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
22943 @findex gnus-info-params
22944 @findex gnus-info-set-params
22945 Get/set the group parameters.
22948 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
22949 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
22951 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
22952 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
22953 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
22954 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
22957 @node Extended Interactive
22958 @subsection Extended Interactive
22959 @cindex interactive
22960 @findex gnus-interactive
22962 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
22963 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
22964 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
22967 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
22968 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
22973 The best thing to do would have been to implement
22974 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
22975 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
22976 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
22977 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
22978 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
22979 @code{interactive}.
22981 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
22986 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
22987 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
22991 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
22992 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
22993 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
22996 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
23000 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
23004 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
23010 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
23011 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
23015 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
23016 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
23017 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
23019 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
23020 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
23021 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
23022 Gnus, that's very useful.
23024 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
23025 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
23026 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
23027 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
23028 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
23029 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
23030 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
23031 following function:
23034 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
23038 (,function ,@@args))
23042 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
23043 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
23044 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
23047 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
23048 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
23049 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
23051 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
23052 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
23053 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
23056 @node Various File Formats
23057 @subsection Various File Formats
23060 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
23061 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
23065 @node Active File Format
23066 @subsubsection Active File Format
23068 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
23069 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
23072 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
23075 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
23076 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
23077 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
23078 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
23079 no.general 1000 900 y
23082 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
23085 active = *group-line
23086 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
23087 group = <non-white-space string>
23089 high-number = <non-negative integer>
23090 low-number = <positive integer>
23091 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
23094 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
23095 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
23098 @node Newsgroups File Format
23099 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
23101 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
23102 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
23103 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
23106 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
23107 Here's the definition:
23111 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
23112 group = <non-white-space string>
23114 description = <string>
23119 @node Emacs for Heathens
23120 @section Emacs for Heathens
23122 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
23123 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
23124 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
23125 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
23126 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
23127 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
23128 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
23132 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
23133 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
23138 @subsection Keystrokes
23142 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
23145 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
23148 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
23149 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
23150 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
23151 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
23152 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
23153 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
23155 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
23156 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
23157 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
23158 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
23159 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
23160 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
23161 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
23163 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
23164 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
23165 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
23166 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
23167 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
23168 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
23169 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
23171 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
23172 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
23173 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
23174 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
23175 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
23181 @subsection Emacs Lisp
23183 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
23184 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
23185 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
23186 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
23188 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
23189 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
23190 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
23191 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
23192 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
23193 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
23194 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
23197 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
23198 write the following:
23201 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
23204 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
23205 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
23206 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
23209 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
23210 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
23211 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
23212 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
23213 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
23215 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
23216 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
23217 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
23221 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
23225 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
23228 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
23229 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
23232 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
23235 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
23236 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
23239 @include gnus-faq.texi
23260 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
23261 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
23262 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
23263 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
23264 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref