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4 @settitle T-gnus 6.15 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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268 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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277 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
278 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
281 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
282 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
283 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
284 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
285 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
286 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
287 License'' in the Emacs manual.
289 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
290 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
291 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
293 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
294 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
295 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
296 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
304 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
306 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
308 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
309 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
310 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
311 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
312 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
313 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
314 License'' in the Emacs manual.
316 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
317 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
318 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
320 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
321 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
322 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
323 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
329 @title T-gnus 6.15 Manual
331 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
334 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
335 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
337 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
338 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
339 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
340 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
341 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
342 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
343 License'' in the Emacs manual.
345 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
346 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
347 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
349 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
350 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
351 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
352 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
361 @top The gnus Newsreader
365 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
366 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
367 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
370 T-gnus provides MIME features based on SEMI API. So T-gnus supports
371 your right to read strange messages including big images or other
372 various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
373 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
374 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
375 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
377 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.15.
388 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
389 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
391 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
392 being accused of plagiarism:
394 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
395 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
396 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
397 can even read news with it!
399 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
400 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
401 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
402 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
403 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
409 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
410 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
411 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
412 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
413 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
414 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
415 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
416 * Various:: General purpose settings.
417 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
418 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
419 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
420 * Key Index:: Key Index.
423 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
427 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
428 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
429 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
430 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
431 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
432 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
433 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
434 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
435 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
436 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
437 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
441 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
442 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
443 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
447 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
448 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
449 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
450 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
451 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
452 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
453 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
454 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
455 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
456 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
457 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
458 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
459 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
460 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
461 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
462 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
463 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
467 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
468 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
469 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
473 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
474 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
475 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
476 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
477 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
481 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
482 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
483 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
484 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
488 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
489 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
490 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
491 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
492 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
493 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
494 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
495 * Threading:: How threads are made.
496 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
497 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
498 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
499 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
500 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
501 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
502 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
503 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
504 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
505 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
506 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
507 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
508 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
509 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
510 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
511 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
512 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
513 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
514 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
515 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
516 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
517 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
519 Summary Buffer Format
521 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
522 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
523 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
524 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
528 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
529 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
531 Reply, Followup and Post
533 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
534 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
535 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
536 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
540 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
541 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
542 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
543 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
544 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
545 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
549 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
550 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
552 Customizing Threading
554 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
555 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
556 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
557 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
561 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
562 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
563 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
564 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
565 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
566 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
570 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
571 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
572 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
576 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
577 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
578 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
579 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
580 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
581 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
582 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
583 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
585 Alternative Approaches
587 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
588 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
590 Various Summary Stuff
592 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
593 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
594 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
595 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
599 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
600 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
601 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
602 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
603 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
607 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
608 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
609 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
610 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
611 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
612 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
613 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
614 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
618 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
619 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
620 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
621 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
622 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
623 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
624 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
628 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
629 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
630 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
631 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
632 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
633 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
634 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
638 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
639 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
643 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
644 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
645 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
646 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
647 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
648 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
649 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
650 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
651 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
652 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
653 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
654 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
655 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
659 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
660 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
661 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
663 Choosing a Mail Backend
665 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
666 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
667 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
668 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
669 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
670 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
674 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
675 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
676 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
677 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
678 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
679 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
683 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
684 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
685 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
686 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
687 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
688 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
692 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
696 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
697 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
698 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
702 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
703 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
704 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
708 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
709 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
713 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
714 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
715 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
716 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
717 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
718 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
719 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
720 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
721 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
722 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
726 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
727 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
728 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
732 * Group Agent Commands::
733 * Summary Agent Commands::
734 * Server Agent Commands::
738 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
739 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
740 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
741 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
742 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
743 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
744 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
745 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
746 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
747 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
748 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
749 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
750 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
751 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
752 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
753 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
757 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
758 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
759 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
760 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
764 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
765 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
766 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
770 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
771 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
772 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
773 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
774 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
775 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
776 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
777 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
778 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
779 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
780 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
781 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
782 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
783 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
784 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
785 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
786 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
787 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
791 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
792 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
793 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
794 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
795 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
799 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
800 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
801 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
802 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
806 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
807 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
808 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
809 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
810 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
814 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
815 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
816 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
817 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
818 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
819 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
820 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
821 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
825 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
826 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
827 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
828 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
829 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
830 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
831 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
832 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
833 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
837 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
838 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
839 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
840 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
841 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
845 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
846 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
847 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
848 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
852 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
853 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
854 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
855 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
856 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
857 * Group Info:: The group info format.
858 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
859 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
860 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
864 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
865 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
866 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
867 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
868 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
869 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
873 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
874 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
878 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
879 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
885 @chapter Starting gnus
890 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
891 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
894 @findex gnus-other-frame
895 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
896 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
897 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
899 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
900 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
901 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
903 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
904 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
907 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
908 * The First Time:: What does gnus do the first time you start it?
909 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
910 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one gnus active at a time.
911 * Fetching a Group:: Starting gnus just to read a group.
912 * New Groups:: What is gnus supposed to do with new groups?
913 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
914 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
915 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
916 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
917 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
921 @node Finding the News
922 @section Finding the News
925 @vindex gnus-select-method
927 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
928 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
929 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
930 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
933 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
934 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
937 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
940 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
943 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
946 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
947 certainly be much faster.
949 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
951 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
952 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
953 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
954 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
955 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
956 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
958 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
959 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
960 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
961 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
963 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
964 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
965 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
966 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
967 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
968 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
969 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
970 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
971 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
974 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
976 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
977 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
978 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
979 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
980 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
981 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
983 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
985 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
986 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
987 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
988 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
989 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
990 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
993 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
994 would typically set this variable to
997 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1001 @node The First Time
1002 @section The First Time
1003 @cindex first time usage
1005 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1006 be subscribed by default.
1008 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1009 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1010 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1011 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1014 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1015 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1016 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1018 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1019 help you with most common problems.
1021 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1022 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1026 @node The Server is Down
1027 @section The Server is Down
1028 @cindex server errors
1030 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1031 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1032 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1034 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1035 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1036 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1037 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1038 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1039 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1040 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1042 @findex gnus-no-server
1043 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1045 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1046 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1047 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1048 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1049 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1050 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1051 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1055 @section Slave Gnusae
1058 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1059 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1060 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1061 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1063 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1064 @code{.newsrc} file.
1066 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1067 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1068 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1069 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1070 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1071 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1072 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1074 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1075 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1076 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1077 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1078 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1079 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1080 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1081 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1083 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1084 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1087 @node Fetching a Group
1088 @section Fetching a Group
1089 @cindex fetching a group
1091 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1092 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1093 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1094 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1095 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1096 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1102 @cindex subscription
1104 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1105 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1106 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1107 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1108 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1109 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1110 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1111 @code{always}, then gnus will query the backends for new groups even
1112 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1115 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1116 * Subscription Methods:: What gnus should do with new groups.
1117 * Filtering New Groups:: Making gnus ignore certain new groups.
1121 @node Checking New Groups
1122 @subsection Checking New Groups
1124 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1125 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1126 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1127 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1128 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1129 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1130 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1131 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1132 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1133 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1135 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1136 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1137 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1138 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1139 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1140 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1141 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1142 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1143 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1144 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1145 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1147 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1148 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1149 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1150 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1151 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1152 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1155 @node Subscription Methods
1156 @subsection Subscription Methods
1158 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1159 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1160 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1162 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1163 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1165 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1169 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1170 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1171 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1172 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1173 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1175 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1176 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1177 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1178 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1180 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1181 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1182 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1184 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1185 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1186 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1187 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1188 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1189 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1190 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1191 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1192 up. Or something like that.
1194 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1195 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1196 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1197 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1198 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1200 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1201 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1202 Kill all new groups.
1204 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1205 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1206 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1207 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1208 topic parameter that looks like
1214 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1217 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1222 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1223 A closely related variable is
1224 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1225 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1226 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1227 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1230 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1231 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1232 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1233 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1236 @node Filtering New Groups
1237 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1239 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1240 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1241 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1244 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1247 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1248 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1249 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1250 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1251 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1252 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1253 subscribing these groups.
1254 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1255 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1257 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1258 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1259 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1260 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1261 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1262 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1263 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1264 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1266 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1267 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1268 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1269 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1270 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1271 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1272 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1273 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1274 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1275 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1277 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1278 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1281 @node Changing Servers
1282 @section Changing Servers
1283 @cindex changing servers
1285 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1286 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1287 very flaky and you want to use another.
1289 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1290 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1294 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1295 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1296 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1297 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1300 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1301 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1302 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1303 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1305 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1306 @findex gnus-change-server
1307 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1308 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1309 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1310 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1311 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1313 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1314 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1315 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1316 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1317 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1319 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1320 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1321 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1322 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1323 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1324 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1326 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1327 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1328 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1332 @section Startup Files
1333 @cindex startup files
1338 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1339 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1341 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1342 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1343 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1344 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1345 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1346 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1347 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1349 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1350 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1351 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1352 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1353 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1354 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1356 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1357 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1358 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1359 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1360 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1361 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1362 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1363 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1364 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1365 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1367 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1368 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1369 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1370 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1371 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1372 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1373 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1374 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1375 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1376 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1377 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1378 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1380 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1381 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1382 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1383 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1385 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1386 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1387 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1388 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1389 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1390 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1391 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1392 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1393 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1394 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1397 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1398 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1400 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1401 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1404 @vindex gnus-init-file
1405 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1406 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1407 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1408 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1409 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1410 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1411 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1412 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1413 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1419 @cindex dribble file
1422 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1423 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1424 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1425 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1426 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1429 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1430 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1433 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1434 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1435 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1437 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1438 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1439 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1440 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1441 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1442 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1444 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1445 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1446 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1449 @node The Active File
1450 @section The Active File
1452 @cindex ignored groups
1454 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1455 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1456 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1458 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1459 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1460 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1461 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1462 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1463 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1464 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1467 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1468 @c if you set it to anything else.
1470 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1472 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1473 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1474 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1476 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1477 you actually subscribe to.
1479 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1480 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1481 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1482 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1484 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1485 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1486 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1487 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1488 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1489 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1491 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1492 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1493 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1496 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1497 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1498 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1499 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1500 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1501 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1503 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1504 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1506 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1507 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1509 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1510 secondary select methods.
1513 @node Startup Variables
1514 @section Startup Variables
1518 @item gnus-load-hook
1519 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1520 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1521 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1522 times you start gnus.
1524 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1525 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1526 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1528 @item gnus-startup-hook
1529 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1530 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1532 @item gnus-started-hook
1533 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1534 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1537 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1538 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1539 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1540 generating the group buffer.
1542 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1543 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1544 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1545 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1546 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1547 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1548 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1549 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1551 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1552 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1553 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1554 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1555 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1556 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1558 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1559 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1560 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1562 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1563 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1564 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1566 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1567 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1568 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1569 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1575 @chapter Group Buffer
1576 @cindex group buffer
1578 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1579 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1580 long as gnus is active.
1584 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1585 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1586 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1587 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1588 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1589 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1590 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1591 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1597 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1598 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1599 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1600 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1601 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1602 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1603 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1604 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1605 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1606 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1607 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1608 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1609 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1610 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1611 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1612 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1613 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1617 @node Group Buffer Format
1618 @section Group Buffer Format
1621 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1622 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1623 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1627 @node Group Line Specification
1628 @subsection Group Line Specification
1629 @cindex group buffer format
1631 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1632 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1634 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1637 25: news.announce.newusers
1638 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1643 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1644 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1645 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1646 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1648 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1649 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1650 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1651 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1652 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1653 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1655 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1657 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1658 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1659 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1660 never examined by gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1663 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1664 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1665 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1667 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1672 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1675 Whether the group is subscribed.
1678 Level of subscribedness.
1681 Number of unread articles.
1684 Number of dormant articles.
1687 Number of ticked articles.
1690 Number of read articles.
1693 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1694 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1696 Gnus uses this estimation because the NNTP protocol provides efficient
1697 access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting the true
1698 unread message count is not possible efficiently. For hysterical
1699 raisins, even the mail backends, where the true number of unread
1700 messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1701 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the
1702 backend interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1703 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1706 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1709 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1718 Newsgroup description.
1721 @samp{m} if moderated.
1724 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1733 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1737 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1740 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1741 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1742 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1743 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1744 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1747 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1749 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1753 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1756 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1760 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1761 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1762 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1763 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1764 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1765 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1770 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1771 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1772 group, or a bogus native group.
1775 @node Group Modeline Specification
1776 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1777 @cindex group modeline
1779 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1780 The mode line can be changed by setting
1781 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1782 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1786 The native news server.
1788 The native select method.
1792 @node Group Highlighting
1793 @subsection Group Highlighting
1794 @cindex highlighting
1795 @cindex group highlighting
1797 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1798 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1799 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1800 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1801 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1803 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1807 (cond (window-system
1808 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1809 (defface my-group-face-1
1810 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1811 (defface my-group-face-2
1812 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1813 (defface my-group-face-3
1814 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1815 (defface my-group-face-4
1816 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1817 (defface my-group-face-5
1818 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1820 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1821 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1822 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1823 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1824 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1825 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1828 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1830 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1837 The number of unread articles in the group.
1841 Whether the group is a mail group.
1843 The level of the group.
1845 The score of the group.
1847 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1849 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1850 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1852 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1853 topic being inserted.
1856 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1857 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1858 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1860 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1861 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1862 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1863 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1864 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1867 @node Group Maneuvering
1868 @section Group Maneuvering
1869 @cindex group movement
1871 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1872 expected, hopefully.
1878 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1879 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1880 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1886 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1887 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1888 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1892 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1893 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1897 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1898 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1902 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1903 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1904 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1908 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1909 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1910 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1913 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1919 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1920 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1921 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1926 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1927 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1928 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1932 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1933 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1934 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1937 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1938 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1939 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1940 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1944 @node Selecting a Group
1945 @section Selecting a Group
1946 @cindex group selection
1951 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1952 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1953 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1954 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1955 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1956 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1957 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1958 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1959 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1960 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
1962 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
1963 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
1964 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
1966 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
1967 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
1972 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1973 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1974 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1975 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1976 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1980 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1981 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1982 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1983 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1984 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1985 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1986 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1987 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1988 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1989 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1992 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1993 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1994 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1995 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1996 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1999 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
2000 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2001 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2002 doing any processing of its contents
2003 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2004 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2005 manner will have no permanent effects.
2009 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2010 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
2011 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2012 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2013 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2014 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2015 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2016 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2019 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2020 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2021 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
2022 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2027 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
2028 full summary buffer.
2031 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
2034 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
2039 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2040 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
2041 Useful functions include:
2044 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2045 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2046 don't select the article.
2048 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2049 Select the first unread article.
2051 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2052 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2056 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2057 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2058 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2062 @node Subscription Commands
2063 @section Subscription Commands
2064 @cindex subscription
2072 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2073 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2074 Toggle subscription to the current group
2075 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2081 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2082 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2083 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2084 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2090 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2091 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2092 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2098 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2099 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2102 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2103 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2104 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2105 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2106 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2112 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2113 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2117 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2118 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2121 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2122 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2123 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2124 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2125 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2126 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2127 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2128 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2129 @file{.newsrc} file.
2133 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2143 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2144 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2145 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2146 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2147 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2148 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2153 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2154 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2155 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2159 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2160 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2161 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2163 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2164 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2165 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2166 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2167 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2168 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2175 @section Group Levels
2179 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2180 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2181 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2182 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2183 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2185 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2191 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2192 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2193 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2194 prompted for a level.
2197 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2198 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2199 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2200 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2201 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2202 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2203 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2204 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2205 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2206 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2207 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2208 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2209 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2210 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2211 reasons of efficiency.
2213 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2214 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2216 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2217 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2218 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2219 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2220 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2221 groups are hidden, in a way.
2223 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2224 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2225 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2226 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2227 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2228 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2230 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2231 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2232 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2233 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2234 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2235 list of killed groups.)
2237 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2238 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2239 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2241 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2242 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2243 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2244 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2245 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2246 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2247 relevant valid ranges.
2249 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2250 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2251 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2252 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2253 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2254 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2257 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2258 one with the best level.
2260 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2261 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2262 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2265 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2266 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2267 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2268 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2271 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2272 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2273 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2274 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2276 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2277 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2278 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2279 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2280 to 5. The default is 6.
2284 @section Group Score
2289 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2290 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2291 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2294 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2295 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2296 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2297 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2298 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2299 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2300 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2301 least significant part.))
2303 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2304 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2305 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2306 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2307 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2308 action after each summary exit, you can add
2309 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2310 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2311 slow things down somewhat.
2314 @node Marking Groups
2315 @section Marking Groups
2316 @cindex marking groups
2318 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2319 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2320 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2321 bidding on those groups.
2323 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2324 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2325 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2333 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2334 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2340 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2341 Remove the mark from the current group
2342 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2346 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2347 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2351 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2352 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2356 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2357 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2361 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2362 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2363 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2366 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2368 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2369 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2370 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2371 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2372 the command to be executed.
2375 @node Foreign Groups
2376 @section Foreign Groups
2377 @cindex foreign groups
2379 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2380 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2381 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2382 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2389 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2390 @cindex making groups
2391 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2392 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2393 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2397 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2398 @cindex renaming groups
2399 Rename the current group to something else
2400 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2401 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2407 @findex gnus-group-customize
2408 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2412 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2413 @cindex renaming groups
2414 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2415 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2419 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2420 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2421 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2425 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2426 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2427 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2431 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2433 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2434 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2439 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2440 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2444 @cindex (ding) archive
2445 @cindex archive group
2446 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2447 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2448 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2449 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2450 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2451 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2452 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2456 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2458 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2459 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2460 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2461 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2465 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2467 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2468 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2469 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2473 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2474 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2476 Make a group based on some file or other
2477 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2478 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2479 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
2480 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
2481 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
2482 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2483 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2487 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2488 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2489 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2490 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2494 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2499 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2500 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2501 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2502 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2503 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2504 @xref{Web Searches}.
2506 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2507 to a particular group by using a match string like
2508 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2511 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2512 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2513 This function will delete the current group
2514 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2515 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2516 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2517 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2518 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2522 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2523 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2524 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2528 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2529 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2530 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2533 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2536 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2537 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2538 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2539 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2540 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2541 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2545 @node Group Parameters
2546 @section Group Parameters
2547 @cindex group parameters
2549 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2550 Here's an example group parameter list:
2553 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2557 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2558 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2559 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2560 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2562 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2563 is an alist of regexps and values.
2565 The following group parameters can be used:
2570 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2573 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2576 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2577 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2578 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2579 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2580 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2582 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2583 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2584 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2585 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2586 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2587 list address instead.
2589 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2593 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2596 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2599 It is totally ignored
2600 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2601 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2603 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2604 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2605 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2606 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2607 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2609 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2610 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2611 sending the message.
2613 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2614 entering summary buffer.
2616 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2620 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2621 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2622 of whether it has any unread articles.
2624 @item broken-reply-to
2625 @cindex broken-reply-to
2626 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2627 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2628 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2629 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2630 broken behavior. So there!
2634 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2635 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2639 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2640 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2641 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2646 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2647 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2648 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2649 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2650 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2651 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2652 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2656 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2657 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2658 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2660 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2663 @cindex total-expire
2664 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2665 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2666 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2667 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2670 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2674 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2675 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2676 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2677 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2678 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2679 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2682 @cindex score file group parameter
2683 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2684 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2685 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2688 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2689 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2690 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2691 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2694 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2695 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2696 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2697 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2700 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2701 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2705 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2708 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2713 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2714 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2715 gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2719 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2720 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2721 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2723 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2725 @item ignored-charsets
2726 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-known iso-8859-1)}
2727 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2728 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2730 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2733 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2734 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2735 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2736 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2737 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2739 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2740 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2741 like this in the group parameters:
2746 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2751 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2752 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2755 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2756 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2757 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2758 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2759 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2761 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2762 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2763 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2764 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2765 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2766 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2767 @code{eval}ed there.
2769 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2770 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2771 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2772 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2773 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2777 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2778 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2779 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2780 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2781 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2783 Group parameters can be set in @code{gnus-parameters} too. But some
2784 variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For example,
2787 (setq gnus-parameters
2788 '(("mail\\..*" (gnus-show-threads nil)
2789 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2790 (gnus-summary-line-format
2791 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
2794 ("mail\\.me" (gnus-use-scoring t))
2795 ("list\\..*" (total-expire . t)
2796 (broken-reply-to . t)))
2799 @node Listing Groups
2800 @section Listing Groups
2801 @cindex group listing
2803 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2811 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2812 List all groups that have unread articles
2813 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2814 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2815 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2816 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2823 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2824 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2825 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2826 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2827 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2828 unsubscribed groups).
2832 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2833 List all unread groups on a specific level
2834 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2835 with no unread articles.
2839 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2840 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2841 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2842 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2847 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2848 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2852 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2853 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2854 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2858 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2859 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2863 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2864 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2865 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2866 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2867 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2868 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2869 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2870 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2874 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2875 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2876 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2880 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2881 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2882 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2886 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
2887 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
2891 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
2892 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
2896 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
2897 List groups limited within the current selection
2898 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
2902 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
2903 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
2907 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
2908 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
2912 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2913 @cindex visible group parameter
2914 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2915 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2916 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2917 get the same effect.
2919 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2920 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2921 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2922 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2923 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2926 @node Sorting Groups
2927 @section Sorting Groups
2928 @cindex sorting groups
2930 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2931 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2932 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2933 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2934 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2935 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2940 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2941 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2942 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2944 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2945 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2946 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2948 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2949 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2950 Sort by group level.
2952 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2953 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2954 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2956 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2957 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2958 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2959 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2961 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2962 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2963 Sort by number of unread articles.
2965 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2966 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2967 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2969 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
2970 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
2971 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
2976 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2977 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2981 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2982 some sorting criteria:
2986 @kindex G S a (Group)
2987 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2988 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2989 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2992 @kindex G S u (Group)
2993 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2994 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2995 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2998 @kindex G S l (Group)
2999 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3000 Sort the group buffer by group level
3001 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3004 @kindex G S v (Group)
3005 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3006 Sort the group buffer by group score
3007 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3010 @kindex G S r (Group)
3011 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3012 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3013 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3016 @kindex G S m (Group)
3017 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3018 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
3019 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3023 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3024 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3026 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3027 commands will sort in reverse order.
3029 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3033 @kindex G P a (Group)
3034 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3035 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3036 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3039 @kindex G P u (Group)
3040 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3041 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3042 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3045 @kindex G P l (Group)
3046 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3047 Sort the groups by group level
3048 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3051 @kindex G P v (Group)
3052 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3053 Sort the groups by group score
3054 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3057 @kindex G P r (Group)
3058 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3059 Sort the groups by group rank
3060 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3063 @kindex G P m (Group)
3064 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3065 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
3066 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3070 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3074 @node Group Maintenance
3075 @section Group Maintenance
3076 @cindex bogus groups
3081 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3082 Find bogus groups and delete them
3083 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3087 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3088 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3089 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3090 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3091 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3095 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3096 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3097 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3098 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3099 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3100 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3103 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
3104 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3105 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3106 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3111 @node Browse Foreign Server
3112 @section Browse Foreign Server
3113 @cindex foreign servers
3114 @cindex browsing servers
3119 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3120 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3121 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3122 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3125 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3126 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3127 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3128 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3130 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3135 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3136 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3140 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3141 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3144 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3145 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3146 Enter the current group and display the first article
3147 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3150 @kindex RET (Browse)
3151 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3152 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3156 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3157 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3158 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3164 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3165 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3169 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3170 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3171 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3176 @section Exiting gnus
3177 @cindex exiting gnus
3179 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3184 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3185 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3186 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3187 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3191 @findex gnus-group-exit
3192 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3193 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3197 @findex gnus-group-quit
3198 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3199 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3202 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3203 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3204 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3205 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3206 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3211 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3212 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3213 trying to customize meta-variables.
3218 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3219 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3220 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3226 @section Group Topics
3229 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3230 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3231 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3232 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3233 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3234 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3238 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3239 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
3250 2: alt.religion.emacs
3253 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3255 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3256 13: comp.sources.unix
3259 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3261 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3262 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3263 is a toggling command.)
3265 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3266 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
3267 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3268 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3271 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3272 the hook for the group mode:
3275 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3279 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3280 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3281 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3282 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3283 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3287 @node Topic Variables
3288 @subsection Topic Variables
3289 @cindex topic variables
3291 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
3292 really neat, I think.
3294 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3295 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3296 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3309 Number of groups in the topic.
3311 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3313 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3316 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3317 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3318 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3321 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3322 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3324 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3325 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3326 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3329 @node Topic Commands
3330 @subsection Topic Commands
3331 @cindex topic commands
3333 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3334 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3335 definitions slightly.
3341 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3342 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3343 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3347 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3348 Move the current group to some other topic
3349 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3350 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3354 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3355 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3359 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3360 Copy the current group to some other topic
3361 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3362 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3366 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3367 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3368 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3372 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3373 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3374 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3378 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3379 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3380 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3381 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3382 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3383 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3384 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3387 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3388 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3392 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3393 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3394 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3398 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3399 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3400 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3404 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3405 Toggle hiding empty topics
3406 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3410 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3411 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3412 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3415 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3416 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3417 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3418 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3422 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3424 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3425 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3426 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3427 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3430 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3431 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3432 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3433 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3437 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3439 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3440 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3441 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3442 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3443 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3444 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3447 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3448 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3449 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3450 expiry process (if any)
3451 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3455 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3456 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3457 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3461 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3462 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3463 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3468 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3469 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3472 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3473 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3474 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3478 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3479 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3480 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3484 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3485 @cindex group parameters
3486 @cindex topic parameters
3488 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3489 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3495 @subsection Topic Sorting
3496 @cindex topic sorting
3498 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3504 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3505 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3506 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3507 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3510 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3511 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3512 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3513 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3516 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3517 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3518 Sort the current topic by group level
3519 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3522 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3523 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3524 Sort the current topic by group score
3525 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3528 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3529 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3530 Sort the current topic by group rank
3531 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3534 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3535 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3536 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
3537 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3541 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3544 @node Topic Topology
3545 @subsection Topic Topology
3546 @cindex topic topology
3549 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3555 2: alt.religion.emacs
3558 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3560 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3561 13: comp.sources.unix
3564 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3565 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3566 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3571 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3572 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3576 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3577 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3578 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3579 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3580 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3581 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3583 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3584 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3585 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3588 @node Topic Parameters
3589 @subsection Topic Parameters
3590 @cindex topic parameters
3592 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3593 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3594 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3596 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3601 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3602 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3603 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3608 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3609 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3610 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3611 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3617 2: alt.religion.emacs
3621 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3623 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3624 13: comp.sources.unix
3628 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3629 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3630 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3631 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3632 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3633 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3635 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3636 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3637 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3638 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3639 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3641 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3642 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3643 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3644 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3645 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3646 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3647 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3648 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3651 @node Misc Group Stuff
3652 @section Misc Group Stuff
3655 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3656 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and gnus.
3657 * Group Timestamp:: Making gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3658 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the gnus files.
3665 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3666 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3667 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3671 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3672 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3673 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3677 @findex gnus-group-mail
3678 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3682 Variables for the group buffer:
3686 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3687 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3688 is called after the group buffer has been
3691 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3692 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3693 is called after the group buffer is
3694 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3697 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3698 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3699 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3700 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3702 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3703 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3704 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3705 whether they are empty or not.
3707 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3708 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3709 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3710 non-ASCII group names.
3714 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3715 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3718 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3719 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3720 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
3721 It is used to show non-ASCII group names.
3725 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3726 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3731 @node Scanning New Messages
3732 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3733 @cindex new messages
3734 @cindex scanning new news
3740 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3741 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3742 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3743 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3744 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3745 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3750 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3751 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3752 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3753 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3754 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3755 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3756 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3758 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3759 @cindex activating groups
3761 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3762 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3767 @findex gnus-group-restart
3768 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3769 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3770 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
3774 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3775 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3777 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3778 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3782 @node Group Information
3783 @subsection Group Information
3784 @cindex group information
3785 @cindex information on groups
3792 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3793 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3796 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3797 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3798 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3799 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3800 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3801 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3802 for fetching the file.
3804 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
3805 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3809 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3811 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3812 @cindex describing groups
3813 @cindex group description
3814 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3815 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3816 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3820 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3821 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3822 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3829 @findex gnus-version
3830 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3834 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3835 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3838 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3841 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3842 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3846 @node Group Timestamp
3847 @subsection Group Timestamp
3849 @cindex group timestamps
3851 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
3852 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3853 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3856 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3859 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3861 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3862 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3865 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3866 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3869 This will result in lines looking like:
3872 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3873 0: custom 19961002T012713
3876 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3877 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3881 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3882 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3887 @subsection File Commands
3888 @cindex file commands
3894 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3895 @vindex gnus-init-file
3896 @cindex reading init file
3897 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3898 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3902 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3903 @cindex saving .newsrc
3904 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3905 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3906 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3909 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3910 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3911 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3916 @node Summary Buffer
3917 @chapter Summary Buffer
3918 @cindex summary buffer
3920 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3921 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3923 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3924 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3926 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3929 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3930 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3931 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3932 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3933 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3934 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3935 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3936 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3937 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3938 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3939 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3940 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3941 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3942 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3943 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3944 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3945 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3946 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
3947 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3948 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3949 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3950 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3951 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3952 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3953 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3954 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
3955 or reselecting the current group.
3956 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3957 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3958 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
3959 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
3963 @node Summary Buffer Format
3964 @section Summary Buffer Format
3965 @cindex summary buffer format
3969 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3970 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3971 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3977 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3978 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3979 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3980 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3983 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3984 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3985 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3986 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3987 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3988 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
3989 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3990 fast, and too simplistic solution;
3991 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
3992 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
3993 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
3994 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
3995 other function instead:
3998 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3999 'mail-extract-address-components)
4002 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4003 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4004 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4005 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4008 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4009 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4011 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4012 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4013 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4014 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4015 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4017 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
4018 the colon after performing an operation.
4020 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
4022 The following format specification characters are understood:
4028 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4029 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4031 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4032 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4033 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4035 Full @code{From} header.
4037 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4039 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
4040 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
4042 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4043 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4044 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4045 may be more thorough.
4047 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4050 Number of lines in the article.
4052 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported in some
4053 methods (like nnfolder).
4055 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4057 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace lines.
4059 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4060 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4062 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4063 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4065 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4066 for adopted articles.
4068 One space for each thread level.
4070 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4075 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4076 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4080 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4082 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4083 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4084 default level. If the difference between
4085 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4086 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4094 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4096 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4102 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4103 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4105 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4106 article has any children.
4112 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4113 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4114 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4115 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4116 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4117 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4120 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4121 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4122 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4123 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4124 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4125 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4127 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4128 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4130 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4133 @node To From Newsgroups
4134 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4138 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4139 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4140 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4141 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4142 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4146 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4147 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4148 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4152 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4153 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4156 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4157 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4160 @findex gnus-extra-header
4161 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4162 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4163 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4166 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4170 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4171 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4172 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4173 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4174 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4175 headers are used instead.
4179 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4180 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4181 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4182 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4185 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4186 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4187 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4188 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4190 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4194 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4196 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4197 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4198 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
4199 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4203 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4204 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4211 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4212 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4215 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4216 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4218 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4219 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4220 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4221 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4223 Here are the elements you can play with:
4229 Unprefixed group name.
4231 Current article number.
4233 Current article score.
4237 Number of unread articles in this group.
4239 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4242 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4243 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4244 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4245 and no unselected ones.
4247 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4248 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4250 Subject of the current article.
4252 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4254 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4256 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4258 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4260 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4262 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4266 @node Summary Highlighting
4267 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4271 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4272 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4273 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4274 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4275 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4277 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4278 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4279 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4280 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4282 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4283 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4284 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4285 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4287 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4288 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4289 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4290 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4291 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4292 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4295 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4296 ((> score default) . bold))
4298 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4299 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4303 @node Summary Maneuvering
4304 @section Summary Maneuvering
4305 @cindex summary movement
4307 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4308 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4310 None of these commands select articles.
4315 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4316 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4317 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4318 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4319 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4323 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4324 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4325 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4326 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4327 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4330 @kindex G g (Summary)
4331 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4332 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4333 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4336 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4337 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4338 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4339 to the group buffer.
4341 Variables related to summary movement:
4345 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4346 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4347 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4348 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4349 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4350 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4351 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4352 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4353 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
4354 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4355 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4356 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4357 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4358 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4360 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4361 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4362 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4363 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4364 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4365 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4366 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4368 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4370 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4371 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4372 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4373 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4374 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4376 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4377 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4378 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4379 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4380 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4381 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4382 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4383 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4386 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4387 the given number of lines from the top.
4392 @node Choosing Articles
4393 @section Choosing Articles
4394 @cindex selecting articles
4397 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4398 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4402 @node Choosing Commands
4403 @subsection Choosing Commands
4405 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4406 and they all select and display an article.
4408 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4409 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4413 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4414 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4415 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4416 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4421 @kindex G n (Summary)
4422 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4423 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4424 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4429 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4430 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4431 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4436 @kindex G N (Summary)
4437 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4438 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4443 @kindex G P (Summary)
4444 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4445 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4448 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4449 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4450 Go to the next article with the same subject
4451 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4454 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4455 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4456 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4457 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4461 @kindex G f (Summary)
4463 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4464 Go to the first unread article
4465 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4469 @kindex G b (Summary)
4471 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4472 Go to the article with the highest score
4473 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4478 @kindex G l (Summary)
4479 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4480 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4483 @kindex G o (Summary)
4484 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4486 @cindex article history
4487 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4488 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4489 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4490 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4491 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4492 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4497 @kindex G j (Summary)
4498 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4499 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4500 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4505 @node Choosing Variables
4506 @subsection Choosing Variables
4508 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4511 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4512 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4513 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4514 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4515 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4516 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4518 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4519 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4520 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4521 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4523 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4524 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4525 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4526 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4527 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4528 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4529 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4530 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4531 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4532 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4533 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4534 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4535 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4536 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4541 @node Paging the Article
4542 @section Scrolling the Article
4543 @cindex article scrolling
4548 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4549 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4550 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4551 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4552 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4555 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4556 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4557 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4560 @kindex RET (Summary)
4561 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4562 Scroll the current article one line forward
4563 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4566 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4567 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4568 Scroll the current article one line backward
4569 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4573 @kindex A g (Summary)
4575 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4576 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4577 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4578 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4579 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4580 the way it came from the server.
4582 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4583 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4584 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4587 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4592 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4597 @kindex A < (Summary)
4598 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4599 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4600 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4605 @kindex A > (Summary)
4606 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4607 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4611 @kindex A s (Summary)
4613 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4614 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4615 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4619 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4620 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4625 @node Reply Followup and Post
4626 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4629 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4630 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4631 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4632 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
4636 @node Summary Mail Commands
4637 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4639 @cindex composing mail
4641 Commands for composing a mail message:
4647 @kindex S r (Summary)
4649 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4650 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4651 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4652 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4653 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4658 @kindex S R (Summary)
4659 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4660 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4661 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4662 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4663 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4666 @kindex S w (Summary)
4667 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4668 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4669 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4670 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4671 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4674 @kindex S W (Summary)
4675 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4676 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4677 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4678 the process/prefix convention.
4681 @kindex S v (Summary)
4682 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
4683 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
4684 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
4685 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4686 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
4687 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
4690 @kindex S W (Summary)
4691 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4692 Mail a very wide reply to the current article and include the original
4693 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4694 the process/prefix convention.
4698 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4699 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4700 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4701 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4702 Forward the current article to some other person
4703 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4704 headers of the forwarded article.
4709 @kindex S m (Summary)
4710 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4711 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4712 Send a mail to some other person
4713 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4716 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4717 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4718 @cindex bouncing mail
4719 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4720 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4721 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4722 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4723 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4724 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
4725 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4726 very well fail, though.
4729 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4730 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4731 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4732 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4733 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4734 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4735 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4736 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4737 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4738 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4740 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4741 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4742 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4743 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4744 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4746 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4747 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4750 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4751 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
4752 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4753 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
4754 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4757 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4758 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4759 @cindex crossposting
4760 @cindex excessive crossposting
4761 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4762 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4764 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4765 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4766 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4767 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4768 command understands the process/prefix convention
4769 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4773 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4776 @node Summary Post Commands
4777 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4779 @cindex composing news
4781 Commands for posting a news article:
4787 @kindex S p (Summary)
4788 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4789 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4790 Post an article to the current group
4791 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4796 @kindex S f (Summary)
4797 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4798 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4799 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4803 @kindex S F (Summary)
4805 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4806 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4807 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4808 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4809 process/prefix convention.
4812 @kindex S n (Summary)
4813 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4814 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4815 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4818 @kindex S N (Summary)
4819 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4820 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4821 message through mail and include the original message
4822 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4823 the process/prefix convention.
4826 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4827 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4828 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4829 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4830 headers of the forwarded article.
4833 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4834 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
4836 @cindex making digests
4837 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4838 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
4839 process/prefix convention.
4842 @kindex S u (Summary)
4843 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4844 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4845 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4846 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4849 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4852 @node Summary Message Commands
4853 @subsection Summary Message Commands
4857 @kindex S y (Summary)
4858 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
4859 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
4860 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
4861 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
4862 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4867 @node Canceling and Superseding
4868 @subsection Canceling Articles
4869 @cindex canceling articles
4870 @cindex superseding articles
4872 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4873 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4875 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4877 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4879 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4880 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4881 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4882 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4883 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4884 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4886 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4887 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4890 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4891 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4892 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4894 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4895 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4896 your original article.
4898 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4900 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4901 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4902 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4905 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4906 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4907 have posted almost the same article twice.
4909 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4910 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4911 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4912 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4913 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4914 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4915 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4916 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4917 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4918 canceled/superseded.
4920 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4923 @node Marking Articles
4924 @section Marking Articles
4925 @cindex article marking
4926 @cindex article ticking
4929 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4931 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4932 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4933 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4935 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4938 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4939 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4940 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4944 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4948 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4949 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
4950 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4954 @node Unread Articles
4955 @subsection Unread Articles
4957 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4962 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4963 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4965 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4966 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4967 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4968 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
4969 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
4970 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
4971 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
4974 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4975 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4977 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4978 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4979 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4980 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
4984 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4985 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4987 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4992 @subsection Read Articles
4993 @cindex expirable mark
4995 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5000 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5001 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5002 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5005 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5006 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5009 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5010 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5011 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5014 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5015 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5018 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5019 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5022 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5023 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5026 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5027 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5030 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5031 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5034 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5035 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5038 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5039 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5043 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5044 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5045 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5049 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5050 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5052 One more special mark, though:
5056 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5057 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5059 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5060 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5061 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5062 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5068 @subsection Other Marks
5069 @cindex process mark
5072 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5078 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5079 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5080 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5081 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5082 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5085 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5086 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5087 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5088 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5090 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5091 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{O} in
5092 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5095 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5096 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5097 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5100 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5101 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5102 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5103 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5106 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5107 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5108 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5109 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5110 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5113 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5114 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5115 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5116 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5117 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5118 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5122 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5123 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5124 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5126 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5127 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5128 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5132 @subsection Setting Marks
5133 @cindex setting marks
5135 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5140 @kindex M c (Summary)
5141 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5142 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5143 @cindex mark as unread
5144 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5145 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5151 @kindex M t (Summary)
5152 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5153 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5154 @xref{Article Caching}.
5159 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5160 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5161 Mark the current article as dormant
5162 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5166 @kindex M d (Summary)
5168 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5169 Mark the current article as read
5170 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5174 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5175 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5176 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5181 @kindex M k (Summary)
5182 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5183 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5184 and then select the next unread article
5185 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5189 @kindex M K (Summary)
5190 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5191 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5192 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5193 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5196 @kindex M C (Summary)
5197 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5198 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5199 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5202 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5203 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5204 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5205 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5208 @kindex M H (Summary)
5209 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5210 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5211 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5214 @kindex M h (Summary)
5215 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5216 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5217 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5220 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5221 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5222 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5223 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5226 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5227 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5228 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5229 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5233 @kindex M e (Summary)
5235 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5236 Mark the current article as expirable
5237 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5240 @kindex M b (Summary)
5241 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5242 Set a bookmark in the current article
5243 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5246 @kindex M B (Summary)
5247 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5248 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5249 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5252 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5253 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5254 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5255 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5258 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5259 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5260 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5261 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5264 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5265 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5266 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5267 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5268 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5271 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5272 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5273 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5274 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5275 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5276 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5277 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5278 The default is @code{t}.
5281 @node Generic Marking Commands
5282 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5284 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5285 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5286 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5287 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5288 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5291 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5292 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5295 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5296 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5297 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5298 to list in this manual.
5300 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5301 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5302 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5303 article, you could say something like:
5306 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5307 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5308 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5314 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5315 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5319 @node Setting Process Marks
5320 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5321 @cindex setting process marks
5328 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5329 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5330 Mark the current article with the process mark
5331 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5332 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5336 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5337 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5338 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5339 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5342 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5343 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5344 Remove the process mark from all articles
5345 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5348 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5349 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5350 Invert the list of process marked articles
5351 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5354 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5355 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5356 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5357 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5360 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5361 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5362 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5363 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5366 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5367 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5368 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5371 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5372 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5373 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5374 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5377 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5378 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5379 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5380 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5383 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5384 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5385 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5386 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5389 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5390 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5391 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5394 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5395 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5396 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5397 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5400 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5401 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5402 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5405 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5406 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5407 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5408 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5411 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5412 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5413 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5414 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5417 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5418 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5419 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5420 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5423 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5424 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5425 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5426 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5430 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5431 set process marks based on article body contents.
5438 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5439 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5440 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5443 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5444 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5445 additional articles.
5451 @kindex / / (Summary)
5452 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5453 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5454 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5457 @kindex / a (Summary)
5458 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5459 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5460 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5463 @kindex / x (Summary)
5464 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5465 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5466 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5467 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}).
5471 @kindex / u (Summary)
5473 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5474 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5475 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5476 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5477 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5480 @kindex / m (Summary)
5481 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5482 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5483 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5486 @kindex / t (Summary)
5487 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5488 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5489 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5490 articles younger than that number of days.
5493 @kindex / n (Summary)
5494 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5495 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5496 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5497 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5500 @kindex / w (Summary)
5501 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5502 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5503 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5507 @kindex / v (Summary)
5508 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5509 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5510 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5514 @kindex M S (Summary)
5515 @kindex / E (Summary)
5516 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5517 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5518 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5521 @kindex / D (Summary)
5522 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5523 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5524 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5527 @kindex / * (Summary)
5528 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5529 Include all cached articles in the limit
5530 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5533 @kindex / d (Summary)
5534 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5535 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5536 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5539 @kindex / M (Summary)
5540 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5541 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5544 @kindex / T (Summary)
5545 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5546 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5549 @kindex / c (Summary)
5550 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5551 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5552 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5555 @kindex / C (Summary)
5556 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5557 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5558 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5559 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5567 @cindex article threading
5569 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5570 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5571 hierarchical fashion.
5573 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5574 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5575 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5576 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
5577 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5578 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5579 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5581 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5585 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5588 A tree-like article structure.
5591 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5594 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5595 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5596 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5597 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5598 called loose threads.
5600 @item thread gathering
5601 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5603 @item sparse threads
5604 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5605 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
5611 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
5612 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
5616 @node Customizing Threading
5617 @subsection Customizing Threading
5618 @cindex customizing threading
5621 * Loose Threads:: How gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
5622 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
5623 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
5624 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
5629 @subsubsection Loose Threads
5632 @cindex loose threads
5635 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
5636 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
5637 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
5638 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
5639 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
5640 read or killed the root in a previous session.
5642 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
5643 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
5644 There are four possible values:
5648 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
5649 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
5650 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5651 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5652 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5657 @cindex adopting articles
5662 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
5663 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
5664 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
5665 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
5668 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
5669 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
5670 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
5671 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
5672 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
5673 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
5674 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5677 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
5678 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
5679 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
5683 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
5684 display them after one another.
5687 Don't gather loose threads.
5690 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5691 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5692 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
5693 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
5694 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5695 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5696 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
5697 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
5698 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
5699 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
5700 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
5702 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
5703 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
5704 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
5707 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5708 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5709 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
5710 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
5711 simplification is used.
5713 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5714 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5715 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
5716 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
5718 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
5720 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5726 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
5727 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
5728 "answer" "reference" "announce"
5729 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
5734 (mapconcat 'identity
5735 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
5737 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
5740 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
5743 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5744 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5745 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
5746 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
5747 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
5748 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
5750 Useful functions to put in this list include:
5753 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
5754 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
5755 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
5757 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5758 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5761 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
5762 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
5763 Remove excessive whitespace.
5766 You may also write your own functions, of course.
5769 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5770 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5771 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
5772 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
5773 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
5774 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
5775 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
5776 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
5778 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5779 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5780 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
5781 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
5782 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
5783 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
5784 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
5785 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
5786 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
5790 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5791 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5792 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
5793 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
5795 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5796 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5797 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
5800 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
5804 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5805 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
5811 @node Filling In Threads
5812 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
5815 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
5816 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
5817 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
5818 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
5819 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
5820 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
5821 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
5822 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
5823 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
5824 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
5825 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
5826 expired by the server, there's not much gnus can do about that.
5828 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
5829 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
5830 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
5832 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
5833 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
5834 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
5835 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
5836 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
5837 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
5838 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
5839 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
5840 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
5841 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
5842 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
5843 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
5844 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
5845 @code{nil} by default.
5847 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
5848 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
5849 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
5850 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the backend has to fetch
5851 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
5852 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
5853 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
5855 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
5856 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
5857 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
5862 @node More Threading
5863 @subsubsection More Threading
5866 @item gnus-show-threads
5867 @vindex gnus-show-threads
5868 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
5869 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
5870 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
5871 slower and more awkward.
5873 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5874 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5875 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
5878 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
5879 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5880 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5881 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5882 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5883 threads are expunged.
5885 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5886 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5887 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5890 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5891 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5892 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5893 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
5894 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
5895 result in a new thread.
5897 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5898 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5899 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5902 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5903 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5904 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
5905 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
5906 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
5907 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
5908 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
5909 Setting this variable to an alternate value
5910 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
5911 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
5912 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
5917 @node Low-Level Threading
5918 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5922 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5923 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5924 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
5925 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
5926 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
5927 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
5929 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5930 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5931 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5932 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5933 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5934 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5935 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5936 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5937 meaningful. Here's one example:
5940 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5942 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5943 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5945 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5947 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5954 @node Thread Commands
5955 @subsection Thread Commands
5956 @cindex thread commands
5962 @kindex T k (Summary)
5963 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5964 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5965 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5966 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5967 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5972 @kindex T l (Summary)
5973 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5974 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5975 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5976 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5979 @kindex T i (Summary)
5980 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5981 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5982 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5985 @kindex T # (Summary)
5986 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5987 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5988 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5991 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5992 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5993 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5994 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5997 @kindex T T (Summary)
5998 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5999 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6002 @kindex T s (Summary)
6003 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6004 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6005 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6008 @kindex T h (Summary)
6009 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6010 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6013 @kindex T S (Summary)
6014 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6015 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6018 @kindex T H (Summary)
6019 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6020 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6023 @kindex T t (Summary)
6024 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6025 Re-thread the current article's thread
6026 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6027 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6030 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6031 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6032 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6033 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6037 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6038 understand the numeric prefix.
6043 @kindex T n (Summary)
6045 @kindex M-C-n (Summary)
6047 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6048 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6049 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6052 @kindex T p (Summary)
6054 @kindex M-C-p (Summary)
6056 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6057 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6058 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6061 @kindex T d (Summary)
6062 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6063 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6066 @kindex T u (Summary)
6067 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6068 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6071 @kindex T o (Summary)
6072 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6073 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6076 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6077 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6078 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6079 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6080 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6081 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6082 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6083 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6084 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6085 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6086 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6087 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6091 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6092 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6094 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6095 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6096 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6097 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6098 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6099 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6100 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6101 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6102 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6103 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6104 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6106 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6107 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6108 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6109 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
6110 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6112 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6113 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6114 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6116 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6117 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6118 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6119 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6120 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6121 ascending article order.
6123 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6124 by number, you could do something like:
6127 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6128 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6129 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6130 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6133 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6134 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6135 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6136 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6137 which the articles arrived.
6139 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6143 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6145 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6146 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6149 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6150 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6151 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6152 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6155 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6156 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6157 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6158 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6159 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6160 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6161 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6162 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6163 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6164 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6165 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6166 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6167 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6169 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6173 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6174 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6175 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6180 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6181 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6182 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6183 @cindex article pre-fetch
6186 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6187 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6188 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6189 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6190 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6192 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6193 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
6195 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6196 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6197 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6198 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6199 connection is blocked.
6201 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6202 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6203 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6204 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
6206 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6207 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6208 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6209 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6212 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6215 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6216 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6217 happen automatically.
6219 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6220 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6221 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6222 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
6223 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
6224 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6225 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6227 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6228 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6229 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6230 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6231 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6232 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6233 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6234 data structure as the only parameter.
6236 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6239 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6240 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6241 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6242 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6245 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6248 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6249 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
6250 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6252 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6253 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6254 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6255 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6259 Remove articles when they are read.
6262 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6265 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6267 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6268 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6269 @c from the next group.
6272 @node Article Caching
6273 @section Article Caching
6274 @cindex article caching
6277 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6278 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6279 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6280 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6281 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6283 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6285 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6286 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6287 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6288 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6289 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6290 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6291 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6292 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6294 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6295 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6296 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6297 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6298 as dormant, and don't worry.
6300 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6302 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6303 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6304 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6305 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6306 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6307 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6308 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6309 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6310 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6311 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6313 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6314 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6315 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6316 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6317 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6318 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6319 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6320 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6321 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6322 not then be downloaded by this command.
6324 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6325 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6326 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6327 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6328 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6329 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6331 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6332 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6333 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6334 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6335 variables, the group is not cached.
6337 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6338 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6339 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6340 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6341 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6342 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
6343 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6344 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6345 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6349 @node Persistent Articles
6350 @section Persistent Articles
6351 @cindex persistent articles
6353 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6354 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6355 useful in my opinion.
6357 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6358 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6359 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6360 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6361 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6362 the expiry going on at the news server.
6364 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6365 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6366 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6372 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6373 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6376 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6377 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6378 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6379 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6383 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6385 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6386 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6387 interested in persistent articles:
6390 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6394 @node Article Backlog
6395 @section Article Backlog
6397 @cindex article backlog
6399 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6400 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6401 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
6402 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6403 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6404 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6405 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
6406 increase memory usage some.
6408 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6409 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
6410 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6411 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
6412 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6413 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6414 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6416 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6419 @node Saving Articles
6420 @section Saving Articles
6421 @cindex saving articles
6423 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6424 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6425 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6426 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6427 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6429 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6430 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
6431 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6433 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6434 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6435 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6436 deleted before saving.
6442 @kindex O o (Summary)
6444 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6445 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6446 Save the current article using the default article saver
6447 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6450 @kindex O m (Summary)
6451 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6452 Save the current article in mail format
6453 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6456 @kindex O r (Summary)
6457 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6458 Save the current article in rmail format
6459 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6462 @kindex O f (Summary)
6463 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6464 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6465 Save the current article in plain file format
6466 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6469 @kindex O F (Summary)
6470 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6471 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6472 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6475 @kindex O b (Summary)
6476 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6477 Save the current article body in plain file format
6478 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6481 @kindex O h (Summary)
6482 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6483 Save the current article in mh folder format
6484 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6487 @kindex O v (Summary)
6488 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6489 Save the current article in a VM folder
6490 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6494 @kindex O p (Summary)
6496 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6497 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6498 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6501 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6502 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6503 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6504 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6505 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6506 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6507 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6508 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6509 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6510 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6511 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6512 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6516 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6517 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6518 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6519 functions below, or you can create your own.
6523 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6524 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6525 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6526 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6527 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6528 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6529 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6531 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6532 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6533 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6534 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6535 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6536 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6538 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6539 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6540 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6541 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6542 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6543 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6544 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6546 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6547 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6548 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6549 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6550 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6552 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6553 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6554 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6555 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6556 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6559 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6560 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6561 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6562 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6563 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6565 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6566 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6567 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6568 reader to use this setting.
6571 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6572 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6573 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6574 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6577 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6578 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6579 available functions that generate names:
6583 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6584 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6585 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6587 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6588 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6589 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6591 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6592 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6593 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6595 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6596 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6597 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6599 @item gnus-sender-save-name
6600 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
6601 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
6604 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6605 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6606 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6607 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6608 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
6612 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
6613 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
6614 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
6615 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
6618 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
6619 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
6620 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
6621 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
6622 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
6623 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
6624 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
6625 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
6626 called returns a string or a list of strings.
6628 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
6629 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
6630 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
6631 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
6633 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
6634 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
6635 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
6638 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
6639 lots of mail groups called things like
6640 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
6641 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
6642 following will do just that:
6645 (defun my-save-name (group)
6646 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
6647 (substring group (match-end 0))))
6649 (setq gnus-split-methods
6650 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
6655 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6656 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
6657 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
6658 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
6659 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
6660 all the files in the top level directory
6661 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
6662 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
6663 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
6664 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
6666 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
6667 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
6668 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
6669 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
6670 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
6673 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
6677 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
6678 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
6679 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
6682 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
6683 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
6684 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
6685 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
6688 @node Decoding Articles
6689 @section Decoding Articles
6690 @cindex decoding articles
6692 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
6693 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
6696 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
6697 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
6698 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
6699 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
6700 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
6701 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
6705 @cindex article series
6706 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
6707 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
6708 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
6709 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
6710 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
6712 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
6713 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
6714 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
6716 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
6717 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
6718 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
6720 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
6721 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
6722 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
6725 @node Uuencoded Articles
6726 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
6728 @cindex uuencoded articles
6733 @kindex X u (Summary)
6734 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
6735 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
6736 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
6739 @kindex X U (Summary)
6740 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
6741 Uudecodes and saves the current series
6742 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6745 @kindex X v u (Summary)
6746 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
6747 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
6750 @kindex X v U (Summary)
6751 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
6752 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
6753 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
6757 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
6758 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
6759 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
6760 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
6761 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6763 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
6764 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
6765 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
6766 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
6769 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
6770 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
6771 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
6772 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
6773 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
6774 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
6778 @node Shell Archives
6779 @subsection Shell Archives
6781 @cindex shell archives
6782 @cindex shared articles
6784 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
6785 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
6786 some commands to deal with these:
6791 @kindex X s (Summary)
6792 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
6793 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
6796 @kindex X S (Summary)
6797 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
6798 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
6801 @kindex X v s (Summary)
6802 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
6803 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
6806 @kindex X v S (Summary)
6807 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
6808 Unshars, views and saves the current series
6809 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
6813 @node PostScript Files
6814 @subsection PostScript Files
6820 @kindex X p (Summary)
6821 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
6822 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
6825 @kindex X P (Summary)
6826 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
6827 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
6828 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
6831 @kindex X v p (Summary)
6832 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
6833 View the current PostScript series
6834 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
6837 @kindex X v P (Summary)
6838 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
6839 View and save the current PostScript series
6840 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
6845 @subsection Other Files
6849 @kindex X o (Summary)
6850 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
6851 Save the current series
6852 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
6855 @kindex X b (Summary)
6856 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
6857 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
6858 doesn't really work yet.
6862 @node Decoding Variables
6863 @subsection Decoding Variables
6865 Adjective, not verb.
6868 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
6869 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
6870 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
6874 @node Rule Variables
6875 @subsubsection Rule Variables
6876 @cindex rule variables
6878 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
6879 variables are of the form
6882 (list '(regexp1 command2)
6889 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6890 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6892 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
6893 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
6896 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6897 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
6900 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6901 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6902 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
6903 user and default view rules.
6905 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6906 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6907 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6912 @node Other Decode Variables
6913 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6916 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6918 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6919 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6920 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6921 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6922 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6926 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6927 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6930 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6931 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6932 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6935 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6936 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6937 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6938 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6939 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6942 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6943 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6944 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6946 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6947 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6948 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6949 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6950 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6953 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6954 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6955 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6957 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6958 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6959 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6960 looking for files to display.
6962 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6963 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6964 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6967 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6968 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6969 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6972 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6973 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6974 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6977 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6978 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6979 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6982 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6983 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6984 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6985 decoded articles as unread.
6987 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6988 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6989 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6990 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6992 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6993 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6994 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6996 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6997 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6999 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7000 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7001 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7002 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7004 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7005 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7006 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7007 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7008 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7009 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7010 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7011 simply dropped them.
7016 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7017 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7021 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7022 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7023 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7024 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7025 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7026 for you when you post the article.
7028 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7029 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7030 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7031 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7033 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7034 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7035 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7036 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7037 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7038 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7039 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7041 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7042 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7043 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7044 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7045 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7046 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7047 Default is @code{t}.
7053 @subsection Viewing Files
7054 @cindex viewing files
7055 @cindex pseudo-articles
7057 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7058 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7059 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7060 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7061 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7062 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7063 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7065 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7066 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7067 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7068 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7070 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7071 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7072 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7074 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7075 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7076 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7077 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7078 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7080 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7081 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7082 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7083 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7084 a list of parameters to that command.
7086 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7087 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7088 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7090 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7091 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7092 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7095 @node Article Treatment
7096 @section Article Treatment
7098 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7099 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7100 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7101 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7102 these articles easier.
7105 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7106 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7107 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7108 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7109 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7110 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7111 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7112 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7116 @node Article Highlighting
7117 @subsection Article Highlighting
7118 @cindex highlighting
7120 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7121 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7126 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7127 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7128 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7129 Do much highlighting of the current article
7130 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7131 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7134 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7135 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7136 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7137 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7138 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7139 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7140 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7141 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7142 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7143 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7144 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7145 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7148 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7149 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7150 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7152 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7155 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7157 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7158 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7159 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7161 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7162 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7163 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7165 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7166 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7167 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7168 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7169 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7170 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7172 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7173 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7174 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7176 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7177 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7178 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7180 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7181 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7182 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7183 that it's a citation.
7185 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7186 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7187 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7189 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7190 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7191 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7193 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7194 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7195 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7196 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7202 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7203 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7204 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7205 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7206 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7207 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7208 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7209 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7214 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7217 @node Article Fontisizing
7218 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7220 @cindex article emphasis
7222 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7223 @kindex W e (Summary)
7224 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7225 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7226 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7227 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7229 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7230 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7231 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7232 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7233 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7234 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7235 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7236 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7240 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7241 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7242 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7251 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7252 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7253 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7254 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7255 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7256 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7257 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7258 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7259 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7260 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7261 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7262 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7263 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7265 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7266 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7267 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7271 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7274 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7276 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7277 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7278 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7279 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7281 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7284 @node Article Hiding
7285 @subsection Article Hiding
7286 @cindex article hiding
7288 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7289 too much cruft in most articles.
7294 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7295 @findex gnus-article-hide
7296 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7297 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7298 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7301 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7302 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7303 Toggle hiding of headers (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7307 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7308 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7309 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7310 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7313 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7314 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7315 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7319 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7320 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7321 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7322 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7323 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7324 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7325 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7326 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7330 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7331 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7332 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7333 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7338 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7339 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7340 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7341 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7342 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7343 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7344 articles that have signatures in them do:
7346 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7348 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7350 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7351 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7353 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7356 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7361 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7362 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7363 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7364 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7367 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7368 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7371 @cindex stripping advertisements
7372 @cindex advertisements
7373 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7374 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7375 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7376 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7377 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7378 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7379 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7380 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7381 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7382 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7386 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7387 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7388 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7389 customizing the hiding:
7393 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7394 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7395 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7396 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7397 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7398 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7399 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7404 Starting point of the hidden text.
7406 Ending point of the hidden text.
7408 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7410 Number of lines of hidden text.
7413 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7414 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7415 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7416 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7417 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7422 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7423 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7425 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7426 following two variables:
7429 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7430 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7431 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7432 50), hide the cited text.
7434 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7435 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7436 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7441 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7442 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7443 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7444 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7445 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7446 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7450 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7451 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7452 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7454 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7455 citation customization.
7457 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7461 @node Article Washing
7462 @subsection Article Washing
7464 @cindex article washing
7466 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7467 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7469 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7470 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7473 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
7474 articles by default.
7479 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
7480 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
7484 @kindex W l (Summary)
7485 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7486 Remove page breaks from the current article
7487 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7491 @kindex W r (Summary)
7492 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7493 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7494 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7495 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7496 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7497 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7499 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7500 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7501 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7502 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7506 @kindex W t (Summary)
7508 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7509 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7510 (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}).
7513 @kindex W v (Summary)
7514 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7515 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7516 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7519 @kindex W m (Summary)
7520 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
7521 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
7522 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
7525 @kindex W o (Summary)
7526 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7527 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7530 @kindex W d (Summary)
7531 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7532 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7534 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
7536 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7537 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7538 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7539 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7542 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
7543 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
7544 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
7545 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
7548 @kindex W w (Summary)
7549 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7550 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7552 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7556 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7557 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7558 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7561 @kindex W C (Summary)
7562 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7563 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7564 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7567 @kindex W c (Summary)
7568 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7569 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7570 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7571 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7572 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7575 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
7576 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
7577 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
7578 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
7579 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
7580 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
7581 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
7583 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7586 @kindex W Z (Summary)
7587 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
7588 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
7589 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
7590 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
7593 @kindex W h (Summary)
7594 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
7595 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
7596 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
7597 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
7599 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7602 @kindex W f (Summary)
7604 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
7605 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
7606 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
7607 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
7614 Look for and display any X-Face headers
7615 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
7616 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
7617 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
7618 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
7619 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
7620 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
7621 The default action under Emacs is to fork off the @code{display}
7622 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For the
7623 @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
7624 like `compface' or `faces-xface' on a GNU/Linux system.}
7625 to view the face. Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image
7626 support, the default action is to display the face before the
7627 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
7628 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
7629 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
7630 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
7631 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
7632 like @code{netpbm} or @code{libgr-progs}.}) If you
7633 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
7637 @kindex W b (Summary)
7638 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
7639 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
7640 @xref{Article Buttons}.
7643 @kindex W B (Summary)
7644 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
7645 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
7646 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
7649 @kindex W p (Summary)
7650 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
7651 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
7652 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
7653 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
7654 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
7655 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
7656 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
7659 @kindex W W H (Summary)
7660 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
7661 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
7662 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
7665 @kindex W E l (Summary)
7666 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
7667 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
7668 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
7671 @kindex W E m (Summary)
7672 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
7673 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
7674 lines with a single empty line.
7675 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
7678 @kindex W E t (Summary)
7679 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
7680 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
7681 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
7684 @kindex W E a (Summary)
7685 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
7686 Do all the three commands above
7687 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
7690 @kindex W E A (Summary)
7691 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
7692 Remove all blank lines
7693 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
7696 @kindex W E s (Summary)
7697 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
7698 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
7699 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
7702 @kindex W E e (Summary)
7703 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
7704 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
7705 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
7709 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
7712 @node Article Buttons
7713 @subsection Article Buttons
7716 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
7717 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
7718 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
7719 button on these references.
7721 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
7722 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
7723 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
7728 @item gnus-button-alist
7729 @vindex gnus-button-alist
7730 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
7733 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7739 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
7740 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
7741 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
7744 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
7745 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
7746 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
7749 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
7750 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
7751 avoid false matches.
7754 This function will be called when you click on this button.
7757 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
7758 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
7762 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
7765 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
7768 @item gnus-header-button-alist
7769 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
7770 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
7771 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
7772 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
7775 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7778 @var{header} is a regular expression.
7780 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
7781 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
7782 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
7783 default values of the variables above.
7785 @item gnus-article-button-face
7786 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
7787 Face used on buttons.
7789 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
7790 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
7791 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
7795 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
7799 @subsection Article Date
7801 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
7802 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
7803 when the article was sent.
7808 @kindex W T u (Summary)
7809 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
7810 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
7811 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
7814 @kindex W T i (Summary)
7815 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
7817 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
7818 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
7821 @kindex W T l (Summary)
7822 @findex gnus-article-date-local
7823 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
7826 @kindex W T p (Summary)
7827 @findex gnus-article-date-english
7828 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
7829 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
7832 @kindex W T s (Summary)
7833 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
7834 @findex gnus-article-date-user
7835 @findex format-time-string
7836 Display the date using a user-defined format
7837 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
7838 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
7839 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
7840 for a list of possible format specs.
7843 @kindex W T e (Summary)
7844 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
7845 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
7846 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
7847 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
7848 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
7851 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
7854 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
7855 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
7858 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
7859 into wonderful absurdities.
7861 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
7864 (gnus-start-date-timer)
7867 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
7868 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
7872 @kindex W T o (Summary)
7873 @findex gnus-article-date-original
7874 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
7875 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
7876 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
7877 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
7878 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
7882 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
7883 preferred format automatically.
7886 @node Article Signature
7887 @subsection Article Signature
7889 @cindex article signature
7891 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7892 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
7893 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
7894 that says what is to be considered a signature is
7895 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
7896 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
7897 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
7898 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
7899 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
7902 (setq gnus-signature-separator
7903 '("^-- $" ; The standard
7904 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
7905 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
7906 ; line of dashes. Shame!
7907 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
7908 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
7909 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
7912 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
7915 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
7916 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
7917 signature when displaying articles.
7921 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
7924 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
7927 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
7928 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
7930 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
7931 in question is not a signature.
7934 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
7935 listed above. Here's an example:
7938 (setq gnus-signature-limit
7939 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
7942 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
7943 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
7944 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
7945 signature after all.
7948 @node Article Miscellania
7949 @subsection Article Miscellania
7953 @kindex A t (Summary)
7954 @findex gnus-article-babel
7955 Translate the article from one language to another
7956 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
7962 @section @sc{mime} Commands
7963 @cindex MIME decoding
7965 @cindex viewing attachments
7967 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
7968 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
7974 @kindex K v (Summary)
7975 View the @sc{mime} part.
7978 @kindex K o (Summary)
7979 Save the @sc{mime} part.
7982 @kindex K c (Summary)
7983 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
7986 @kindex K e (Summary)
7987 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
7990 @kindex K i (Summary)
7991 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
7994 @kindex K | (Summary)
7995 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
7998 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8003 @kindex K b (Summary)
8004 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8005 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8009 @kindex K m (Summary)
8010 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8011 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8012 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8013 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8014 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8017 @kindex X m (Summary)
8018 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8019 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8020 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8021 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8024 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8025 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
8026 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8027 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8030 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8031 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8032 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8035 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8036 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8037 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8039 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8040 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8041 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8042 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
8043 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
8044 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8047 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8048 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8049 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8056 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8057 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8058 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8059 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8062 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8065 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8069 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8070 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8071 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8072 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8073 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
8075 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8076 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8077 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8078 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8079 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8080 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8081 save all jpegs into some directory).
8083 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8086 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8087 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8089 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8090 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8091 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8092 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8093 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8096 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8097 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8098 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8100 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8101 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8102 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8103 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8105 Ready-made functions include@*
8106 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8107 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8108 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8109 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8110 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8111 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8112 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8113 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8114 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8115 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8116 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8117 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8119 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8120 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8122 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8123 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8124 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8127 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8128 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8129 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8130 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8134 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8143 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8144 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8145 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8146 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8147 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8148 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8149 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8151 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8152 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8153 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8154 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8156 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8157 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
8158 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8159 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8160 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
8161 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8162 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
8163 something some agents insist on having in there.
8165 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8166 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8167 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8168 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8169 quoted-printable header encoding.
8171 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8172 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8173 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8177 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8180 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8181 means encode all charsets),
8183 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8184 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8185 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8192 @cindex coding system aliases
8193 @cindex preferred charset
8195 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8197 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8198 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8201 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8202 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8205 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8206 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8208 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8211 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8214 This will almost do the right thing.
8216 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8220 (codepage-setup 1251)
8221 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8225 @node Article Commands
8226 @section Article Commands
8233 @kindex A P (Summary)
8234 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8235 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8236 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8237 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
8238 run just before printing the buffer.
8243 @node Summary Sorting
8244 @section Summary Sorting
8245 @cindex summary sorting
8247 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8248 can't really see why you'd want that.
8253 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8254 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8255 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8258 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8259 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8260 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8263 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8264 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8265 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8268 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8269 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8270 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8273 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8274 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8275 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8278 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8279 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8280 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8283 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8284 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8285 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8288 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
8289 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
8290 Sort using the default sorting method
8291 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
8294 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8295 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8296 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8297 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8298 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8302 @node Finding the Parent
8303 @section Finding the Parent
8304 @cindex parent articles
8305 @cindex referring articles
8310 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8311 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8312 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8313 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8314 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8315 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8316 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8317 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8318 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8320 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8321 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8322 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
8323 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8324 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8328 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8329 @kindex A R (Summary)
8330 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8331 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8334 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8335 @kindex A T (Summary)
8336 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8337 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8338 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8339 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8340 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8341 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8342 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8344 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8345 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8346 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8347 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8348 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8349 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8352 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8353 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8355 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8356 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8357 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8358 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8359 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8360 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8361 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8364 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8365 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8366 by giving this command a prefix.
8368 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8369 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
8370 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8371 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8372 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8373 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8376 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8377 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8378 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8381 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8382 then ask Deja if that fails:
8385 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8387 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8390 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
8391 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
8392 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8393 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
8394 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
8395 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
8398 @node Alternative Approaches
8399 @section Alternative Approaches
8401 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8402 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8405 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8406 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8411 @subsection Pick and Read
8412 @cindex pick and read
8414 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8415 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8416 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8417 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8419 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8420 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8421 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8422 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8423 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8424 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8426 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8431 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8432 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8433 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8434 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8435 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8436 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8437 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8438 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8441 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8442 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8443 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8444 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8448 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8449 Unpick the thread or article
8450 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8451 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8452 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8453 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8454 the thread or article at that line.
8458 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8459 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8460 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8461 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8462 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8463 will still be visible when you are reading.
8467 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8468 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8469 which is mapped to the same function
8470 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8472 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8475 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8478 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8479 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8481 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8482 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8483 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8485 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8486 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8487 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8488 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8489 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8490 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8491 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8495 @subsection Binary Groups
8496 @cindex binary groups
8498 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8499 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8500 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8501 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8502 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8503 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8504 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8507 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8508 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8509 command, when you have turned on this mode
8510 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8512 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8513 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8517 @section Tree Display
8520 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8521 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
8522 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8523 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8526 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8529 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8530 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8531 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8533 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8534 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8535 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8536 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8537 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8539 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8540 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8541 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8542 default is @code{modeline}.
8544 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8545 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8546 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8547 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8548 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8549 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8550 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8556 The name of the poster.
8558 The @code{From} header.
8560 The number of the article.
8562 The opening bracket.
8564 The closing bracket.
8569 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8571 Variables related to the display are:
8574 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8575 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8576 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8577 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8578 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8579 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8581 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8582 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8583 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8584 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8588 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8589 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
8590 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
8591 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
8592 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
8593 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
8594 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
8595 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
8596 other windows displayed next to it.
8598 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
8599 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
8600 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8601 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
8602 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
8603 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
8604 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
8608 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
8611 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
8621 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
8625 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
8626 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
8628 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
8630 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
8635 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
8636 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
8637 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
8640 (setq gnus-use-trees t
8641 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8642 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
8643 (gnus-add-configuration
8647 (summary 0.75 point)
8652 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
8655 @node Mail Group Commands
8656 @section Mail Group Commands
8657 @cindex mail group commands
8659 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
8660 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
8662 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
8663 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8668 @kindex B e (Summary)
8669 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
8670 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
8671 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
8672 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
8673 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
8676 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
8677 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
8678 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
8679 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
8680 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
8681 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
8684 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
8685 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
8686 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
8687 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
8688 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
8689 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
8692 @kindex B m (Summary)
8694 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
8695 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
8696 Move the article from one mail group to another
8697 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8698 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8701 @kindex B c (Summary)
8703 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
8704 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
8705 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
8706 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8707 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8710 @kindex B B (Summary)
8711 @cindex crosspost mail
8712 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
8713 Crosspost the current article to some other group
8714 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
8715 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
8716 be properly updated.
8719 @kindex B i (Summary)
8720 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
8721 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
8722 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
8723 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
8726 @kindex B r (Summary)
8727 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
8728 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
8729 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
8730 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
8731 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
8732 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
8733 (which is the default).
8737 @kindex B w (Summary)
8739 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
8740 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
8741 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
8742 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
8743 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
8744 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
8747 @kindex B q (Summary)
8748 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
8749 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
8750 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
8751 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
8754 @kindex B t (Summary)
8755 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
8756 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
8757 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
8760 @kindex B p (Summary)
8761 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
8762 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
8763 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
8764 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
8765 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
8766 article from your news server (or rather, from
8767 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
8768 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
8769 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
8770 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
8771 just not have arrived yet.
8775 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
8776 @cindex moving articles
8777 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
8778 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
8779 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
8780 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
8781 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
8782 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
8783 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
8786 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
8787 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
8788 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
8789 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
8793 @node Various Summary Stuff
8794 @section Various Summary Stuff
8797 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
8798 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
8799 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
8800 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
8804 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
8805 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
8806 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
8808 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
8809 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
8810 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
8811 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
8812 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
8813 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
8816 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8817 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8818 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
8819 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
8820 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
8822 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8823 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8824 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
8827 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8828 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8829 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
8830 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
8831 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
8832 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
8833 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
8834 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
8835 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
8836 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
8838 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8839 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8840 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
8841 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
8842 list of articles to be selected.
8844 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
8845 the list in one particular group:
8848 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
8849 (if (string= group "some.group")
8850 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
8857 @node Summary Group Information
8858 @subsection Summary Group Information
8863 @kindex H f (Summary)
8864 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
8865 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
8866 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
8867 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
8868 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
8869 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
8870 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
8871 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
8872 be used for fetching the file.
8875 @kindex H d (Summary)
8876 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
8877 Give a brief description of the current group
8878 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
8879 rereading the description from the server.
8882 @kindex H h (Summary)
8883 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
8884 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
8885 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
8888 @kindex H i (Summary)
8889 @findex gnus-info-find-node
8890 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
8894 @node Searching for Articles
8895 @subsection Searching for Articles
8900 @kindex M-s (Summary)
8901 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
8902 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
8903 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
8906 @kindex M-r (Summary)
8907 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
8908 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
8909 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
8913 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
8914 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
8915 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
8916 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
8917 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
8918 search backward instead.
8920 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
8921 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
8924 @kindex M-& (Summary)
8925 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
8926 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
8927 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
8930 @node Summary Generation Commands
8931 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
8936 @kindex Y g (Summary)
8937 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
8938 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
8941 @kindex Y c (Summary)
8942 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
8943 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
8944 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
8949 @node Really Various Summary Commands
8950 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
8956 @kindex C-d (Summary)
8957 @kindex A D (Summary)
8958 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
8959 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
8960 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
8961 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
8962 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
8963 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
8964 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
8965 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
8969 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
8970 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
8971 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
8972 several documents into one biiig group
8973 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
8974 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
8975 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
8976 command understands the process/prefix convention
8977 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8980 @kindex C-t (Summary)
8981 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
8982 Toggle truncation of summary lines
8983 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
8984 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
8985 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
8989 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
8990 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
8991 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
8994 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
8995 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
8996 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8997 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9000 @kindex M-C-a (Summary)
9001 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9002 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9003 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9008 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9009 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9010 @cindex summary exit
9011 @cindex exiting groups
9013 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9014 group and return you to the group buffer.
9020 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9022 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9023 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9024 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9025 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9026 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9027 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9028 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9029 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9030 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9031 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9032 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9036 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9038 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9039 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9040 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9044 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9046 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9047 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9048 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9049 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9052 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9053 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9054 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9055 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9058 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9059 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9060 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9061 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9064 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9065 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9066 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9067 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9068 all articles, both read and unread.
9072 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9073 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9074 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9075 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9076 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9077 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9078 articles, both read and unread.
9081 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9082 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9083 Exit the group and go to the next group
9084 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9087 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9088 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9089 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9090 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9093 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9094 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9095 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9096 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9097 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9098 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9101 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9102 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9103 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9104 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9106 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9107 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9108 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9109 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9110 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9111 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9112 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9113 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9114 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9115 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9116 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9117 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9119 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9121 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9122 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9123 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9124 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9125 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9126 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9127 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9128 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9129 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9132 @node Crosspost Handling
9133 @section Crosspost Handling
9137 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9138 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9139 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9140 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9141 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9142 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9145 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9146 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9147 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9148 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9149 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9151 @cindex cross-posting
9154 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9155 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9156 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9157 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9158 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9159 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9160 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9161 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9162 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9163 the cross reference mechanism.
9165 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9166 @cindex overview.fmt
9167 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9168 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9169 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9170 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9171 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9172 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9175 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9176 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9177 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9182 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9185 @node Duplicate Suppression
9186 @section Duplicate Suppression
9188 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9189 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9190 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9191 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9196 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9197 is evil and not very common.
9200 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9201 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9204 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9205 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9208 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9211 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9212 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9214 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9215 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9216 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9217 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9218 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9219 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9220 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9223 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9224 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9225 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9226 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9227 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9231 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9232 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9233 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9235 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9236 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9237 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9238 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9239 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
9240 session are suppressed.
9242 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9243 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9244 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9245 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9247 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9248 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9249 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9250 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9253 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
9254 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9255 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9256 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9257 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
9258 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9259 to you to figure out, I think.
9264 Gnus is able to verify PGP or S/MIME signed messages or decrypt PGP
9269 To verify or decrypt PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or
9275 @item mm-verify-option
9276 @vindex mm-verify-option
9277 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9278 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9279 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9281 @item mm-decrypt-option
9282 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9283 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9284 @code{always}, always decrypt @code{known}, only decrypt known
9285 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9290 @section Mailing List
9292 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369.
9297 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
9298 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
9299 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
9302 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
9303 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
9304 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
9307 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
9308 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
9309 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
9313 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
9314 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
9315 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
9318 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
9319 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9320 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
9323 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
9324 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9325 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
9329 @node Article Buffer
9330 @chapter Article Buffer
9331 @cindex article buffer
9333 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9334 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9335 tell gnus otherwise.
9338 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9339 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9340 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9341 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9342 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9346 @node Hiding Headers
9347 @section Hiding Headers
9348 @cindex hiding headers
9349 @cindex deleting headers
9351 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9352 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9354 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9355 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9356 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9357 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9358 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9359 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9360 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9361 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9362 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9364 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9368 @item gnus-visible-headers
9369 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9370 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9371 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9372 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9374 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9375 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9378 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9381 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9384 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9385 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9386 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9387 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9388 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9389 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9391 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
9392 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
9395 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9398 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9401 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9402 variable will have no effect.
9406 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9407 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9408 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9409 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9410 the headers are to be displayed.
9412 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
9413 and then the subject, you might say something like:
9416 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
9419 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
9420 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
9422 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9423 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
9424 You can hide further boring headers by setting
9425 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
9426 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
9427 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
9428 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
9431 These conditions are:
9434 Remove all empty headers.
9436 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
9437 @code{Newsgroups} header.
9439 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
9442 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9445 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
9446 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
9448 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9451 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9453 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9456 To include these three elements, you could say something like;
9459 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9460 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9463 This is also the default value for this variable.
9467 @section Using @sc{mime}
9470 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9471 while people stand around yawning.
9473 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9474 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9476 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9477 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9478 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9480 @vindex gnus-show-mime
9481 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
9482 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
9483 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
9484 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
9485 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
9486 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
9487 calls the SEMI MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
9488 information on SEMI MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is not
9489 existed yet, sorry).
9491 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
9492 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
9493 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
9494 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
9495 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
9496 buffer. These can't be avoided.
9498 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
9499 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
9500 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
9501 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
9502 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
9503 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
9504 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
9505 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
9506 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
9509 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
9511 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
9512 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
9513 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
9514 buffer when there are nobody else.
9516 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
9519 @node Customizing Articles
9520 @section Customizing Articles
9521 @cindex article customization
9523 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
9524 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
9525 called automatically when you select the articles.
9527 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
9528 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
9529 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
9530 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
9532 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
9533 for sensible values.
9537 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
9540 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
9543 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
9546 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
9549 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
9553 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
9554 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
9555 regexps in the list.
9558 A list where the first element is not a string:
9560 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
9561 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
9562 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
9566 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
9570 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
9575 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
9576 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
9577 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
9578 considered to contain just a single part.
9580 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
9581 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
9582 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
9583 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
9584 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
9585 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
9586 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
9588 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
9589 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
9590 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
9591 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
9594 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
9595 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
9596 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
9597 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
9598 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
9599 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
9600 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
9601 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
9602 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
9603 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
9604 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
9605 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
9606 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
9607 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
9608 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
9609 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
9610 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
9611 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
9612 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
9613 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
9614 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
9615 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
9616 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
9617 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
9618 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
9619 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
9620 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
9621 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
9622 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
9623 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
9624 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
9625 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
9626 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
9627 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
9628 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
9629 @item gnus-treat-translate
9630 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset
9633 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
9634 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
9635 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
9636 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
9637 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
9641 @node Article Keymap
9642 @section Article Keymap
9644 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
9645 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
9646 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
9647 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
9650 A few additional keystrokes are available:
9655 @kindex SPACE (Article)
9656 @findex gnus-article-next-page
9657 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
9660 @kindex DEL (Article)
9661 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
9662 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
9665 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
9666 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
9667 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
9668 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
9669 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
9672 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
9673 @findex gnus-article-mail
9674 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
9675 given a prefix, include the mail.
9679 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
9680 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
9681 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
9685 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
9686 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
9687 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
9690 @kindex TAB (Article)
9691 @findex gnus-article-next-button
9692 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
9693 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
9696 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
9697 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
9698 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
9704 @section Misc Article
9708 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
9709 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
9710 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
9711 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
9714 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
9715 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
9717 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
9718 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
9720 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
9721 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
9722 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
9723 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
9724 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
9725 the contents of the article buffer.
9727 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
9728 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
9729 Hook called in article mode buffers.
9731 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9732 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9733 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
9734 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
9736 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
9737 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
9738 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
9739 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
9740 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
9745 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
9746 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
9749 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
9752 @vindex gnus-break-pages
9754 @item gnus-break-pages
9755 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
9756 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
9757 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
9758 paging will not be done.
9760 @item gnus-page-delimiter
9761 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
9762 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
9767 @node Composing Messages
9768 @chapter Composing Messages
9769 @cindex composing messages
9772 @cindex sending mail
9778 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
9779 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
9780 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
9781 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
9782 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
9783 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
9786 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
9787 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
9788 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
9789 * Archived Messages:: Where gnus stores the messages you've sent.
9790 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
9791 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
9792 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
9793 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
9796 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
9797 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
9803 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
9806 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
9807 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
9808 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
9809 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
9811 @item gnus-add-to-list
9812 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
9813 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
9814 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
9819 @node Posting Server
9820 @section Posting Server
9822 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
9823 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
9825 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
9827 @vindex gnus-post-method
9829 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will post using the same
9830 select method as you're reading from (which might be convenient if
9831 you're reading lots of groups from different private servers).
9832 However. If the server you're reading from doesn't allow posting,
9833 just reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
9834 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
9835 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
9838 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
9841 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
9842 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
9843 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
9844 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
9846 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
9847 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
9849 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
9850 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
9853 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
9854 you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
9858 @section Mail and Post
9860 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
9864 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
9865 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
9866 @cindex mailing lists
9868 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
9869 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
9870 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
9871 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
9872 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
9873 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
9874 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
9875 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
9876 still a pain, though.
9880 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
9881 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
9882 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
9885 @findex ispell-message
9887 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
9890 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
9891 you're in, you could say something like the following:
9894 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
9898 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
9899 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
9901 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
9904 Modify to suit your needs.
9907 @node Archived Messages
9908 @section Archived Messages
9909 @cindex archived messages
9910 @cindex sent messages
9912 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
9913 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
9914 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
9915 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
9918 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
9919 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
9920 use to store sent messages. The default is:
9924 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
9925 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
9926 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
9927 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
9930 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
9931 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
9932 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
9933 directory chosen, you could say something like:
9936 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
9937 '(nnfolder "archive"
9938 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
9939 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
9940 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
9943 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
9945 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
9946 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
9947 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
9949 This variable can be used to do the following:
9953 Messages will be saved in that group.
9955 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
9956 message will not be stored in the select method given by
9957 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
9958 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
9959 has the default value shown above. Then setting
9960 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
9961 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
9962 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
9964 @item a list of strings
9965 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
9966 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
9967 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
9969 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
9974 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
9976 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
9979 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
9981 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
9984 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
9986 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9987 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
9988 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
9989 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
9994 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9995 '((if (message-news-p)
10000 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
10001 messages in one file per month:
10004 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10005 '((if (message-news-p)
10007 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
10010 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
10011 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
10013 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
10014 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
10015 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
10016 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
10017 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
10018 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
10019 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
10020 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
10021 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
10022 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
10024 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
10025 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
10026 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
10027 this will disable archiving.
10030 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
10031 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
10032 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
10033 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
10034 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
10037 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
10038 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
10039 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
10042 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
10043 but the latter is the preferred method.
10045 @item gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10046 @vindex gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10047 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
10052 @node Posting Styles
10053 @section Posting Styles
10054 @cindex posting styles
10057 All them variables, they make my head swim.
10059 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
10060 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
10061 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
10064 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
10065 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
10066 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
10067 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
10068 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
10073 (signature "Peace and happiness")
10074 (organization "What me?"))
10076 (signature "Death to everybody"))
10077 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
10078 (organization "Emacs is it")))
10081 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
10082 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
10083 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
10084 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
10085 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
10086 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
10087 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
10088 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
10090 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
10091 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
10092 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header (the
10093 next element in the match) in the original article , and compare that to
10094 the last regexp in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function
10095 will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the
10096 variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be
10097 @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value,
10098 then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
10100 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
10101 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
10102 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
10103 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
10104 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
10105 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
10106 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
10107 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
10108 result is thrown away.
10110 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
10111 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
10112 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
10113 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
10114 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
10115 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
10117 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
10118 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
10119 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
10121 @findex message-mail-p
10122 @findex message-news-p
10124 So here's a new example:
10127 (setq gnus-posting-styles
10129 (signature-file "~/.signature")
10131 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
10132 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
10134 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
10135 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
10136 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
10138 (signature my-news-signature))
10139 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
10140 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
10141 ((posting-from-work-p)
10142 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
10143 (address "user@@bar.foo")
10144 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
10145 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
10147 (From (save-excursion
10148 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
10149 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
10151 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
10154 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
10155 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
10156 if you fill many roles.
10163 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
10164 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
10165 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
10166 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
10167 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
10169 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
10170 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
10171 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
10172 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
10173 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
10177 @vindex nndraft-directory
10178 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
10179 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
10180 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
10181 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
10182 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
10183 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
10185 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
10186 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
10189 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
10190 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
10191 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
10192 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
10193 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
10194 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
10195 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
10196 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
10197 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
10198 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
10199 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
10200 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
10201 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
10202 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
10204 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
10205 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
10206 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
10208 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
10209 @kindex D e (Draft)
10210 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
10211 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
10212 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
10214 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
10217 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
10218 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
10219 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
10220 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
10221 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
10222 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
10223 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
10226 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
10227 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
10228 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
10231 @node Rejected Articles
10232 @section Rejected Articles
10233 @cindex rejected articles
10235 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
10236 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
10237 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
10238 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
10240 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
10241 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
10242 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
10243 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
10244 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
10246 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
10247 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
10248 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
10254 Gnus has an ALPHA support to GPG that's provided by @file{gpg.el}. See
10255 @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} to enable Gnus to
10256 verify or decrypt messages accordingly.
10258 To use this correctly with GPG, you'll need the following lisp code in your
10259 @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10263 (setq mml2015-use 'gpg)
10264 (setq gpg-temp-directory (expand-file-name "~/.gnupg/tmp"))
10267 The @code{gpg-temp-directory} need to point to a directory with permissions set
10268 to 700, for your own safety.
10270 If you want to benefit of PGP2.6 compatibility, you might create a script named
10271 @file{gpg-2comp} with these instructions:
10275 exec gpg --rfc1991 "$@@"
10278 If you don't want to use such compatibility, you can add the following line to
10279 your @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10282 (setq gpg-command-default-alist (quote ((gpg . "gpg") (gpg-2comp . "gpg"))))
10285 To sign or encrypt your message you may choose to use the MML Security
10286 menu or @kbd{C-c C-m s p} to sign your message using PGP/MIME, @kbd{C-c
10287 C-m s s} to sign your message using S/MIME. There's also @kbd{C-c C-m c
10288 p} to encrypt your message with PGP/MIME and @kbd{C-c C-m c s} to
10289 encrypt using S/MIME.
10291 Gnus will ask for your passphrase and then it will send your message, if
10292 you've typed it correctly.
10294 @node Select Methods
10295 @chapter Select Methods
10296 @cindex foreign groups
10297 @cindex select methods
10299 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
10300 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
10301 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
10302 personal mail group.
10304 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
10305 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
10306 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
10307 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
10308 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
10309 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
10311 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
10312 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
10314 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
10317 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
10318 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
10319 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
10320 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
10321 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
10323 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
10326 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
10327 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
10328 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
10329 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
10330 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
10331 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
10332 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
10336 @node Server Buffer
10337 @section Server Buffer
10339 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
10340 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
10341 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
10342 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
10343 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
10344 backend represents a virtual server.
10346 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
10347 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
10348 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
10349 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
10351 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
10352 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
10353 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
10354 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
10355 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
10356 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
10357 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
10359 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
10360 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
10363 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
10364 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
10365 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
10366 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
10367 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
10368 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
10369 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
10372 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
10373 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
10376 @node Server Buffer Format
10377 @subsection Server Buffer Format
10378 @cindex server buffer format
10380 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
10381 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
10382 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
10383 variable, with some simple extensions:
10388 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
10391 The name of this server.
10394 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
10397 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
10400 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
10401 The mode line can also be customized by using the
10402 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
10403 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
10413 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
10416 @node Server Commands
10417 @subsection Server Commands
10418 @cindex server commands
10424 @findex gnus-server-add-server
10425 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
10429 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
10430 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
10433 @kindex SPACE (Server)
10434 @findex gnus-server-read-server
10435 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
10439 @findex gnus-server-exit
10440 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
10444 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
10445 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
10449 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
10450 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
10454 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
10455 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
10459 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
10460 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
10464 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
10465 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
10466 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
10471 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
10472 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
10473 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
10474 a mail backend that has gotten out of sync.
10479 @node Example Methods
10480 @subsection Example Methods
10482 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
10485 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
10488 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
10494 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
10495 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
10498 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
10499 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
10501 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
10502 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
10506 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
10509 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
10510 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
10512 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
10513 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
10514 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
10518 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
10521 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
10524 Here's the method for a public spool:
10528 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
10529 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
10535 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
10536 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
10537 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
10538 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
10539 should probably look something like this:
10543 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
10544 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
10545 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
10546 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
10549 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
10550 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
10551 configuration to the example above:
10554 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
10557 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
10558 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
10559 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
10563 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
10564 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
10565 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
10566 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
10569 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
10570 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
10571 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
10572 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
10575 @node Creating a Virtual Server
10576 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
10578 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
10579 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
10581 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
10582 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
10583 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
10585 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
10587 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
10588 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
10589 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
10590 will contain the following:
10600 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
10601 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
10602 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
10605 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
10606 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
10607 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
10610 @node Server Variables
10611 @subsection Server Variables
10613 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
10614 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
10615 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
10616 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
10617 won't change the "derived" variables.
10619 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
10620 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
10621 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
10622 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
10623 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
10624 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
10625 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
10626 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
10627 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
10631 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
10632 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
10633 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
10637 @node Servers and Methods
10638 @subsection Servers and Methods
10640 Wherever you would normally use a select method
10641 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
10642 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
10643 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
10647 @node Unavailable Servers
10648 @subsection Unavailable Servers
10650 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
10651 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
10652 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
10653 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
10654 actually the case or not.
10656 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
10657 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
10658 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
10659 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
10660 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
10661 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
10662 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
10663 it will regard that server as ``down''.
10665 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
10666 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
10668 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
10669 with the following commands:
10675 @findex gnus-server-open-server
10676 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
10677 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
10681 @findex gnus-server-close-server
10682 Close the connection (if any) to the server
10683 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
10687 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
10688 Mark the current server as unreachable
10689 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
10692 @kindex M-o (Server)
10693 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
10694 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
10695 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
10698 @kindex M-c (Server)
10699 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
10700 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
10701 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
10705 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
10706 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
10707 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
10713 @section Getting News
10714 @cindex reading news
10715 @cindex news backends
10717 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
10718 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
10719 or it can read from a local spool.
10722 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
10723 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
10728 @subsection @sc{nntp}
10731 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
10732 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
10733 server as the, uhm, address.
10735 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
10736 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
10737 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
10738 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10740 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
10741 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
10742 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
10744 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
10749 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
10750 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
10751 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
10753 @cindex authentification
10754 @cindex nntp authentification
10755 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10756 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
10757 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
10758 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
10759 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
10760 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
10761 present in this hook.
10763 @item nntp-authinfo-function
10764 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
10765 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10766 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
10767 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
10768 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
10769 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
10770 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
10771 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
10772 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
10773 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
10774 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
10778 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
10781 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
10783 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
10784 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
10785 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
10786 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
10787 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
10788 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
10789 @samp{force} is explained below.
10793 Here's an example file:
10796 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
10797 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
10800 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
10801 have to be first, for instance.
10803 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
10804 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
10805 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
10806 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
10807 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
10808 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
10809 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
10811 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
10812 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
10818 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
10819 previously mentioned.
10821 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
10823 @item nntp-server-action-alist
10824 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
10825 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
10826 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
10827 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
10830 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
10831 '(("innd" (ding))))
10834 You probably don't want to do that, though.
10836 The default value is
10839 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
10840 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
10841 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
10844 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
10845 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
10847 @item nntp-maximum-request
10848 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
10849 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
10850 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
10851 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
10852 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
10853 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
10854 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
10856 @item nntp-connection-timeout
10857 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
10858 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
10859 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
10860 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
10861 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
10862 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
10863 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
10864 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
10865 no timeouts are done.
10867 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
10868 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
10869 @c @cindex PPP connections
10870 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
10871 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
10872 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
10873 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
10874 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
10875 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
10876 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
10877 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
10878 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
10879 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
10881 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
10882 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
10883 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
10884 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
10885 @c described above.
10887 @item nntp-server-hook
10888 @vindex nntp-server-hook
10889 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
10892 @item nntp-buggy-select
10893 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
10894 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
10896 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
10897 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
10898 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
10899 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
10902 @item nntp-xover-commands
10903 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
10906 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
10907 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
10911 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
10912 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
10913 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
10914 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
10915 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
10916 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
10917 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
10918 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
10919 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
10920 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
10921 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
10923 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
10924 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
10925 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
10927 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10928 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10929 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
10930 server closes connection.
10932 @item nntp-record-commands
10933 @vindex nntp-record-commands
10934 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
10935 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
10936 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
10937 that doesn't seem to work.
10939 @item nntp-open-connection-function
10940 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
10941 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
10942 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
10943 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
10944 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
10945 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
10946 indirect ones (two pre-made).
10948 @item nntp-list-options
10949 @vindex nntp-list-options
10950 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
10951 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
10952 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
10953 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
10954 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
10958 (setq gnus-select-method
10959 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
10960 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
10963 @item nntp-options-subscribe
10964 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
10965 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
10966 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
10967 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
10968 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
10969 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
10972 (setq gnus-select-method
10973 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
10974 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
10977 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
10978 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
10979 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
10980 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
10981 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
10982 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
10983 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
10986 (setq gnus-select-method
10987 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
10988 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
10993 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
10994 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
10995 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
10999 @node Direct Functions
11000 @subsubsection Direct Functions
11001 @cindex direct connection functions
11003 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
11004 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
11005 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
11006 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11009 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
11010 @item nntp-open-network-stream
11011 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
11014 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
11015 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
11016 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
11017 you must have SSLay installed
11018 (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
11019 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
11020 define a server as follows:
11023 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
11025 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
11027 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
11028 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
11029 (nntp-port-number "snews")
11030 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
11033 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
11034 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
11035 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
11036 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
11037 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
11038 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
11039 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
11040 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
11044 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11045 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
11046 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
11049 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
11050 session, which is not a good idea.
11054 @node Indirect Functions
11055 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
11056 @cindex indirect connection functions
11058 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
11059 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
11060 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
11061 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
11062 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
11063 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11066 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11067 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11068 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
11069 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
11070 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
11072 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11075 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
11076 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
11077 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
11078 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
11081 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11082 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11083 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
11084 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
11086 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11089 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
11090 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
11091 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
11094 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
11095 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
11096 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
11097 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
11099 @item nntp-via-user-password
11100 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
11101 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
11103 @item nntp-via-envuser
11104 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
11105 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
11106 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
11107 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
11109 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
11110 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
11111 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
11112 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
11119 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
11124 @item nntp-via-user-name
11125 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
11126 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
11128 @item nntp-via-address
11129 @vindex nntp-via-address
11130 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
11135 @node Common Variables
11136 @subsubsection Common Variables
11138 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
11139 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
11144 @item nntp-pre-command
11145 @vindex nntp-pre-command
11146 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
11147 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
11148 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
11149 wrapper for instance.
11152 @vindex nntp-address
11153 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
11155 @item nntp-port-number
11156 @vindex nntp-port-number
11157 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
11159 @item nntp-end-of-line
11160 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
11161 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
11162 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
11163 using a non native connection function.
11165 @item nntp-telnet-command
11166 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
11167 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
11168 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
11169 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
11171 @item nntp-telnet-switches
11172 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
11173 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
11180 @subsection News Spool
11184 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
11185 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
11186 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
11189 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
11190 anything else) as the address.
11192 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
11193 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
11194 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
11195 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
11199 @item nnspool-inews-program
11200 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
11201 Program used to post an article.
11203 @item nnspool-inews-switches
11204 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
11205 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
11207 @item nnspool-spool-directory
11208 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
11209 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
11210 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
11212 @item nnspool-nov-directory
11213 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
11214 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
11215 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
11217 @item nnspool-lib-dir
11218 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
11219 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
11221 @item nnspool-active-file
11222 @vindex nnspool-active-file
11223 The path to the active file.
11225 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
11226 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
11227 The path to the group descriptions file.
11229 @item nnspool-history-file
11230 @vindex nnspool-history-file
11231 The path to the news history file.
11233 @item nnspool-active-times-file
11234 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
11235 The path to the active date file.
11237 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
11238 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
11239 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
11242 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11243 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11245 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
11246 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
11247 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
11253 @section Getting Mail
11254 @cindex reading mail
11257 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
11261 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
11262 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
11263 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
11264 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
11265 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
11266 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
11267 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
11268 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
11269 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
11270 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
11271 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
11272 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
11273 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
11277 @node Mail in a Newsreader
11278 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
11280 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
11281 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
11282 of a culture shock.
11284 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
11285 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
11287 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
11288 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
11289 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
11290 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
11292 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
11294 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
11295 deleted? How awful!
11297 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
11298 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
11299 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
11300 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
11303 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
11304 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
11305 they want to treat a message.
11307 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
11308 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
11309 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
11310 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
11311 archived somewhere else.
11313 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
11314 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
11315 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
11316 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
11317 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
11319 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
11320 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
11321 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
11323 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
11324 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
11327 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
11328 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
11329 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
11330 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
11331 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
11333 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
11334 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
11335 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
11336 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
11337 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
11338 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
11342 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
11343 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
11345 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
11346 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
11347 and things will happen automatically.
11349 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
11350 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
11353 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
11354 '((nnml "private")))
11357 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
11358 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
11359 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
11360 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
11361 like any other group.
11363 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
11366 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11367 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11368 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11372 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
11373 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
11374 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
11377 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
11378 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
11379 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
11382 @node Splitting Mail
11383 @subsection Splitting Mail
11384 @cindex splitting mail
11385 @cindex mail splitting
11387 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
11388 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
11389 to be split into groups.
11392 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11393 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11394 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11395 ("mail.other" "")))
11398 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
11399 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
11400 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
11401 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
11402 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
11403 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
11404 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
11407 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
11410 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
11411 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
11412 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
11413 mail belongs in that group.
11415 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
11416 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
11417 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
11418 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
11419 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
11420 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
11422 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
11423 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
11424 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
11425 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
11426 thinks should carry this mail message.
11428 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
11429 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
11430 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
11431 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
11433 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
11434 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
11435 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
11436 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
11437 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
11439 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
11442 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
11443 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
11444 links. If that's the case for you, set
11445 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
11446 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
11448 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
11449 @kindex nnmail-split-history
11450 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
11451 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
11452 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
11453 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
11456 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
11457 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
11458 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
11459 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
11460 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
11461 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
11462 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
11463 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
11464 month's rent money.
11468 @subsection Mail Sources
11470 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
11471 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
11475 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
11476 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
11477 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
11481 @node Mail Source Specifiers
11482 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
11484 @cindex mail server
11487 @cindex mail source
11489 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
11490 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
11495 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
11498 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
11499 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
11500 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
11503 The following mail source types are available:
11507 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
11513 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
11514 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
11517 An example file mail source:
11520 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
11523 Or using the default path:
11529 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
11530 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
11531 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
11534 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
11538 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
11541 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
11545 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
11548 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
11550 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
11553 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
11557 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
11558 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. Setting
11559 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus to
11560 scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you want
11561 to scan mail groups at a specified level.
11567 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
11571 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
11575 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
11576 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
11577 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
11578 predicate are considered.
11582 Script run before/after fetching mail.
11586 An example directory mail source:
11589 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
11594 Get mail from a POP server.
11600 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
11601 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11604 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
11605 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
11606 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
11607 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
11608 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
11611 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
11615 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
11619 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
11620 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
11623 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
11626 The valid format specifier characters are:
11630 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
11631 included in this string.
11634 The name of the server.
11637 The port number of the server.
11640 The user name to use.
11643 The password to use.
11646 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11647 corresponding keywords.
11650 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11651 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11654 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11655 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11658 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
11659 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
11662 @item :authentication
11663 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
11664 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
11669 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
11670 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
11672 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
11673 default user name, and default fetcher:
11679 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
11682 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
11683 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11686 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
11689 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
11693 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
11694 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
11695 contains exactly one mail.
11701 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
11702 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
11705 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
11706 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
11708 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
11709 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
11710 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
11713 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
11714 from locking problems).
11718 Two example maildir mail sources:
11721 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
11722 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
11726 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
11731 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
11732 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
11733 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
11734 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
11741 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
11742 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11745 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
11746 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
11749 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
11753 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
11757 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
11758 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
11759 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{ssl} or the default @samp{network}.
11761 @item :authentication
11762 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is one
11763 of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now, this
11764 means @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default
11768 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
11769 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
11770 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
11776 The valid format specifier characters are:
11780 The name of the server.
11783 User name from `imap-default-user'.
11786 The port number of the server.
11789 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11790 corresponding keywords.
11793 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
11794 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
11797 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
11798 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
11799 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
11800 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
11801 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
11802 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
11805 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
11806 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
11807 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
11808 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
11811 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
11812 after finishing the fetch.
11816 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
11819 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
11821 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
11825 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
11826 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
11828 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
11831 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
11832 required for url "4.0pre.46".
11834 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
11840 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
11841 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
11844 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
11848 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
11852 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
11853 folder after finishing the fetch.
11857 An example webmail source:
11860 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
11862 :password "secret")
11867 @item Common Keywords
11868 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
11874 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
11875 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
11879 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
11884 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
11885 useful when you use local mail and news.
11890 @subsubsection Function Interface
11892 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
11893 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
11894 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
11895 consider the following mail-source setting:
11898 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
11899 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
11902 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
11903 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
11904 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
11905 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
11906 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
11908 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
11911 @node Mail Source Customization
11912 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
11914 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
11915 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
11919 @item mail-source-crash-box
11920 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
11921 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
11922 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
11924 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
11925 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
11926 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
11928 @item mail-source-directory
11929 @vindex mail-source-directory
11930 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
11931 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
11932 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
11935 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
11936 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
11937 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
11938 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
11939 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
11940 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
11942 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
11943 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
11944 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
11949 @node Fetching Mail
11950 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
11952 @vindex mail-sources
11953 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
11954 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
11955 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
11956 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
11958 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
11959 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
11962 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
11963 mail server, you'd say something like:
11968 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11969 :password "secret")))
11972 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
11976 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
11977 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11980 :password "secret")))
11984 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
11985 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
11986 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
11987 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
11988 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
11989 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
11993 @node Mail Backend Variables
11994 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
11996 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
12000 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12001 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12002 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
12003 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
12005 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
12006 @item nnmail-split-hook
12007 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
12008 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
12009 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
12010 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
12011 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
12012 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
12013 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
12014 in the buffer will show up in any files.
12015 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
12018 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12019 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12020 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12021 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12022 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
12023 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
12024 starting to handle the new mail) and
12025 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
12026 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
12027 default file modes the new mail files get:
12030 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12031 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
12033 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
12034 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
12037 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
12038 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
12039 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
12040 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
12041 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
12042 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
12043 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
12045 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
12046 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
12047 @findex delete-file
12048 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
12050 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12051 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12052 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
12053 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
12054 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
12059 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
12060 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
12061 @cindex mail splitting
12062 @cindex fancy mail splitting
12064 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
12065 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
12066 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
12067 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
12068 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
12069 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
12071 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
12074 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
12075 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
12076 ;; from real errors.
12077 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
12079 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
12080 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
12081 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
12082 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
12083 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
12084 ;; Other mailing lists...
12085 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
12086 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
12087 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
12088 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
12089 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
12090 ;; message was really cross-posted.
12091 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
12092 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
12094 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
12095 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
12099 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
12100 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
12101 the five possible split syntaxes:
12106 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
12107 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
12111 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
12112 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
12113 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
12114 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
12115 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
12116 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
12117 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
12118 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
12121 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12122 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
12123 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
12124 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
12127 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12128 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
12131 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
12132 this message. Use with extreme caution.
12135 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
12136 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
12137 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
12138 function should return a @var{split}.
12141 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
12142 body of the messages:
12145 (defun split-on-body ()
12147 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
12148 (goto-char (point-min))
12149 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
12153 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
12154 when the @code{:} function is run.
12157 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12158 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
12159 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
12163 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
12167 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
12168 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
12169 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
12170 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
12171 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
12173 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
12174 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
12175 are expanded as specified by the variable
12176 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
12177 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
12180 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
12181 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
12182 when all this splitting is performed.
12184 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
12185 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
12186 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
12189 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
12192 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
12193 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
12195 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
12196 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
12197 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
12198 groupings 1 through 9.
12200 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
12201 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
12202 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
12203 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
12204 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
12205 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
12206 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
12207 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
12208 it once per thread.
12210 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to a
12211 non-nil value. And then you can include
12212 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon feature, like so:
12214 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12215 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
12216 ;; other splits go here
12220 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
12221 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
12222 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
12223 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
12224 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
12225 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
12226 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
12227 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
12228 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
12229 unless the group name matches the regexp
12230 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
12231 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
12232 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
12233 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
12234 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12235 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
12236 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
12237 messages goes into the new group.
12240 @node Group Mail Splitting
12241 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
12242 @cindex mail splitting
12243 @cindex group mail splitting
12245 @findex gnus-group-split
12246 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
12247 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
12248 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
12249 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
12250 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
12251 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
12252 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
12253 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
12255 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
12256 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
12257 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
12258 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
12260 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
12261 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
12262 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
12263 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
12264 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
12265 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
12266 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
12268 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
12269 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
12270 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
12271 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
12272 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
12273 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
12274 @code{gnus-group-split}.
12276 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
12277 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
12278 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
12279 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
12280 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
12281 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
12282 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
12283 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
12284 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
12285 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
12286 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
12287 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
12288 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
12290 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
12295 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
12296 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
12298 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
12299 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
12300 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
12301 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
12303 ((split-spec . catch-all))
12306 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
12307 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
12308 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
12311 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
12312 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
12313 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
12317 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
12318 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
12319 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
12323 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
12326 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
12327 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
12328 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
12329 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
12330 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
12331 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
12332 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
12333 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
12334 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
12336 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
12337 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
12338 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
12339 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
12340 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
12341 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
12342 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
12343 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
12344 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
12346 @findex gnus-group-split-update
12347 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
12348 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
12349 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
12350 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
12351 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
12354 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
12357 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
12358 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
12359 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
12360 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
12361 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
12364 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
12365 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
12366 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
12367 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
12369 @node Incorporating Old Mail
12370 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
12371 @cindex incorporating old mail
12372 @cindex import old mail
12374 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
12375 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
12376 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
12379 Doing so can be quite easy.
12381 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
12382 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
12383 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
12384 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
12385 your @code{nnml} groups.
12391 Go to the group buffer.
12394 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
12395 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12398 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
12401 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
12402 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
12405 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
12406 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
12409 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
12410 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
12411 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
12412 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
12413 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
12415 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
12416 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
12417 using the new mail backend.
12420 @node Expiring Mail
12421 @subsection Expiring Mail
12422 @cindex article expiry
12424 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
12425 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
12426 different approach to mail reading.
12428 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
12429 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
12430 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
12431 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
12432 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
12433 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
12436 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
12437 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
12438 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
12439 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
12440 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
12441 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
12442 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
12443 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
12445 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12446 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
12447 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
12448 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
12449 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
12450 column in the summary buffer.
12452 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
12453 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
12454 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
12455 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
12458 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
12460 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
12461 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
12462 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
12465 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
12466 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
12467 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
12468 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
12469 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
12471 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
12472 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
12475 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12476 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
12479 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
12480 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
12482 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
12483 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
12484 don't really mix very well.
12486 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
12487 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
12488 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
12489 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
12492 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
12493 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
12494 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
12495 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
12498 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12500 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12502 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
12504 ((string= group "mail.junk")
12506 ((string= group "important")
12512 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
12513 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
12515 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
12516 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
12517 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
12520 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
12521 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
12523 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
12524 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
12525 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
12526 other groups instead of deleting them. The variable @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
12527 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
12528 variable supplies a default value for all groups, which can be
12529 overridden for specific groups by the group parameter.
12530 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
12531 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
12532 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
12533 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
12534 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
12537 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
12539 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
12543 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
12544 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
12545 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
12546 easier for procmail users.
12548 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
12549 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
12550 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
12551 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
12552 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
12553 caution. Even more dangerous is the
12554 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
12555 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
12556 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
12557 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
12558 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
12559 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
12560 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
12563 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
12565 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
12566 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
12567 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
12568 auto-expire turned on.
12572 @subsection Washing Mail
12573 @cindex mail washing
12574 @cindex list server brain damage
12575 @cindex incoming mail treatment
12577 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
12578 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
12579 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
12580 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
12581 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
12582 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
12584 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
12585 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
12586 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
12589 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
12590 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
12591 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
12592 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
12595 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12596 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12597 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
12598 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
12599 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
12602 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12603 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12604 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
12605 Emacs running on MS machines.
12609 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12610 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12611 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
12612 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
12615 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12616 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12617 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
12618 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
12620 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12621 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12622 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
12623 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
12624 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
12625 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
12626 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
12629 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
12630 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
12633 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
12634 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
12637 This can also be done non-destructively with
12638 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
12640 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
12641 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
12642 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
12644 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12645 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12647 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
12648 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
12649 @code{References} headers.
12653 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12654 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12655 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
12659 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
12660 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
12661 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
12668 @subsection Duplicates
12670 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
12671 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
12672 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
12673 @cindex duplicate mails
12674 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
12675 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
12676 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
12677 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
12678 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
12679 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
12680 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
12681 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
12682 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
12683 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
12684 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
12685 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
12686 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
12688 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
12689 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
12690 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
12691 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
12693 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
12696 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
12697 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
12701 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12702 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
12703 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
12704 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
12705 (any mail "mail.misc")
12712 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12713 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
12718 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
12719 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
12720 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
12721 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
12722 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
12725 @node Not Reading Mail
12726 @subsection Not Reading Mail
12728 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
12729 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
12730 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
12732 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
12733 @code{nil}, none of the backends will ever attempt to read incoming
12734 mail, which should help.
12736 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12737 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12738 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12739 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12740 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12741 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
12742 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
12743 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
12744 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
12745 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
12746 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
12748 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
12749 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
12753 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
12754 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
12756 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
12757 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
12758 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
12760 There are five different mail backends in the standard Gnus, and more
12761 backends are available separately. The mail backend most people use
12762 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
12763 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
12766 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
12767 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
12768 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
12769 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
12770 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
12771 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
12775 @node Unix Mail Box
12776 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
12778 @cindex unix mail box
12780 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12781 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12782 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
12783 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
12784 which group it belongs in.
12786 Virtual server settings:
12789 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
12790 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12791 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
12794 @item nnmbox-active-file
12795 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12796 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
12797 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
12799 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
12800 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12801 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
12802 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
12807 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
12811 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12812 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12813 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
12814 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
12815 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
12817 Virtual server settings:
12820 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
12821 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12822 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
12824 @item nnbabyl-active-file
12825 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12826 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
12827 @file{~/.rmail-active}
12829 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12830 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12831 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
12837 @subsubsection Mail Spool
12839 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
12841 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
12842 format. It should be used with some caution.
12844 @vindex nnml-directory
12845 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
12846 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
12847 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
12848 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
12850 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
12853 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
12854 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
12855 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
12856 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
12857 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
12858 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
12859 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
12860 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
12862 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
12863 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
12864 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
12865 backend when it comes to reading mail.
12867 Virtual server settings:
12870 @item nnml-directory
12871 @vindex nnml-directory
12872 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
12873 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
12876 @item nnml-active-file
12877 @vindex nnml-active-file
12878 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
12879 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
12881 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
12882 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
12883 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
12884 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
12886 @item nnml-get-new-mail
12887 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12888 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
12891 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
12892 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
12893 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
12894 default is @code{nil}
12896 @item nnml-nov-file-name
12897 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
12898 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
12900 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12901 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12902 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
12906 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
12907 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
12908 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
12909 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
12910 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
12911 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
12912 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
12917 @subsubsection MH Spool
12919 @cindex mh-e mail spool
12921 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
12922 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
12923 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
12924 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
12926 Virtual server settings:
12929 @item nnmh-directory
12930 @vindex nnmh-directory
12931 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
12932 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
12935 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
12936 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12937 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
12941 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
12942 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
12943 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
12944 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
12945 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
12946 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
12947 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
12952 @subsubsection Mail Folders
12954 @cindex mbox folders
12955 @cindex mail folders
12957 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
12958 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
12959 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
12962 Virtual server settings:
12965 @item nnfolder-directory
12966 @vindex nnfolder-directory
12967 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
12968 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
12971 @item nnfolder-active-file
12972 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
12973 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
12975 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12976 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12977 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
12978 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
12980 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
12981 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12982 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
12985 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12986 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12987 @cindex backup files
12988 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
12989 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
12990 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
12991 your @file{.emacs} file:
12994 (defun turn-off-backup ()
12995 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
12997 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
13000 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13001 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13002 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
13003 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
13004 extract some information from it before removing it.
13006 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13007 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13008 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13009 default is @code{nil}.
13014 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
13015 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
13016 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
13017 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
13018 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
13019 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
13022 @node Comparing Mail Backends
13023 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Backends
13025 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{backend} is the common word for a
13026 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
13027 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
13028 and so selection of a suitable backend is required in order to get that
13029 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
13031 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
13032 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
13033 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
13034 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
13035 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
13036 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
13037 @code{nnspool} backends, to select between these methods, if one happens
13038 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
13041 The goal in selecting a mail backend is to pick one which
13042 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
13043 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
13044 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
13049 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
13050 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
13051 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
13052 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
13053 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
13054 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
13055 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
13056 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
13057 this backend, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
13058 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
13059 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
13060 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
13061 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
13066 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
13067 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
13068 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
13069 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
13070 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
13071 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
13072 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
13073 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
13074 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
13075 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
13076 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
13077 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
13078 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
13079 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
13081 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
13082 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
13087 @code{nnml} is the backend which smells the most as though you were
13088 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
13089 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
13090 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
13091 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
13092 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
13093 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
13094 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
13095 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
13096 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
13097 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
13098 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
13099 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
13100 provided by the active file and overviews.
13102 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
13103 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
13104 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
13105 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
13106 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
13109 It is also problematic using this backend if you are living in a
13110 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
13115 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
13116 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
13117 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
13118 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
13119 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
13120 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
13121 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
13125 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
13126 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
13127 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
13128 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
13129 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
13130 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
13131 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
13132 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
13133 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
13135 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
13136 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
13137 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
13138 friendly mail backend all over.
13143 @node Browsing the Web
13144 @section Browsing the Web
13146 @cindex browsing the web
13150 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
13151 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
13152 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
13153 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
13154 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
13155 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
13156 even know what a news group is.
13158 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
13159 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
13160 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
13161 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
13162 you mad in the end.
13164 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
13167 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of backends for providing
13168 interfaces to these sources.
13171 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
13172 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
13173 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
13174 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
13175 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
13176 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
13179 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
13181 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
13182 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
13183 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus backend
13184 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these backends,
13185 though, you should be ok.
13187 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
13188 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
13189 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
13190 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
13191 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
13195 @subsection Web Searches
13199 @cindex InReference
13200 @cindex Usenet searches
13201 @cindex searching the Usenet
13203 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
13204 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
13205 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
13206 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
13207 searches without having to use a browser.
13209 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
13210 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
13211 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
13212 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
13213 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
13215 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
13216 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
13217 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
13218 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
13219 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
13220 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
13221 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
13222 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
13223 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
13224 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
13227 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
13228 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
13229 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
13230 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
13231 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
13232 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
13234 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
13235 to use @code{nnweb}.
13237 Virtual server variables:
13242 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
13243 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
13247 @vindex nnweb-search
13248 The search string to feed to the search engine.
13250 @item nnweb-max-hits
13251 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
13252 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
13255 @item nnweb-type-definition
13256 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
13257 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
13258 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
13263 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
13267 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
13270 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
13273 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
13277 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
13284 @subsection Slashdot
13288 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
13289 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
13290 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
13292 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
13293 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
13296 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
13297 '((nnslashdot "")))
13300 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} backend for new comments
13301 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
13302 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
13303 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
13304 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
13307 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
13308 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13310 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
13311 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
13312 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
13313 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
13314 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
13315 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
13318 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
13321 @item nnslashdot-threaded
13322 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
13323 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
13324 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
13325 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
13326 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
13327 but much, much slower than untreaded.
13329 @item nnslashdot-login-name
13330 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
13331 The login name to use when posting.
13333 @item nnslashdot-password
13334 @vindex nnslashdot-password
13335 The password to use when posting.
13337 @item nnslashdot-directory
13338 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
13339 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
13340 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
13342 @item nnslashdot-active-url
13343 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
13344 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
13345 news articles and comments. The default is
13346 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
13348 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
13349 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
13350 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
13352 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
13354 @item nnslashdot-article-url
13355 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
13356 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
13358 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
13360 @item nnslashdot-threshold
13361 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
13362 The score threshold. The default is -1.
13364 @item nnslashdot-group-number
13365 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
13366 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
13367 updated. The default is 0.
13374 @subsection Ultimate
13376 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
13378 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
13379 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
13380 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
13381 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
13383 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
13384 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
13385 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
13386 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
13387 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
13388 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
13389 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
13391 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
13394 @item nnultimate-directory
13395 @vindex nnultimate-directory
13396 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
13397 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
13402 @subsection Web Archive
13404 @cindex Web Archive
13406 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
13407 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
13408 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
13409 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13412 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
13413 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
13414 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
13415 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
13416 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
13417 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
13418 backend by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
13420 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
13423 @item nnwarchive-directory
13424 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
13425 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
13426 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
13428 @item nnwarchive-login
13429 @vindex nnwarchive-login
13430 The account name on the web server.
13432 @item nnwarchive-passwd
13433 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
13434 The password for your account on the web server.
13442 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
13443 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
13444 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13447 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
13448 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
13451 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
13454 @item nnrss-directory
13455 @vindex nnrss-directory
13456 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
13457 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
13461 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
13462 the summary buffer.
13465 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
13466 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
13468 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
13470 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
13471 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
13474 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
13477 (require 'browse-url)
13479 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
13481 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
13484 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
13485 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
13487 (browse-url (cdr url))
13488 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
13490 (eval-after-load "gnus"
13491 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
13492 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
13493 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
13496 @node Customizing w3
13497 @subsection Customizing w3
13503 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
13504 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
13505 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
13507 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
13508 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
13509 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
13512 (eval-after-load "w3"
13514 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
13515 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
13516 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
13517 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
13519 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
13522 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
13523 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
13527 @node Other Sources
13528 @section Other Sources
13530 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
13531 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
13535 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
13536 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
13537 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
13538 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
13539 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
13540 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
13544 @node Directory Groups
13545 @subsection Directory Groups
13547 @cindex directory groups
13549 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
13550 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
13553 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
13554 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
13555 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
13556 backend to read directories. Big deal.
13558 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
13559 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
13560 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
13561 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
13562 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
13564 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
13566 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
13567 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
13568 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
13569 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
13572 @node Anything Groups
13573 @subsection Anything Groups
13576 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
13577 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
13578 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
13581 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
13582 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
13583 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
13584 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
13585 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
13586 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
13587 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
13588 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
13589 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
13590 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
13593 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
13594 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
13595 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
13596 in the article buffer, just as usual.
13598 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
13599 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
13600 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
13601 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
13603 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
13604 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
13605 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
13606 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
13607 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
13608 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
13609 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
13610 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
13615 @item nneething-map-file-directory
13616 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
13617 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
13618 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
13620 @item nneething-exclude-files
13621 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
13622 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
13623 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
13625 @item nneething-include-files
13626 @vindex nneething-include-files
13627 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
13628 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
13630 @item nneething-map-file
13631 @vindex nneething-map-file
13632 Name of the map files.
13636 @node Document Groups
13637 @subsection Document Groups
13639 @cindex documentation group
13642 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
13643 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
13650 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
13655 The standard Unix mbox file.
13657 @cindex MMDF mail box
13659 The MMDF mail box format.
13662 Several news articles appended into a file.
13665 @cindex rnews batch files
13666 The rnews batch transport format.
13667 @cindex forwarded messages
13670 Forwarded articles.
13673 Netscape mail boxes.
13676 MIME multipart messages.
13678 @item standard-digest
13679 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
13682 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
13685 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
13686 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
13687 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
13690 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
13691 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
13692 group. And that's it.
13694 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
13695 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
13696 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
13697 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
13698 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
13699 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
13700 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
13701 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
13702 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
13703 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
13705 Virtual server variables:
13708 @item nndoc-article-type
13709 @vindex nndoc-article-type
13710 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
13711 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
13712 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
13713 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
13715 @item nndoc-post-type
13716 @vindex nndoc-post-type
13717 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
13718 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
13723 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
13727 @node Document Server Internals
13728 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
13730 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
13731 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
13732 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
13733 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
13735 First, here's an example document type definition:
13739 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
13740 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
13743 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
13744 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
13745 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
13746 types can be defined with very few settings:
13749 @item first-article
13750 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
13751 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
13754 @item article-begin
13755 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
13756 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
13758 @item head-begin-function
13759 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
13762 @item nndoc-head-begin
13763 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
13766 @item nndoc-head-end
13767 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
13768 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
13770 @item body-begin-function
13771 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
13775 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
13778 @item body-end-function
13779 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
13783 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
13786 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
13787 regexp will be totally ignored.
13791 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
13792 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
13793 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
13794 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
13795 something that's palatable for Gnus:
13798 @item prepare-body-function
13799 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
13800 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
13801 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
13803 @item article-transform-function
13804 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
13805 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
13806 body of the article.
13808 @item generate-head-function
13809 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
13810 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
13811 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
13812 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
13816 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
13821 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13822 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13823 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
13824 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
13825 (head-end . "^ ?$")
13826 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
13827 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
13828 (subtype digest guess))
13831 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
13832 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
13833 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
13834 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
13835 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
13837 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
13838 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
13839 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
13840 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
13841 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
13842 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
13843 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
13844 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
13845 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
13846 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
13854 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
13855 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
13856 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
13858 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
13859 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
13860 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
13863 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
13864 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
13865 that interested in doing things properly.
13867 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
13868 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
13871 First some terminology:
13876 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
13877 get news and/or mail from.
13880 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
13881 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
13884 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
13888 @item message packets
13889 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
13890 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
13891 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13893 @item response packets
13894 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
13895 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
13896 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13906 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
13907 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
13908 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
13909 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
13912 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
13915 You put the packet in your home directory.
13918 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
13919 the native or secondary server.
13922 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
13923 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
13926 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
13930 You transfer this packet to the server.
13933 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
13936 You then repeat until you die.
13940 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
13941 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
13944 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
13945 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
13946 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
13950 @node SOUP Commands
13951 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
13953 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
13957 @kindex G s b (Group)
13958 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
13959 Pack all unread articles in the current group
13960 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
13961 process/prefix convention.
13964 @kindex G s w (Group)
13965 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
13966 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
13969 @kindex G s s (Group)
13970 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
13971 Send all replies from the replies packet
13972 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
13975 @kindex G s p (Group)
13976 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
13977 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
13980 @kindex G s r (Group)
13981 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
13982 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
13985 @kindex O s (Summary)
13986 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
13987 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
13988 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
13989 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13994 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
13999 @item gnus-soup-directory
14000 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
14001 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
14002 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
14004 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
14005 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
14006 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
14007 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
14009 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
14010 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
14011 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
14012 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
14014 @item gnus-soup-packer
14015 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
14016 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
14017 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
14019 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
14020 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
14021 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
14022 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
14024 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
14025 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
14026 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
14028 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
14029 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
14030 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
14031 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
14037 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
14040 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
14041 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
14042 you can read them at leisure.
14044 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
14048 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
14049 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
14050 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
14051 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
14053 @item nnsoup-directory
14054 @vindex nnsoup-directory
14055 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
14056 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
14058 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
14059 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
14060 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
14061 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
14063 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
14064 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
14065 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
14066 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
14067 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
14069 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
14070 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
14071 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
14072 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
14074 @item nnsoup-active-file
14075 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
14076 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
14077 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
14078 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
14079 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
14081 @item nnsoup-packer
14082 @vindex nnsoup-packer
14083 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
14084 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
14086 @item nnsoup-unpacker
14087 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
14088 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
14089 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
14091 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
14092 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
14093 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
14096 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
14097 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
14098 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
14101 @item nnsoup-always-save
14102 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
14103 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
14109 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
14111 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
14112 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
14113 more for that to happen.
14115 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
14116 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
14117 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
14120 In specific, this is what it does:
14123 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
14124 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
14127 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
14128 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
14129 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
14132 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
14133 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
14134 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
14137 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
14138 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
14139 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
14141 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
14147 @item nngateway-address
14148 @vindex nngateway-address
14149 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
14151 @item nngateway-header-transformation
14152 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
14153 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
14154 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
14155 transformation should be called, and defaults to
14156 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
14157 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
14160 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
14161 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
14162 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
14165 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
14168 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
14171 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
14174 The following pre-defined functions exist:
14176 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
14179 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
14180 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
14181 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
14183 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
14185 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
14186 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
14187 @code{nngateway-address}.
14192 (setq gnus-post-method
14194 "mail2news@@replay.com"
14195 (nngateway-header-transformation
14196 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
14204 So, to use this, simply say something like:
14207 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
14213 @subsection @sc{imap}
14217 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14218 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14219 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14220 specify the network address of the server.
14222 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14223 POP can, it can hence be viewed as POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14224 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14225 protocol. (@sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp} because news
14226 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.)
14228 If you want to use @sc{imap} as POP++, use an imap entry in
14229 mail-sources. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the @sc{imap}
14230 server and store them on the local disk. This is not the usage
14231 described in this section. @xref{Mail Sources}.
14233 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14234 entry in gnus-secondary-select-methods. With this, Gnus will
14235 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14236 usage explained in this section.
14238 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14239 might look something like this:
14242 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14243 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14244 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14246 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14247 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14248 ; a UW server running on localhost
14250 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14251 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14252 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14253 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14254 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14255 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14256 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
14257 (nnimap-stream network))
14258 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
14260 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
14261 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
14262 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
14265 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
14270 @item nnimap-address
14271 @vindex nnimap-address
14273 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
14274 server name if not specified.
14276 @item nnimap-server-port
14277 @vindex nnimap-server-port
14278 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
14280 Note that this should be a integer, example server specification:
14283 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14284 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
14287 @item nnimap-list-pattern
14288 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
14289 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
14290 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
14291 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
14292 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
14293 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
14295 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
14296 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
14297 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14300 Example server specification:
14303 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14304 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14305 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14308 @item nnimap-stream
14309 @vindex nnimap-stream
14310 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14311 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14312 of SSL. (SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can be automatically
14313 detected, but it's not widely deployed yet).
14315 Example server specification:
14318 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14319 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14322 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14326 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Requires the
14327 @samp{imtest} program.
14329 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
14331 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14332 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14335 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the
14336 program @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
14338 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14340 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14343 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14344 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
14345 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
14346 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
14347 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
14348 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
14349 restrictions on IMAP commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
14350 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
14351 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14354 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14355 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14356 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14357 and nnimap support it too - although the most recent versions of
14358 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14359 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14360 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14363 @vindex imap-shell-program
14364 @vindex imap-shell-host
14365 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14366 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14368 @item nnimap-authenticator
14369 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14371 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14372 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14374 Example server specification:
14377 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14378 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14381 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14385 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
14386 external program @code{imtest}.
14388 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
14391 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
14392 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14394 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14396 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14398 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14401 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14403 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14404 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14405 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14406 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14407 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14408 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14411 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14412 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14413 running in circles yet?
14415 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14416 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14419 The possible options are:
14424 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14427 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14428 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14429 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14430 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14432 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14437 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
14438 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
14440 If non-nil, marks dormant articles as ticked (as well), for other IMAP
14441 clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will naturally still (only) be
14442 marked as ticked. This is to make dormant articles stand out, just
14443 like ticked articles, in other IMAP clients. (In other words, Gnus has
14444 two ``Tick'' marks and IMAP has only one.)
14446 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
14447 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
14450 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
14451 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14452 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
14453 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14456 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
14457 as ticked for other users.
14459 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
14461 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
14463 This variable contain the IMAP search command sent to server when
14464 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
14465 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
14466 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
14468 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
14469 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
14470 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
14471 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
14473 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14474 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14476 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14477 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14478 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14484 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14485 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14486 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14491 @node Splitting in IMAP
14492 @subsubsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
14493 @cindex splitting imap mail
14495 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14496 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14497 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14498 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14499 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14503 Here are the variables of interest:
14507 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14508 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14510 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14512 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14513 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14515 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14517 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14518 @cindex splitting, inbox
14520 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14522 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14523 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14527 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14528 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14531 No nnmail equivalent.
14533 @item nnimap-split-rule
14534 @cindex Splitting, rules
14535 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14537 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14540 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14541 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14542 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14543 Neither did I, we need examples.
14546 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14548 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14549 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14550 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14553 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14554 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14555 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
14557 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14558 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14562 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14565 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14566 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14567 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14568 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14570 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14571 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14572 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14573 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
14574 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14575 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14577 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14578 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14579 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14581 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14582 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14583 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14585 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
14587 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14588 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14589 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14592 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14593 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14594 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14595 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14596 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14597 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14600 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14601 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14602 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14603 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14604 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14605 group/function elements.
14607 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14609 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14611 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14613 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14614 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14616 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14617 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14618 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14621 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14622 @cindex splitting, fancy
14623 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14624 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14626 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14627 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14628 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14630 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14631 nnimap backends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14632 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14633 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14638 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14639 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14642 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14646 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14647 @subsubsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14648 @cindex editing imap acls
14649 @cindex Access Control Lists
14650 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14652 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14654 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14655 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14656 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14659 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14660 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14661 editing window with detailed instructions.
14663 Some possible uses:
14667 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
14668 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
14669 follow the list without subscribing to it.
14671 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
14672 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
14673 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
14677 @node Expunging mailboxes
14678 @subsubsection Expunging mailboxes
14682 @cindex Manual expunging
14684 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
14686 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
14687 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
14688 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
14690 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
14695 @node Combined Groups
14696 @section Combined Groups
14698 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
14702 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
14703 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
14707 @node Virtual Groups
14708 @subsection Virtual Groups
14710 @cindex virtual groups
14711 @cindex merging groups
14713 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
14716 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
14717 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
14718 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
14720 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
14721 regexp to match component groups.
14723 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
14724 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
14725 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
14726 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
14727 the virtual group.)
14729 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
14730 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
14733 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
14736 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
14737 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
14739 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
14740 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
14741 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
14742 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
14745 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
14748 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
14749 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
14750 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
14752 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
14753 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
14754 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
14755 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
14756 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
14758 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
14759 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
14760 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
14762 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
14763 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
14764 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
14765 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
14766 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
14767 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
14768 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
14769 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
14770 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
14771 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
14772 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
14774 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
14775 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
14776 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
14777 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
14778 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
14779 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
14780 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
14782 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
14783 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
14787 @node Kibozed Groups
14788 @subsection Kibozed Groups
14792 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
14793 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
14794 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
14795 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
14797 @kindex G k (Group)
14798 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
14801 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
14802 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
14803 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
14804 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
14806 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
14807 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
14808 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
14810 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
14811 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
14812 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
14813 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
14814 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
14815 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
14816 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
14817 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
14819 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
14820 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
14821 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
14822 Stranger things have happened.
14824 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
14825 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
14827 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
14828 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
14829 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
14830 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
14831 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
14832 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
14834 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
14835 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
14838 @node Gnus Unplugged
14839 @section Gnus Unplugged
14844 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
14846 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
14847 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
14848 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
14849 read news. Believe it or not.
14851 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
14852 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
14853 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
14854 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
14855 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
14857 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
14858 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
14859 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
14860 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
14861 reading news on a machine.
14863 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
14867 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
14868 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
14872 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
14873 @file{.gnus.el} file:
14880 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
14882 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
14885 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
14886 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
14887 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
14888 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
14889 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
14890 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
14891 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
14892 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
14893 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
14894 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
14899 @subsection Agent Basics
14901 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
14903 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
14904 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
14905 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
14906 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
14908 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
14909 connected to the net continuously.
14911 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
14912 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
14914 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
14919 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
14920 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
14921 already fetched while in this mode.
14924 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
14925 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
14926 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
14927 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
14928 Source Specifiers}).
14931 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
14932 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
14933 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
14934 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
14935 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
14938 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
14939 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
14940 then you read the news offline.
14943 And then you go to step 2.
14946 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
14952 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
14953 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
14954 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
14955 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
14956 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
14957 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
14960 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
14967 @node Agent Categories
14968 @subsection Agent Categories
14970 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
14971 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
14972 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
14973 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
14974 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
14975 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
14976 you're interested in the articles anyway.
14978 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
14979 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
14980 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
14981 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
14982 managing categories.
14985 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
14986 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
14987 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
14991 @node Category Syntax
14992 @subsubsection Category Syntax
14994 A category consists of two things.
14998 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
14999 are eligible for downloading; and
15002 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
15003 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
15004 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
15007 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
15008 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
15009 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
15010 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
15012 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
15013 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
15014 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
15016 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
15017 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
15018 operators sprinkled in between.
15020 Perhaps some examples are in order.
15022 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
15023 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
15029 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
15030 short (for some value of ``short'').
15032 Here's a more complex predicate:
15041 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
15042 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
15045 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
15046 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
15047 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
15049 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
15050 you want to do, you can write your own.
15054 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
15055 lines; default 100.
15058 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
15059 lines; default 200.
15062 True iff the article has a download score less than
15063 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
15066 True iff the article has a download score greater than
15067 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
15070 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
15071 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
15072 checksum and sees whether articles match.
15081 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
15082 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
15083 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
15086 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
15087 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
15088 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
15089 something along the lines of the following:
15092 (defun my-article-old-p ()
15093 "Say whether an article is old."
15094 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
15095 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
15098 with the predicate then defined as:
15101 (not my-article-old-p)
15104 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
15105 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
15106 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
15107 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
15110 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
15111 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
15112 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
15115 and simply specify your predicate as:
15121 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
15122 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
15123 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
15124 just don't give a damn.
15126 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
15127 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
15128 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
15129 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
15130 parameters like so:
15133 (agent-predicate . short)
15136 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
15137 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
15138 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
15140 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
15143 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
15146 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
15147 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
15148 predicate is assumed to be a list.
15151 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
15152 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
15153 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
15154 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
15155 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
15156 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
15158 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
15159 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
15160 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
15161 if it's to be specific to that group.
15163 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
15170 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
15171 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
15177 Category specification
15181 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15187 Group Parameter specification
15190 (agent-score ("from"
15191 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15196 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
15202 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
15209 Category specification
15212 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
15218 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
15222 Group Parameter specification
15225 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
15228 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
15233 Use @code{normal} score files
15235 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
15236 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
15237 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
15238 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
15240 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
15241 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
15242 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
15243 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
15247 Category Specification
15254 Group Parameter specification
15257 (agent-score . file)
15262 @node Category Buffer
15263 @subsubsection Category Buffer
15265 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
15266 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
15267 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
15269 The following commands are available in this buffer:
15273 @kindex q (Category)
15274 @findex gnus-category-exit
15275 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
15278 @kindex k (Category)
15279 @findex gnus-category-kill
15280 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
15283 @kindex c (Category)
15284 @findex gnus-category-copy
15285 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
15288 @kindex a (Category)
15289 @findex gnus-category-add
15290 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
15293 @kindex p (Category)
15294 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
15295 Edit the predicate of the current category
15296 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
15299 @kindex g (Category)
15300 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
15301 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
15302 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
15305 @kindex s (Category)
15306 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
15307 Edit the download score rule of the current category
15308 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
15311 @kindex l (Category)
15312 @findex gnus-category-list
15313 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
15317 @node Category Variables
15318 @subsubsection Category Variables
15321 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
15322 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
15323 Hook run in category buffers.
15325 @item gnus-category-line-format
15326 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
15327 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
15328 Variables}). Valid elements are:
15332 The name of the category.
15335 The number of groups in the category.
15338 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
15339 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
15340 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
15342 @item gnus-agent-short-article
15343 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
15344 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
15346 @item gnus-agent-long-article
15347 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
15348 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
15350 @item gnus-agent-low-score
15351 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
15352 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
15355 @item gnus-agent-high-score
15356 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
15357 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
15363 @node Agent Commands
15364 @subsection Agent Commands
15366 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
15367 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
15368 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
15372 * Group Agent Commands::
15373 * Summary Agent Commands::
15374 * Server Agent Commands::
15377 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
15378 following incantation:
15380 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
15382 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
15387 @node Group Agent Commands
15388 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
15392 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
15393 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
15394 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
15395 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
15398 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
15399 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
15400 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
15403 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
15404 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
15405 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
15406 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
15409 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
15410 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
15411 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
15412 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
15415 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
15416 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
15417 Add the current group to an Agent category
15418 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
15419 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15422 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
15423 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
15424 Remove the current group from its category, if any
15425 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
15426 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15429 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
15430 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15431 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
15437 @node Summary Agent Commands
15438 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
15442 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
15443 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
15444 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
15447 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
15448 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
15449 Remove the downloading mark from the article
15450 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
15453 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
15454 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
15455 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
15458 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
15459 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
15460 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
15465 @node Server Agent Commands
15466 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
15470 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
15471 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
15472 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
15473 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
15476 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
15477 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
15478 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
15479 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
15485 @subsection Agent Expiry
15487 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
15488 @findex gnus-agent-expire
15489 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
15490 @cindex Agent expiry
15491 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
15494 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
15495 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
15496 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
15497 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
15498 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
15499 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
15501 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
15502 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
15503 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
15504 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
15505 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
15508 @node Agent and IMAP
15509 @subsection Agent and IMAP
15511 The Agent work with any Gnus backend, including nnimap. However,
15512 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
15513 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
15514 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
15516 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
15517 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
15518 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
15519 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
15521 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
15522 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
15523 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
15524 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
15525 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
15527 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15528 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
15529 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
15530 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
15531 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
15532 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
15534 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
15535 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
15536 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
15537 in the group buffer by default.
15539 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
15540 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
15545 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
15548 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
15552 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
15553 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
15554 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
15555 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
15556 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
15557 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
15558 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
15559 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
15562 @node Outgoing Messages
15563 @subsection Outgoing Messages
15565 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
15566 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
15567 after posting, and edit them at will.
15569 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
15570 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
15571 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
15572 messages in the draft group.
15576 @node Agent Variables
15577 @subsection Agent Variables
15580 @item gnus-agent-directory
15581 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
15582 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
15583 @file{~/News/agent/}.
15585 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
15586 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
15587 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
15588 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
15589 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
15592 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15593 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15594 Hook run when connecting to the network.
15596 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15597 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15598 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
15603 @node Example Setup
15604 @subsection Example Setup
15606 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
15607 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
15608 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
15611 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
15612 ;;; from your ISP's server.
15613 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
15615 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
15616 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
15617 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
15619 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
15620 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
15622 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
15626 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
15627 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
15630 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
15631 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
15632 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
15633 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
15634 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
15637 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
15638 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
15639 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
15640 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
15641 back all the killed groups.)
15643 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
15644 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
15645 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
15648 @node Batching Agents
15649 @subsection Batching Agents
15651 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
15652 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
15653 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
15657 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
15661 @node Agent Caveats
15662 @subsection Agent Caveats
15664 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
15665 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
15669 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
15674 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
15675 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
15681 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
15682 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
15689 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
15690 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
15691 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
15694 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
15695 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
15696 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
15697 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
15698 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
15700 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
15701 before generating the summary buffer.
15703 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
15704 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
15705 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
15707 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
15708 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
15709 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
15710 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
15713 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
15714 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
15715 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
15716 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
15717 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
15718 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
15719 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
15720 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
15721 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
15722 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
15723 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
15724 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
15725 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
15726 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
15727 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
15728 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
15732 @node Summary Score Commands
15733 @section Summary Score Commands
15734 @cindex score commands
15736 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
15737 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
15738 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
15739 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
15740 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
15742 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
15743 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
15744 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
15745 score file the current one.
15747 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
15752 @kindex V s (Summary)
15753 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
15754 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
15757 @kindex V S (Summary)
15758 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
15759 Display the score of the current article
15760 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
15763 @kindex V t (Summary)
15764 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
15765 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
15766 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
15769 @kindex V R (Summary)
15770 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
15771 Run the current summary through the scoring process
15772 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
15773 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
15774 effect you're having.
15777 @kindex V c (Summary)
15778 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
15779 Make a different score file the current
15780 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
15783 @kindex V e (Summary)
15784 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
15785 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
15786 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
15790 @kindex V f (Summary)
15791 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
15792 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
15793 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
15796 @kindex V F (Summary)
15797 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
15798 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
15799 after editing score files.
15802 @kindex V C (Summary)
15803 @findex gnus-score-customize
15804 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
15805 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
15809 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
15814 @kindex V m (Summary)
15815 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
15816 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
15817 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
15820 @kindex V x (Summary)
15821 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
15822 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
15823 expunge all articles below this score
15824 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
15827 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
15828 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
15831 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
15832 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
15836 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
15837 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
15839 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
15840 keys are available:
15844 Score on the author name.
15847 Score on the subject line.
15850 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
15853 Score on the @code{References} line.
15859 Score on the number of lines.
15862 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
15865 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
15866 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
15867 @file{ADAPT} files.)
15876 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
15882 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
15883 what headers you are scoring on.
15895 Substring matching.
15898 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
15927 Greater than number.
15932 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
15933 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
15934 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
15938 Temporary score entry.
15941 Permanent score entry.
15944 Immediately scoring.
15949 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
15950 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
15951 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
15952 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
15954 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
15955 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
15956 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
15957 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
15958 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
15960 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
15961 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
15962 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
15963 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
15964 current score file.
15966 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
15967 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
15968 pretend they are keymaps or not.
15971 @node Group Score Commands
15972 @section Group Score Commands
15973 @cindex group score commands
15975 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
15980 @kindex W f (Group)
15981 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
15982 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
15983 all the time. This command will flush the cache
15984 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
15988 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
15990 @findex gnus-batch-score
15991 @cindex batch scoring
15993 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
15997 @node Score Variables
15998 @section Score Variables
15999 @cindex score variables
16003 @item gnus-use-scoring
16004 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
16005 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
16006 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
16008 @item gnus-kill-killed
16009 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
16010 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
16011 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
16012 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
16013 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
16014 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
16015 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
16017 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
16018 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
16019 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
16020 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
16021 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
16023 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
16024 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
16025 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
16026 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
16028 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16029 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16030 @cindex score cache
16031 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
16032 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
16033 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
16034 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
16035 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
16036 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
16039 @item gnus-save-score
16040 @vindex gnus-save-score
16041 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
16042 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
16043 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
16045 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
16046 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
16047 across group visits.
16049 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16050 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16051 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
16052 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
16053 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
16054 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
16055 manually entered data.
16057 @item gnus-summary-default-score
16058 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
16059 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
16061 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
16062 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
16063 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
16064 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
16065 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
16066 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
16068 @item gnus-score-over-mark
16069 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
16070 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
16071 default. Default is @samp{+}.
16073 @item gnus-score-below-mark
16074 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
16075 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
16076 default. Default is @samp{-}.
16078 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16079 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16080 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
16081 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
16083 Predefined functions available are:
16086 @item gnus-score-find-single
16087 @findex gnus-score-find-single
16088 Only apply the group's own score file.
16090 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
16091 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
16092 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
16093 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
16094 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
16095 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
16096 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
16097 then a regexp match is done.
16099 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
16100 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
16102 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
16103 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
16104 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
16105 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
16107 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16108 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16109 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
16110 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
16111 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
16115 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
16116 functions will be called with the group name as argument, and all the
16117 returned lists of score files will be applied. These functions can also
16118 return lists of score alists directly. In that case, the functions that
16119 return these non-file score alists should probably be placed before the
16120 ``real'' score file functions, to ensure that the last score file
16121 returned is the local score file. Phu.
16123 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
16124 overall score file, you could use the value
16126 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
16127 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
16130 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
16131 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
16132 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
16133 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
16134 are expired. It's 7 by default.
16136 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16137 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16138 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
16139 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
16140 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
16141 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
16142 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
16145 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16146 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16147 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
16149 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
16150 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
16151 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
16152 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
16153 threading---according to the current value of
16154 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
16155 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
16156 simplified in this manner.
16161 @node Score File Format
16162 @section Score File Format
16163 @cindex score file format
16165 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
16166 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
16167 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
16169 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
16173 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
16175 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
16177 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
16179 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
16184 (mark-and-expunge -10)
16188 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
16189 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
16190 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
16191 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
16195 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
16196 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
16198 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
16199 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
16200 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
16202 Six keys are supported by this alist:
16207 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
16208 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
16209 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
16210 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
16211 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
16212 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
16213 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
16214 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
16215 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
16216 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
16217 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
16218 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
16219 to articles that matches these score entries.
16221 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
16222 score entry has one to four elements.
16226 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
16227 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
16231 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
16232 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
16233 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
16234 is successful. If this element is not present, the
16235 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
16236 instead. This is 1000 by default.
16239 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
16240 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
16241 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
16242 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
16243 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
16246 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
16247 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
16248 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
16249 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
16252 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
16253 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
16254 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
16255 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
16256 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
16257 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
16258 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
16259 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
16260 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
16261 instead, if you feel like.
16264 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
16265 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
16267 These predicates are true if
16270 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
16273 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
16274 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
16281 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
16282 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
16283 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
16284 it's not. I think.)
16286 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
16287 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
16288 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
16289 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
16292 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
16293 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
16294 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
16295 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
16296 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
16297 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
16298 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
16302 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
16303 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
16304 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
16305 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
16306 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
16307 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
16308 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
16309 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
16312 @item Head, Body, All
16313 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
16317 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
16318 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
16319 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
16320 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
16321 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
16322 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
16323 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
16327 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
16328 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
16329 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
16330 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
16331 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
16332 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
16333 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
16334 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
16335 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
16336 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
16337 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
16341 @cindex Score File Atoms
16343 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16344 lower than this number will be marked as read.
16347 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16348 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
16350 @item mark-and-expunge
16351 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16352 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
16355 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
16356 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
16357 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
16358 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
16359 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
16362 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
16363 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
16366 @item exclude-files
16367 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
16368 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
16372 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
16373 ignored when handling global score files.
16376 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
16377 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
16378 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
16379 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
16382 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
16383 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
16384 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
16385 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
16387 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
16391 (mark-and-expunge -100)
16394 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
16395 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
16396 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
16397 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
16398 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
16400 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
16401 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
16402 scoring rules exist.
16405 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
16406 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
16407 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
16408 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
16409 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
16410 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
16411 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
16412 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
16413 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
16414 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
16415 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
16419 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
16420 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
16421 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
16422 file for a number of groups.
16425 @cindex local variables
16426 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
16427 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
16428 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
16429 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
16430 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
16434 @node Score File Editing
16435 @section Score File Editing
16437 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
16438 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
16439 with a mode for that.
16441 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
16442 additional commands:
16447 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
16448 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
16449 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
16450 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
16453 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
16454 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
16455 Insert the current date in numerical format
16456 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
16457 you were wondering.
16460 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
16461 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
16462 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
16463 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
16464 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
16469 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
16471 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
16472 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
16474 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
16475 e} to begin editing score files.
16478 @node Adaptive Scoring
16479 @section Adaptive Scoring
16480 @cindex adaptive scoring
16482 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
16483 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
16484 stupidity, to be precise.
16486 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
16487 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
16488 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
16489 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
16490 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
16491 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
16492 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
16493 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
16494 variable to @code{(word line)}.
16496 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16497 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
16498 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
16499 might look something like this:
16502 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16503 '((gnus-unread-mark)
16504 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
16505 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
16506 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
16507 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
16508 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
16509 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
16510 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
16511 (gnus-ancient-mark)
16512 (gnus-low-score-mark)
16513 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
16516 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
16517 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
16518 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
16519 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
16520 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
16521 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
16524 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
16525 will be applied to each article.
16527 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
16528 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
16529 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
16530 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
16532 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
16533 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
16534 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
16535 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
16537 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
16538 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
16539 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
16540 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
16542 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
16543 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
16544 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
16545 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
16546 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
16547 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
16549 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
16550 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
16551 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
16552 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
16553 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
16554 aspirins afterwards.)
16556 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
16557 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
16558 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
16560 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
16561 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
16562 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
16564 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
16565 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
16566 let you use different rules in different groups.
16568 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
16569 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
16570 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
16573 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
16574 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
16575 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
16576 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
16577 the length of the match is less than
16578 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
16579 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
16582 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16583 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
16584 headers. If you adapt on words, the
16585 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
16586 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
16589 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16590 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
16591 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
16592 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
16593 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
16596 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
16597 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
16598 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
16599 score with 30 points.
16601 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
16602 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
16603 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
16604 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
16605 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
16607 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
16608 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
16609 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
16610 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
16611 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
16613 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
16614 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
16615 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
16616 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
16618 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
16619 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
16620 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
16621 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
16623 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
16624 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
16625 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
16626 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
16627 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
16629 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
16630 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
16631 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
16633 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
16634 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
16635 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
16636 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
16639 @node Home Score File
16640 @section Home Score File
16642 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
16643 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
16644 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
16645 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
16647 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
16648 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
16649 could perhaps use the same home score file.
16651 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
16652 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
16657 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
16661 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
16662 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
16666 A list. The elements in this list can be:
16670 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
16671 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
16674 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
16675 the home score file.
16678 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
16681 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
16686 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
16689 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16690 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
16693 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
16694 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
16696 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
16698 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16699 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
16702 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
16703 Other functions include
16706 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
16707 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
16708 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
16709 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
16713 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
16714 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
16715 their own home score files:
16718 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16719 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
16720 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
16721 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
16722 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
16725 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
16726 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
16727 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
16728 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
16729 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
16731 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
16732 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
16733 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
16734 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
16735 precedence over this variable.
16738 @node Followups To Yourself
16739 @section Followups To Yourself
16741 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
16742 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
16743 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
16744 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
16745 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
16746 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
16750 @item gnus-score-followup-article
16751 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
16752 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
16755 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
16756 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
16757 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
16761 @vindex message-sent-hook
16762 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
16763 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
16765 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
16769 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
16770 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
16774 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
16775 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
16778 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
16779 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
16784 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
16788 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
16789 is system-dependent.
16793 @section Scoring Tips
16794 @cindex scoring tips
16800 @cindex scoring crossposts
16801 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
16802 the @code{Xref} header.
16804 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
16807 @item Multiple crossposts
16808 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
16809 more than, say, 3 groups:
16812 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
16816 @item Matching on the body
16817 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
16818 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
16819 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
16820 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
16821 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
16822 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
16823 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
16826 @item Marking as read
16827 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
16828 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
16829 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
16833 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
16835 @item Negated character classes
16836 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
16837 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
16838 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
16842 @node Reverse Scoring
16843 @section Reverse Scoring
16844 @cindex reverse scoring
16846 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
16847 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
16848 like this in your score file:
16852 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
16857 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
16858 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
16861 @node Global Score Files
16862 @section Global Score Files
16863 @cindex global score files
16865 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
16866 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
16867 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
16869 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
16870 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
16871 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
16873 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
16874 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
16875 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
16876 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
16877 files are applicable to which group.
16879 To use the score file
16880 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
16881 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
16885 (setq gnus-global-score-files
16886 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
16887 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
16890 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
16892 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
16893 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
16894 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
16895 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
16897 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
16898 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
16900 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
16901 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
16902 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
16903 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
16904 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
16905 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
16907 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
16913 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
16915 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
16917 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
16919 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
16920 lowered out of existence.
16922 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
16923 articles completely.
16926 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
16927 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
16928 old articles for a long time.
16931 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
16932 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
16933 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
16934 holding our breath yet?
16938 @section Kill Files
16941 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
16942 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
16943 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
16945 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
16946 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
16947 files into score files.
16949 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
16950 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
16951 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
16952 that isn't a very good idea.
16954 Normal kill files look like this:
16957 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16958 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
16962 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
16963 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
16965 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
16966 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
16969 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
16974 @kindex M-k (Summary)
16975 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
16976 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
16979 @kindex M-K (Summary)
16980 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
16981 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
16984 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
16989 @kindex M-k (Group)
16990 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
16991 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
16994 @kindex M-K (Group)
16995 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
16996 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
16999 Kill file variables:
17002 @item gnus-kill-file-name
17003 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
17004 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
17005 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
17006 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
17007 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
17008 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
17010 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17011 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17012 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
17013 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
17016 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
17017 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
17018 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
17019 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
17020 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
17021 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
17022 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
17023 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
17024 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
17026 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17027 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17028 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
17033 @node Converting Kill Files
17034 @section Converting Kill Files
17036 @cindex converting kill files
17038 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
17039 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
17040 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
17043 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
17044 You can fetch it from
17045 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
17047 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
17048 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
17049 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
17057 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
17058 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
17059 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
17061 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
17062 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
17063 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
17064 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
17065 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
17066 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
17067 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
17068 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
17072 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
17073 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
17074 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
17075 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
17079 @node Using GroupLens
17080 @subsection Using GroupLens
17082 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
17084 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
17085 better bit in town at the moment.
17087 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
17091 @item gnus-use-grouplens
17092 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
17093 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
17094 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
17096 @item grouplens-pseudonym
17097 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
17098 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
17099 with the Better Bit Bureau.
17101 @item grouplens-newsgroups
17102 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
17103 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
17107 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
17108 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
17109 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
17110 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
17111 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
17112 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
17115 @node Rating Articles
17116 @subsection Rating Articles
17118 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
17119 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
17120 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
17121 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
17124 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
17129 @kindex r (GroupLens)
17130 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
17131 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
17134 @kindex k (GroupLens)
17135 @findex grouplens-score-thread
17136 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
17137 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
17138 threads in rec.humor.
17142 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
17143 the score of the article you're reading.
17148 @kindex n (GroupLens)
17149 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
17150 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
17153 @kindex , (GroupLens)
17154 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
17155 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
17159 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
17160 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
17163 @node Displaying Predictions
17164 @subsection Displaying Predictions
17166 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
17167 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
17168 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
17169 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
17170 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
17172 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
17173 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
17174 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
17175 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
17176 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
17177 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
17178 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
17179 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
17180 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
17181 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
17182 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
17183 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
17184 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
17186 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
17187 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
17188 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
17189 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
17191 The following are valid values for that variable.
17194 @item prediction-spot
17195 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
17198 @item confidence-interval
17199 A numeric confidence interval.
17201 @item prediction-bar
17202 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
17204 @item confidence-bar
17205 Numerical confidence.
17207 @item confidence-spot
17208 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
17210 @item prediction-num
17211 Plain-old numeric value.
17213 @item confidence-plus-minus
17214 Prediction +/- confidence.
17219 @node GroupLens Variables
17220 @subsection GroupLens Variables
17224 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
17225 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
17226 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
17227 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
17230 @item grouplens-bbb-host
17231 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
17234 @item grouplens-bbb-port
17235 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
17237 @item grouplens-score-offset
17238 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
17239 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
17242 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
17243 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
17244 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
17249 @node Advanced Scoring
17250 @section Advanced Scoring
17252 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
17253 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
17254 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
17255 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
17256 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
17258 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
17262 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
17263 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
17264 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
17268 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
17269 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
17271 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
17272 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
17273 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
17274 non-@code{nil} value.
17276 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
17277 operator, and various match operators.
17284 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
17285 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
17286 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
17291 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
17292 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
17293 then this operator will return @code{false}.
17298 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
17299 logical negation of the value of its argument.
17303 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
17304 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
17305 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
17306 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
17307 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
17308 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
17309 the ancestry you want to go.
17311 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
17312 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
17313 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
17314 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
17315 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
17318 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
17319 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
17321 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
17322 when he's talking about Gnus:
17326 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17327 ("subject" "Gnus"))
17333 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
17337 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17344 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
17345 really don't want to read what he's written:
17349 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17350 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
17354 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
17355 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
17356 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
17363 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
17364 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
17365 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
17366 ("body" "white.*socks"))
17370 The possibilities are endless.
17373 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
17374 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
17376 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
17377 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
17378 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
17379 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
17380 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
17381 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
17382 @samp{subject}) first.
17384 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
17385 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
17396 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
17397 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
17403 ("subject" "Gnus")))
17410 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
17411 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
17416 @section Score Decays
17417 @cindex score decays
17420 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
17421 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
17422 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
17423 use them in any sensible way.
17425 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
17426 @findex gnus-decay-score
17427 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
17428 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
17429 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
17430 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
17431 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
17432 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
17433 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
17434 definition of that function:
17437 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
17439 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
17440 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
17443 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
17445 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
17447 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
17450 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
17451 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
17452 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
17453 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
17457 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
17460 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
17463 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
17467 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
17468 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
17469 the new score, which should be an integer.
17471 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
17472 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
17479 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
17480 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
17481 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
17482 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
17483 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
17484 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
17485 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
17486 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
17487 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
17488 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
17489 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
17490 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
17491 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
17492 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
17493 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
17494 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
17495 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
17496 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
17500 @node Process/Prefix
17501 @section Process/Prefix
17502 @cindex process/prefix convention
17504 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
17505 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
17507 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
17508 command to be performed on.
17512 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
17513 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
17514 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
17515 with the current one.
17517 @vindex transient-mark-mode
17518 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
17519 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
17521 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
17522 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
17525 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
17526 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
17528 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
17531 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
17532 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
17533 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
17534 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
17536 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
17537 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
17538 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
17539 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
17540 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
17541 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
17542 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
17543 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
17545 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
17546 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
17547 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
17548 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
17549 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
17553 @section Interactive
17554 @cindex interaction
17558 @item gnus-novice-user
17559 @vindex gnus-novice-user
17560 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
17561 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
17562 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
17563 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
17566 @item gnus-expert-user
17567 @vindex gnus-expert-user
17568 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
17569 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
17570 matter how strange.
17572 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
17573 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
17574 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
17575 is @code{t} by default.
17577 @item gnus-interactive-exit
17578 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
17579 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
17584 @node Symbolic Prefixes
17585 @section Symbolic Prefixes
17586 @cindex symbolic prefixes
17588 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
17589 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
17590 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
17591 rule of 900 to the current article.
17593 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
17594 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
17595 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
17596 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
17597 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
17598 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
17599 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
17601 @kindex M-i (Summary)
17602 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
17603 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
17604 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
17605 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
17606 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
17607 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
17608 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
17609 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
17611 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
17612 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
17613 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
17615 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
17619 @node Formatting Variables
17620 @section Formatting Variables
17621 @cindex formatting variables
17623 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
17624 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
17625 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
17626 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
17627 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
17630 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
17631 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
17632 lots of percentages everywhere.
17635 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
17636 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
17637 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
17638 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
17639 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
17642 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
17643 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
17644 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
17645 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
17646 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
17647 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
17648 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
17649 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
17651 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
17652 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
17654 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
17655 @findex gnus-update-format
17656 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
17657 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
17658 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
17659 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
17663 @node Formatting Basics
17664 @subsection Formatting Basics
17666 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
17667 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
17668 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
17670 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
17671 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
17672 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
17673 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
17674 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
17677 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
17678 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
17679 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
17680 less than 4 characters wide.
17683 @node Mode Line Formatting
17684 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
17686 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
17687 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
17688 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
17689 with the following two differences:
17694 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
17697 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
17698 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
17699 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
17700 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
17701 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
17702 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
17703 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
17708 @node Advanced Formatting
17709 @subsection Advanced Formatting
17711 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
17712 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
17713 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
17714 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
17716 These are the valid modifiers:
17721 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
17725 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
17730 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
17733 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
17738 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
17741 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
17744 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
17747 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
17751 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
17752 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
17753 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
17754 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
17755 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
17756 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
17757 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
17759 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
17760 last operation, padding.
17762 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
17763 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
17764 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
17765 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
17766 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
17767 the look of your lines.
17768 @xref{Compilation}.
17771 @node User-Defined Specs
17772 @subsection User-Defined Specs
17774 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
17775 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
17776 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
17777 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
17778 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
17779 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
17780 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
17781 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
17782 should protect against that.
17784 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
17785 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
17786 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
17787 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
17791 @node Formatting Fonts
17792 @subsection Formatting Fonts
17794 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
17795 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
17796 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
17797 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
17800 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
17801 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
17802 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
17803 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
17804 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
17805 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
17807 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
17808 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
17809 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
17810 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
17811 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
17812 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
17813 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
17814 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
17816 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
17819 ;; Create three face types.
17820 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
17821 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
17823 ;; We want the article count to be in
17824 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
17825 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
17826 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
17828 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
17829 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
17831 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
17832 (setq gnus-group-line-format
17833 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
17836 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
17837 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
17839 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
17840 mode-line variables.
17843 @node Windows Configuration
17844 @section Windows Configuration
17845 @cindex windows configuration
17847 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
17849 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
17850 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
17851 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
17852 @code{t} by default.
17854 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
17855 glitches. Use at your own peril.
17857 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
17858 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
17859 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
17862 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
17863 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
17864 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
17868 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
17869 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
17870 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
17871 possible names is listed below.
17873 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
17874 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
17877 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
17881 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
17882 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
17883 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
17884 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
17885 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
17886 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
17887 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
17888 size spec per split.
17890 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
17891 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
17892 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
17893 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
17894 present) gets focus.
17896 Here's a more complicated example:
17899 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
17900 (summary 0.25 point)
17901 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
17905 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
17906 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
17907 occupy, not a percentage.
17909 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
17910 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
17911 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
17912 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
17913 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
17916 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
17919 (article (horizontal 1.0
17924 (summary 0.25 point)
17929 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
17930 @code{horizontal} thingie?
17932 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
17933 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
17934 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
17935 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
17936 the screen is to be given to this strip.
17938 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
17939 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
17940 lines from the splits.
17942 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
17946 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
17947 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
17948 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
17949 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
17950 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
17951 size = number | frame-params
17952 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
17955 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
17956 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
17957 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
17958 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
17960 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
17961 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
17962 @cindex window height
17963 @cindex window width
17964 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
17965 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
17966 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
17967 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
17968 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
17969 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
17971 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
17972 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
17973 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
17974 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
17976 @findex gnus-configure-frame
17977 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
17978 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
17979 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
17980 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
17981 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
17982 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
17983 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
17984 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
17985 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
17986 configuration list.
17989 (gnus-configure-frame
17993 (article 0.3 point))
18001 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
18002 @code{frame} split:
18005 (gnus-configure-frame
18008 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
18010 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
18011 (user-position . t)
18012 (left . -1) (top . 1))
18017 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
18018 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
18019 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
18020 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
18021 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
18022 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
18023 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
18024 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
18026 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
18027 be found in its default value.
18029 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
18030 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
18031 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
18035 (message (horizontal 1.0
18036 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
18038 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
18043 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
18044 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
18045 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
18050 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
18051 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
18052 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
18053 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
18054 (name . "Message"))
18055 (message 1.0 point))))
18058 @findex gnus-add-configuration
18059 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
18060 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
18061 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
18062 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
18065 (gnus-add-configuration
18066 '(article (vertical 1.0
18068 (summary .25 point)
18072 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
18073 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
18074 Gnus has been loaded.
18076 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
18077 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
18078 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
18079 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
18080 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
18082 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
18083 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
18084 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
18087 @subsection Example Window Configurations
18091 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
18092 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
18107 (gnus-add-configuration
18110 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18112 (summary 0.16 point)
18115 (gnus-add-configuration
18118 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18119 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
18125 @node Faces and Fonts
18126 @section Faces and Fonts
18131 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
18132 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
18133 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
18138 @section Compilation
18139 @cindex compilation
18140 @cindex byte-compilation
18142 @findex gnus-compile
18144 Remember all those line format specification variables?
18145 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
18146 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
18147 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
18148 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
18149 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
18150 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
18151 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
18154 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
18155 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
18156 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
18157 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
18158 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
18161 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
18162 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
18163 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
18164 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
18165 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
18170 @section Mode Lines
18173 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
18174 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
18175 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
18176 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
18177 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
18178 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
18179 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
18182 @cindex display-time
18184 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
18185 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
18186 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
18187 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
18188 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
18189 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
18190 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
18191 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
18194 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
18196 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
18197 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
18199 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
18200 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
18201 (length display-time-string)))))
18204 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
18205 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
18206 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
18207 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
18208 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
18211 @node Highlighting and Menus
18212 @section Highlighting and Menus
18214 @cindex highlighting
18217 @vindex gnus-visual
18218 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
18219 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
18220 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
18223 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
18224 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
18227 @item group-highlight
18228 Do highlights in the group buffer.
18229 @item summary-highlight
18230 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
18231 @item article-highlight
18232 Do highlights in the article buffer.
18234 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
18236 Create menus in the group buffer.
18238 Create menus in the summary buffers.
18240 Create menus in the article buffer.
18242 Create menus in the browse buffer.
18244 Create menus in the server buffer.
18246 Create menus in the score buffers.
18248 Create menus in all buffers.
18251 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
18252 buffers, you could say something like:
18255 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
18258 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
18261 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
18264 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
18265 in all Gnus buffers.
18267 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
18270 @item gnus-mouse-face
18271 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
18272 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
18273 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
18277 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
18281 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
18282 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
18283 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
18285 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
18286 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
18287 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
18289 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
18290 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
18291 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
18293 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
18294 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
18295 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
18297 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
18298 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
18299 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
18301 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
18302 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
18303 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
18314 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
18315 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
18316 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
18317 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
18318 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
18322 @vindex gnus-carpal
18323 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
18324 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
18325 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
18330 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
18331 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
18332 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
18334 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
18335 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
18336 Face used on buttons.
18338 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
18339 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
18340 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
18342 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
18343 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
18344 Buttons in the group buffer.
18346 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
18347 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
18348 Buttons in the summary buffer.
18350 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
18351 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
18352 Buttons in the server buffer.
18354 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
18355 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
18356 Buttons in the browse buffer.
18359 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
18360 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
18361 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
18369 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
18370 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
18371 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
18372 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
18373 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
18375 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
18376 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
18377 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
18379 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
18380 been idle for thirty minutes:
18383 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
18386 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
18390 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
18393 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
18394 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
18395 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
18397 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
18398 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
18399 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
18400 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
18402 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
18403 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
18404 @var{idle} minutes.
18406 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
18407 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
18410 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
18411 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
18412 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
18414 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
18415 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
18416 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
18417 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
18419 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
18420 your @file{.gnus} file:
18422 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
18424 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
18427 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
18428 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
18429 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
18430 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
18431 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
18432 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
18433 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
18434 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
18435 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
18436 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
18437 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
18439 @findex gnus-demon-init
18440 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
18441 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
18442 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
18443 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
18444 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
18446 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
18447 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
18448 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
18457 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
18458 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
18460 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
18461 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
18462 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
18463 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
18466 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
18467 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
18468 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
18469 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
18471 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
18472 this will make spam disappear.
18474 There are some variables to customize, of course:
18477 @item gnus-use-nocem
18478 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
18479 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
18482 @item gnus-nocem-groups
18483 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
18484 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
18485 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
18486 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
18488 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
18489 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
18490 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
18491 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
18492 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
18493 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
18495 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
18496 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
18498 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
18499 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
18500 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
18501 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
18502 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
18503 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
18504 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
18505 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
18506 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
18507 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
18509 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
18510 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
18513 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
18516 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
18517 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
18520 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
18523 The specs are applied left-to-right.
18526 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
18527 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
18529 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
18530 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
18531 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
18532 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
18534 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
18535 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
18538 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
18540 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
18548 This might be dangerous, though.
18550 @item gnus-nocem-directory
18551 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
18552 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
18553 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
18555 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
18556 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
18557 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
18558 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
18559 might then see old spam.
18561 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
18562 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
18563 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
18564 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
18565 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
18568 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
18569 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
18570 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
18571 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
18575 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
18576 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
18577 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
18578 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
18585 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
18586 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
18587 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
18589 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
18590 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
18591 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
18592 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
18593 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
18594 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
18595 @code{undo} function.
18597 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
18598 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
18599 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
18600 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
18601 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
18602 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
18603 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
18604 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
18605 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
18606 never be totally undoable.
18608 @findex gnus-undo-mode
18609 @vindex gnus-use-undo
18611 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
18612 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
18613 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
18614 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
18619 @section Moderation
18622 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
18623 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
18624 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
18627 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
18631 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
18634 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18636 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
18641 You split your incoming mail by matching on
18642 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
18643 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
18646 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
18647 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
18650 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
18651 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
18655 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
18658 (setq gnus-moderated-list
18659 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
18663 @node XEmacs Enhancements
18664 @section XEmacs Enhancements
18667 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
18671 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
18672 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
18673 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
18674 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
18687 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
18688 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
18689 over your shoulder as you read news.
18692 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
18693 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
18694 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
18695 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
18696 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
18701 @subsubsection Picon Basics
18703 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
18712 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
18713 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
18714 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
18715 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
18716 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
18717 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
18718 @code{GIF} formats.
18721 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18722 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
18723 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
18724 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
18725 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
18727 @vindex gnus-picons-database
18728 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
18729 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
18730 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
18731 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
18732 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
18735 @node Picon Requirements
18736 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
18738 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
18739 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
18742 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
18743 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
18744 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
18746 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18747 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
18748 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
18749 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
18750 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
18754 @subsubsection Easy Picons
18756 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
18757 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
18760 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
18761 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
18764 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
18765 containing the Picons databases.
18767 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
18770 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18771 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
18776 @subsubsection Hard Picons
18784 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
18785 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
18786 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
18787 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
18788 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
18793 @item gnus-picons-database
18794 @vindex gnus-picons-database
18795 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
18796 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
18797 subdirectories. This is only useful if
18798 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
18799 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
18801 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18802 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18803 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
18804 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
18805 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
18806 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
18807 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
18809 @item gnus-picons-display-where
18810 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
18811 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
18812 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
18813 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
18814 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
18815 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
18816 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
18818 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
18819 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
18820 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
18825 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
18826 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
18828 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
18829 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
18832 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
18834 @item gnus-article-display-picons
18835 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
18836 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
18837 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
18839 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
18840 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
18841 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
18847 @node Picon Useless Configuration
18848 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
18856 The following variables offer further control over how things are
18857 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
18858 don't need to worry about.
18862 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
18863 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
18864 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
18865 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
18867 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
18868 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
18869 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
18870 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
18872 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
18873 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
18874 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
18875 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
18876 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
18878 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18879 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18880 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
18881 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
18882 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
18883 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
18884 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
18886 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
18887 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
18888 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
18889 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
18891 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
18892 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
18893 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
18894 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
18895 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
18896 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
18897 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
18899 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
18900 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
18901 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
18902 Defaults to @code{nil}.
18904 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
18905 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
18906 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
18907 Defaults to @code{t}.
18909 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
18910 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
18911 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
18912 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
18914 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
18915 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
18916 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
18918 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
18919 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
18920 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
18921 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
18923 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
18924 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
18926 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
18927 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
18928 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
18929 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
18930 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
18931 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
18932 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
18933 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
18944 @subsection Smileys
18949 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
18954 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
18955 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
18957 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
18958 @file{.gnus.el} file:
18961 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
18964 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
18965 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
18966 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
18967 text and maps that to file names.
18969 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
18970 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
18971 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
18972 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
18973 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
18974 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
18976 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
18977 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
18979 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
18980 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
18981 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
18983 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
18984 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
18988 @item smiley-data-directory
18989 @vindex smiley-data-directory
18990 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
18992 @item smiley-flesh-color
18993 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
18994 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
18996 @item smiley-features-color
18997 @vindex smiley-features-color
18998 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19000 @item smiley-tongue-color
19001 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
19002 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
19004 @item smiley-circle-color
19005 @vindex smiley-circle-color
19006 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19008 @item smiley-mouse-face
19009 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
19010 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
19016 @subsection Toolbar
19026 @item gnus-use-toolbar
19027 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
19028 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
19029 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
19030 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
19032 @item gnus-group-toolbar
19033 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
19034 The toolbar in the group buffer.
19036 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
19037 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
19038 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
19040 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19041 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19042 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
19048 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
19051 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19052 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19053 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
19054 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
19055 unusual directory structure.
19057 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19058 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19059 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
19060 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
19062 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19063 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19064 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
19065 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
19066 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
19067 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
19069 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19070 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19071 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
19085 @node Fuzzy Matching
19086 @section Fuzzy Matching
19087 @cindex fuzzy matching
19089 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
19090 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
19092 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
19093 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
19094 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
19096 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
19097 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
19098 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
19099 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
19100 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
19103 @node Thwarting Email Spam
19104 @section Thwarting Email Spam
19108 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
19110 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
19111 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
19112 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
19113 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
19114 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
19115 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
19116 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
19117 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
19120 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
19121 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
19122 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
19123 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
19124 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
19125 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
19129 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
19130 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
19132 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
19133 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
19134 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
19135 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
19136 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
19137 part of the mail address.)
19140 (setq message-default-news-headers
19141 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
19144 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
19145 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
19150 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
19151 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
19152 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
19158 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
19159 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
19160 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
19161 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
19163 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
19164 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
19165 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
19166 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
19167 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
19168 your fancy split rule in this way:
19173 (to "larsi" "misc")
19177 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
19178 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
19179 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
19180 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
19181 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
19183 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
19184 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
19185 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
19186 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
19187 cosmic balance somewhat.
19189 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
19190 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
19191 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
19192 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
19195 @node Various Various
19196 @section Various Various
19202 @item gnus-home-directory
19203 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
19204 defaults to @file{~/}.
19206 @item gnus-directory
19207 @vindex gnus-directory
19208 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
19209 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
19210 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
19212 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
19213 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
19214 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
19215 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
19217 @item gnus-default-directory
19218 @vindex gnus-default-directory
19219 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
19220 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
19221 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
19222 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
19223 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
19224 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
19227 @vindex gnus-verbose
19228 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
19229 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
19230 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
19231 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
19232 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
19234 @item gnus-verbose-backends
19235 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
19236 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
19237 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
19239 @item nnheader-max-head-length
19240 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
19241 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
19242 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
19243 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
19244 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
19245 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
19246 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
19247 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
19248 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
19250 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
19251 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
19252 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
19253 read when doing the operation described above.
19255 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19256 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19258 @cindex invalid characters in file names
19259 @cindex characters in file names
19260 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
19261 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
19262 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
19265 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19269 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
19270 Windows (phooey) systems.
19272 @item gnus-hidden-properties
19273 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
19274 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
19275 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
19276 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
19278 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
19279 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
19280 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
19281 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
19282 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
19284 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
19285 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
19286 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
19288 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
19289 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
19291 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
19292 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
19293 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
19294 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
19297 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
19306 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
19307 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
19309 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
19311 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
19317 Not because of victories @*
19320 but for the common sunshine,@*
19322 the largess of the spring.
19326 but for the day's work done@*
19327 as well as I was able;@*
19328 not for a seat upon the dais@*
19329 but at the common table.@*
19334 @chapter Appendices
19337 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
19338 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
19339 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
19340 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
19341 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
19342 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
19343 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
19344 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
19352 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
19353 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
19355 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
19356 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
19357 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
19358 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
19359 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
19361 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
19362 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
19363 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
19364 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
19365 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
19366 appropriate name, don't you think?)
19368 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
19369 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
19370 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
19371 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
19374 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
19375 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
19376 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
19377 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
19378 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
19379 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
19380 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
19381 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
19382 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
19386 @node Gnus Versions
19387 @subsection Gnus Versions
19388 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
19390 @cindex September Gnus
19391 @cindex Quassia Gnus
19393 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
19394 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
19395 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
19397 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
19398 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
19400 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
19401 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
19403 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
19404 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
19406 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
19407 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
19410 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
19412 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
19413 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
19414 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
19415 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
19416 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
19417 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
19420 @node Other Gnus Versions
19421 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
19424 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
19425 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
19426 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
19427 @sc{mime} capabilities.
19429 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
19430 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
19431 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
19432 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
19439 What's the point of Gnus?
19441 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
19442 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
19443 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
19444 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
19445 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
19446 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
19447 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
19448 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
19449 keep track of millions of people who post?
19451 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
19452 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
19453 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
19454 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
19455 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
19456 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
19457 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
19458 every one of you to explore and invent.
19460 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
19461 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
19464 @node Compatibility
19465 @subsection Compatibility
19467 @cindex compatibility
19468 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
19469 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
19470 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
19475 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
19479 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
19482 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
19485 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
19486 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
19487 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
19488 important variables have their values copied into their global
19489 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
19490 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
19492 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
19493 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
19494 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
19495 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
19496 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
19500 @cindex highlighting
19501 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
19502 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
19503 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
19504 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
19505 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
19506 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
19509 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
19510 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
19511 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
19512 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
19514 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
19515 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
19516 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
19517 to stop doing it the old way.
19519 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
19521 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
19523 @cindex reporting bugs
19525 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
19526 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
19527 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
19529 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
19530 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
19531 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
19532 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
19537 @subsection Conformity
19539 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
19540 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
19547 There are no known breaches of this standard.
19551 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
19553 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
19554 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
19555 We do have some breaches to this one.
19561 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
19562 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
19563 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
19564 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
19565 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
19570 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
19571 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
19572 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
19573 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
19577 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
19578 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
19583 @subsection Emacsen
19589 Gnus should work on :
19597 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
19601 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
19602 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
19603 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
19604 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
19605 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
19607 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
19608 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
19609 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
19613 @node Gnus Development
19614 @subsection Gnus Development
19616 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
19617 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
19618 propose changes and new features, post patches and new backends. This
19619 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
19620 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
19621 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
19622 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
19623 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
19625 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
19626 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
19627 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
19628 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
19629 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
19632 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
19633 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
19634 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
19635 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
19636 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
19638 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
19639 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
19640 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
19641 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
19642 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
19643 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
19644 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
19645 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
19646 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
19647 can't be assumed to do so.
19652 @subsection Contributors
19653 @cindex contributors
19655 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
19656 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
19657 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
19658 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
19659 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
19660 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
19661 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
19662 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
19663 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
19664 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
19666 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
19672 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
19675 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
19676 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
19677 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
19678 functionality and stuff.
19681 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
19682 well as numerous other things).
19685 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
19688 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
19691 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
19694 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
19695 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
19698 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
19701 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
19702 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
19705 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
19708 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
19711 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
19714 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
19717 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
19718 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
19721 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
19724 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
19727 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
19730 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
19734 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
19737 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
19740 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
19743 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
19744 well as autoconf support.
19748 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
19749 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
19751 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
19760 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
19764 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
19774 Alexei V. Barantsev,
19789 Massimo Campostrini,
19794 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
19795 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
19799 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
19802 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
19808 Michael Welsh Duggan,
19813 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
19817 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
19825 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
19827 Michelangelo Grigni,
19831 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
19833 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
19835 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
19842 François Felix Ingrand,
19843 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
19844 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
19846 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
19857 Peter Skov Knudsen,
19858 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
19860 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
19861 Thor Kristoffersen,
19864 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
19882 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
19883 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
19890 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
19895 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
19899 John McClary Prevost,
19905 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
19910 Christian von Roques,
19913 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
19920 Philippe Schnoebelen,
19922 Randal L. Schwartz,
19936 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
19941 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
19957 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
19962 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
19963 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
19964 (550kB and counting).
19966 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
19969 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
19970 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
19974 @subsection New Features
19975 @cindex new features
19978 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
19979 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
19980 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
19981 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
19982 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
19985 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
19986 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
19987 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
19990 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
19992 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
19997 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
19998 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
20001 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
20002 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
20005 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
20008 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
20009 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
20010 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
20013 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
20014 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
20015 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
20016 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
20019 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
20020 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20023 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
20024 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
20025 (@pxref{The Active File}).
20028 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
20029 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
20032 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
20033 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
20034 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
20037 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
20038 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
20039 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
20042 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
20043 the @file{.emacs} file.
20046 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
20047 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
20050 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
20051 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
20054 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
20055 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20058 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
20059 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
20062 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
20063 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
20066 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
20069 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
20070 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
20073 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
20074 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
20077 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
20078 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
20081 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
20084 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
20085 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
20088 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
20092 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
20096 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
20097 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
20100 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
20106 @node September Gnus
20107 @subsubsection September Gnus
20111 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
20115 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
20120 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
20121 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
20125 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
20126 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
20130 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
20134 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
20135 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
20138 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
20142 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20145 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
20148 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
20151 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
20155 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
20156 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
20159 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
20163 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
20167 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
20171 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
20175 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
20178 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
20179 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
20182 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
20186 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
20187 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
20190 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
20193 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
20194 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
20195 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
20198 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
20202 The Gnus cache is much faster.
20205 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
20209 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
20210 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
20213 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
20214 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
20217 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
20218 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
20221 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
20222 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
20223 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
20226 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
20227 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
20230 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
20233 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
20236 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
20239 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
20242 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
20243 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
20246 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
20250 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
20253 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
20258 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
20261 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
20265 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20268 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
20272 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
20275 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
20278 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
20279 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
20282 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
20283 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
20287 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
20288 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
20291 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
20295 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
20296 buffer to allow easier treatment.
20299 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
20302 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
20306 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
20310 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
20311 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
20314 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
20318 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
20319 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
20322 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
20323 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
20326 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
20330 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
20333 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
20336 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
20342 @subsubsection Red Gnus
20344 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
20348 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
20355 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
20358 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
20359 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
20362 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
20363 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
20367 Article washing status can be displayed in the
20368 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
20371 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
20374 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
20375 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
20378 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
20382 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
20383 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
20387 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
20388 Server Internals}).
20391 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
20395 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
20398 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
20399 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
20402 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
20403 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
20404 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
20407 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
20408 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
20411 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
20412 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
20415 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
20419 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
20420 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
20423 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
20424 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
20427 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
20431 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
20434 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
20438 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
20439 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
20442 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
20443 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
20446 A new command for reading collections of documents
20447 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
20448 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
20451 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
20455 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
20456 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
20459 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
20460 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
20461 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
20464 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
20465 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
20469 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
20473 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
20477 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
20482 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
20486 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
20490 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
20491 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
20494 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
20500 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
20502 New features in Gnus 5.6:
20507 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
20508 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
20509 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
20512 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
20513 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
20514 group, which is created automatically.
20517 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
20521 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
20524 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
20525 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
20528 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
20532 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
20535 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
20536 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
20539 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
20542 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
20543 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
20546 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
20547 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
20550 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
20551 control over simplification.
20554 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
20557 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
20561 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
20564 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
20567 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
20568 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
20569 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
20572 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
20573 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
20576 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
20580 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
20581 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
20584 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
20585 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
20588 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
20592 A history of where mails have been split is available.
20595 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
20598 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
20599 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
20602 A new function for citing in Message has been
20603 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
20606 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
20609 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
20613 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
20614 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
20617 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
20618 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
20621 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
20624 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
20628 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
20629 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
20631 New features in Gnus 5.8:
20635 @item The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
20636 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
20638 If you used procmail like in
20641 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
20642 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
20643 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
20644 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
20647 this now has changed to
20651 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
20655 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
20656 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
20658 @item Gnus is now a MIME-capable reader. This affects many parts of
20659 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
20661 @item Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
20662 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
20664 @item @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
20665 called to position point.
20667 @item The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
20668 summary buffers and NOV files.
20670 @item @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
20671 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
20673 @item The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
20674 subtly different manner.
20676 @item New web-based backends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
20677 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
20678 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
20680 @item Gnus can now read IMAP mail via @code{nnimap}.
20688 @section The Manual
20692 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
20693 either @code{texi2dvi}
20695 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
20696 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
20698 to get what you hold in your hands now.
20700 The following conventions have been used:
20705 This is a @samp{string}
20708 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
20711 This is a @file{file}
20714 This is a @code{symbol}
20718 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
20722 (setq flargnoze "yes")
20725 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
20728 (setq flumphel 'yes)
20731 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
20732 ever get them confused.
20736 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
20737 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
20738 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
20739 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
20740 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
20741 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
20742 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
20748 @node On Writing Manuals
20749 @section On Writing Manuals
20751 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
20752 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
20753 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
20754 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
20755 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
20756 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
20759 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
20760 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
20761 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
20764 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
20765 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
20770 @section Terminology
20772 @cindex terminology
20777 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
20778 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
20779 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
20780 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
20781 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
20785 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
20786 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
20787 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
20788 not posting, and replying is not following up.
20792 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
20796 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
20801 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
20802 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
20803 is all done by the backends.
20807 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
20808 default, way of getting news.
20812 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
20813 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
20818 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
20819 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
20823 A message that has been posted as news.
20826 @cindex mail message
20827 A message that has been mailed.
20831 A mail message or news article
20835 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
20840 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
20845 A line from the head of an article.
20849 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
20850 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
20854 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
20855 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
20856 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
20857 normal @sc{head} format.
20861 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
20862 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
20863 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
20864 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
20865 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
20866 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
20868 @item killed groups
20869 @cindex killed groups
20870 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
20871 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
20873 @item zombie groups
20874 @cindex zombie groups
20875 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
20878 @cindex active file
20879 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
20880 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
20881 is rather large, as you might surmise.
20884 @cindex bogus groups
20885 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
20886 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
20887 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
20890 @cindex activating groups
20891 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
20892 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
20893 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
20897 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
20899 @item select method
20900 @cindex select method
20901 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
20904 @item virtual server
20905 @cindex virtual server
20906 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
20907 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
20908 whole is a virtual server.
20912 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
20913 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
20916 @item ephemeral groups
20917 @cindex ephemeral groups
20918 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
20919 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
20920 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
20923 @cindex solid groups
20924 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
20925 group buffer are solid groups.
20927 @item sparse articles
20928 @cindex sparse articles
20929 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
20930 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
20934 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
20935 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
20939 @cindex thread root
20940 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
20941 articles in the thread.
20945 An article that has responses.
20949 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
20953 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
20954 specified by RFC 1153.
20960 @node Customization
20961 @section Customization
20962 @cindex general customization
20964 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
20965 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
20966 for some quite common situations.
20969 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
20970 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
20971 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
20972 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
20976 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
20977 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
20979 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
20980 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
20981 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
20985 @item gnus-read-active-file
20986 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
20987 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
20988 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
20989 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
20990 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
20992 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
20993 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
20994 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
20995 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
20999 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21000 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21002 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21003 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21004 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21008 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21009 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21010 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21011 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21012 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21014 @item gnus-visible-headers
21015 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21016 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21017 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21018 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21020 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21022 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21023 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21024 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21027 @item gnus-use-full-window
21028 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21029 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21030 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21031 want to read them anyway.
21033 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21034 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21037 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21038 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21039 lines, which might save some time.
21043 @node Little Disk Space
21044 @subsection Little Disk Space
21047 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21048 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21052 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21053 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21054 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21055 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21058 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21059 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21060 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21061 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21064 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21065 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21066 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21067 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21068 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
21074 @subsection Slow Machine
21075 @cindex slow machine
21077 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
21078 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
21080 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21081 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
21083 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
21084 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
21085 summary buffer faster.
21089 @node Troubleshooting
21090 @section Troubleshooting
21091 @cindex troubleshooting
21093 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
21101 Make sure your computer is switched on.
21104 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
21105 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
21109 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
21110 like @samp{T-gnus 6.15.* (based on Oort Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
21111 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you get
21112 something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some old
21113 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
21116 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
21120 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
21121 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
21122 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
21123 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
21124 something like that.
21127 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
21130 @cindex reporting bugs
21132 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21134 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
21135 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
21136 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
21137 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
21139 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
21140 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
21141 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
21142 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
21145 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
21146 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
21147 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
21148 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
21149 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
21150 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
21152 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
21153 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
21154 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
21157 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
21158 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
21160 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
21161 @cindex ding mailing list
21162 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
21163 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
21167 @node Gnus Reference Guide
21168 @section Gnus Reference Guide
21170 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
21171 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
21172 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
21173 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
21176 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
21177 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
21178 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
21179 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
21180 and general methods of operation.
21183 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
21184 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
21185 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
21186 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
21187 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
21188 * Group Info:: The group info format.
21189 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
21190 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
21191 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
21195 @node Gnus Utility Functions
21196 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
21197 @cindex Gnus utility functions
21198 @cindex utility functions
21200 @cindex internal variables
21202 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
21203 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
21204 Below is a list of the most common ones.
21208 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
21209 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
21210 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
21212 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
21213 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
21214 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
21216 @item gnus-group-real-name
21217 @findex gnus-group-real-name
21218 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
21221 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
21222 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
21223 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
21224 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
21226 @item gnus-get-info
21227 @findex gnus-get-info
21228 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
21230 @item gnus-group-unread
21231 @findex gnus-group-unread
21232 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
21236 @findex gnus-active
21237 The active entry for @var{group}.
21239 @item gnus-set-active
21240 @findex gnus-set-active
21241 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
21243 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21244 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21245 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
21248 @item gnus-continuum-version
21249 @findex gnus-continuum-version
21250 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
21251 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
21254 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
21255 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
21256 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
21258 @item gnus-news-group-p
21259 @findex gnus-news-group-p
21260 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
21262 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21263 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21264 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
21266 @item gnus-server-to-method
21267 @findex gnus-server-to-method
21268 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
21270 @item gnus-server-equal
21271 @findex gnus-server-equal
21272 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
21274 @item gnus-group-native-p
21275 @findex gnus-group-native-p
21276 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
21278 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
21279 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
21280 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
21282 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
21283 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
21284 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
21286 @item group-group-find-parameter
21287 @findex group-group-find-parameter
21288 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
21289 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
21291 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
21292 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
21293 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
21295 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
21296 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
21297 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
21299 @item gnus-check-backend-function
21300 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
21301 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
21302 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
21305 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
21309 @item gnus-read-method
21310 @findex gnus-read-method
21311 Prompts the user for a select method.
21316 @node Backend Interface
21317 @subsection Backend Interface
21319 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
21320 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
21321 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
21322 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
21323 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
21324 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
21326 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
21327 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
21328 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
21329 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
21330 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
21331 been opened, the function should fail.
21333 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
21334 name. Take this example:
21338 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
21339 (nntp-port-number 4324))
21342 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
21343 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
21345 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
21346 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
21347 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
21349 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
21350 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
21351 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
21353 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
21354 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
21355 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
21356 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
21357 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
21358 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
21361 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
21362 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
21363 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
21364 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
21367 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
21370 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
21373 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
21374 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
21375 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
21376 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
21377 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
21378 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
21382 @node Required Backend Functions
21383 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
21387 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
21389 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
21390 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
21391 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
21392 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
21394 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
21395 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
21396 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
21397 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
21399 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
21400 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
21401 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
21402 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
21403 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
21404 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
21405 number, do maximum fetches.
21407 Here's an example HEAD:
21410 221 1056 Article retrieved.
21411 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
21412 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
21413 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
21414 Subject: Re: Something very droll
21415 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
21416 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
21418 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
21419 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
21420 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
21424 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
21425 these in the data buffer.
21427 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
21431 head = error / valid-head
21432 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
21433 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
21434 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
21435 header = <text> eol
21438 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
21439 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
21443 nov-buffer = *nov-line
21444 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
21445 field = <text except TAB>
21448 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
21452 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
21454 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
21455 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
21457 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
21458 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
21459 server. In fact, it should do so.
21461 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
21462 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
21465 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
21467 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
21468 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
21471 There should be no data returned.
21474 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
21476 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
21477 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
21478 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
21479 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
21481 There should be no data returned.
21484 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
21486 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
21487 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
21488 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
21489 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
21491 There should be no data returned.
21494 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
21496 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
21498 There should be no data returned.
21501 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
21503 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
21504 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
21505 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
21506 it would be nice if that were possible.
21508 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
21509 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
21510 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
21511 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
21512 into its article buffer.
21514 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
21515 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
21516 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
21517 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
21518 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
21519 on successful article retrieval.
21522 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
21524 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
21525 making @var{group} the current group.
21527 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
21530 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
21533 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
21536 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
21537 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
21538 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
21539 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
21540 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
21541 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
21542 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
21543 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
21546 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
21547 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
21548 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
21552 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
21554 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
21555 a no-op on most backends.
21557 There should be no data returned.
21560 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
21562 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
21565 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
21568 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
21569 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
21572 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
21573 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
21576 active-file = *active-line
21577 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
21579 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
21582 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
21583 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
21584 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
21587 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
21589 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
21590 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
21591 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
21592 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
21593 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
21594 clear if the posting could not be completed.
21596 There should be no result data from this function.
21601 @node Optional Backend Functions
21602 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
21606 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
21608 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
21609 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
21610 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
21612 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
21613 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
21614 former is in the same format as the data from
21615 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
21616 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
21619 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
21623 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
21625 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
21626 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
21627 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
21628 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
21629 should return the (altered) group info.
21631 There should be no result data from this function.
21634 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
21636 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
21637 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
21638 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
21639 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
21640 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
21641 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
21642 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
21643 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
21645 There should be no result data from this function.
21648 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
21650 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
21651 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
21652 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
21653 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
21654 propagate the mark information to the server.
21656 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
21659 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
21662 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
21663 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
21664 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
21665 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
21666 mentioned) marks. MARK is a list of marks; where each mark is a symbol.
21667 Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
21668 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
21669 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
21670 not limit itself to these.
21672 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
21673 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
21674 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
21675 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
21677 An example action list:
21680 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
21681 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
21682 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
21685 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
21686 mark on (currently not used for anything).
21688 There should be no result data from this function.
21690 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
21692 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
21693 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
21694 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
21695 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
21696 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
21698 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
21699 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
21700 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
21703 There should be no result data from this function.
21706 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
21708 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
21709 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
21710 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
21711 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
21712 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
21713 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
21714 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
21716 There should be no result data from this function.
21719 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
21721 The result data from this function should be a description of
21725 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
21727 description = <text>
21730 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
21732 The result data from this function should be the description of all
21733 groups available on the server.
21736 description-buffer = *description-line
21740 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
21742 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
21743 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
21744 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
21747 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
21749 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
21751 There should be no return data.
21754 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
21756 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
21757 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
21758 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
21759 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
21760 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
21763 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
21766 There should be no result data returned.
21769 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
21772 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
21773 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
21775 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
21776 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
21777 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
21778 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
21779 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
21780 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
21782 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
21783 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
21786 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
21787 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
21789 There should be no data returned.
21792 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
21794 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
21795 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
21796 this function in short order.
21798 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
21799 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
21801 There should be no data returned.
21804 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
21806 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
21807 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
21809 There should be no data returned.
21812 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
21814 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
21815 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
21816 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
21818 There should be no data returned.
21821 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
21823 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
21824 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
21826 There should be no data returned.
21831 @node Error Messaging
21832 @subsubsection Error Messaging
21834 @findex nnheader-report
21835 @findex nnheader-get-report
21836 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
21837 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
21838 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
21839 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
21840 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
21841 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
21844 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
21846 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
21849 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
21850 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
21851 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
21852 takes one argument---the server symbol.
21854 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
21855 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
21856 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
21859 @node Writing New Backends
21860 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
21862 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
21863 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
21864 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
21865 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
21866 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
21869 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
21870 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
21871 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
21873 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
21874 package called @code{nnoo}.
21876 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
21877 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
21883 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
21884 parameters. For instance:
21887 (nnoo-declare nndir
21891 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
21892 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
21895 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
21896 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
21897 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
21899 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
21900 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
21901 a function in those backends.
21904 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
21905 "Where nndir will look for groups."
21906 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
21909 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
21910 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
21911 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
21913 @item nnoo-define-basics
21914 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
21918 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
21922 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
21923 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
21924 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
21926 @item nnoo-map-functions
21927 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
21928 functions from the parent backends.
21931 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
21932 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
21933 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
21936 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
21937 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
21938 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
21939 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
21942 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
21943 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
21944 haven't already been defined.
21950 nnmh-request-newgroups)
21954 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
21955 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
21956 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
21961 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
21964 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
21965 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
21969 (require 'nnheader)
21973 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
21975 (nnoo-declare nndir
21978 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
21979 "Where nndir will look for groups."
21980 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
21982 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
21983 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
21986 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
21988 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
21989 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
21990 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
21992 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
21993 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
21995 ;;; Interface functions.
21997 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
21999 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22000 (setq nndir-directory
22001 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22003 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22004 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22005 (push `(nndir-current-group
22006 ,(file-name-nondirectory
22007 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22009 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22010 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22012 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22014 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22015 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22016 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22017 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22018 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22022 nnmh-status-message
22024 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22030 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22031 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22033 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22034 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
22035 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22036 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22038 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
22039 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
22044 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
22047 The abilities can be:
22051 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
22053 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
22055 This backend supports both mail and news.
22057 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
22060 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
22061 articles and groups.
22063 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
22064 true for almost all backends.
22065 @item prompt-address
22066 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
22067 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
22068 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
22072 @node Mail-like Backends
22073 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
22075 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
22076 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
22077 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
22078 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
22081 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
22082 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
22083 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
22086 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
22087 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
22090 This function takes four parameters.
22094 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
22097 @item exit-function
22098 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
22100 @item temp-directory
22101 Where the temporary files should be stored.
22104 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
22105 performed for one group only.
22108 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
22109 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
22110 find the article number assigned to this article.
22112 The function also uses the following variables:
22113 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
22114 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
22115 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
22116 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
22120 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
22121 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
22125 @node Score File Syntax
22126 @subsection Score File Syntax
22128 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
22129 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
22130 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
22132 Here's a typical score file:
22136 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
22143 BNF definition of a score file:
22146 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
22147 element = rule / atom
22148 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
22149 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
22150 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
22151 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
22153 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
22154 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
22155 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
22156 date-header = "date"
22157 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22158 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22159 score = "nil" / <integer>
22160 date = "nil" / <natural number>
22161 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
22162 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
22163 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
22164 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
22165 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22166 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22167 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
22168 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22169 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
22170 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
22171 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
22172 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
22173 exclude-files / read-only / touched
22174 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
22175 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
22176 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
22177 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
22178 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
22179 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
22180 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
22181 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
22182 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
22183 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
22184 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
22185 eval = "eval" space <form>
22186 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
22189 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
22192 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
22193 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
22194 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
22195 one looong line, then that's ok.
22197 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
22198 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22202 @subsection Headers
22204 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
22205 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
22206 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
22207 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
22209 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
22210 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
22211 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
22212 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
22213 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
22214 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
22215 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
22217 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
22218 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
22219 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
22220 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
22221 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
22223 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
22224 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
22230 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
22231 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
22233 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
22234 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
22235 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
22236 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
22238 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
22242 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
22245 is transformed into
22248 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
22251 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
22252 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
22255 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
22258 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
22259 is slightly tricky:
22262 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
22268 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
22271 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
22277 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
22284 and is equal to the previous range.
22286 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
22287 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
22288 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
22292 range = simple-range / normal-range
22293 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
22294 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
22295 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
22296 number *[ " " contents ]
22299 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
22300 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
22301 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
22302 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
22303 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
22308 @subsection Group Info
22310 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
22311 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
22312 describes the group.
22314 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
22315 second is a more complex one:
22318 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
22320 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
22321 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
22323 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
22326 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
22327 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
22328 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
22329 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
22330 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
22331 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
22332 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
22333 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
22334 this section is about.
22336 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
22337 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
22338 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
22340 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
22343 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
22344 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
22345 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22346 group = quote <string> quote
22347 ralevel = rank / level
22348 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22349 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
22350 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22352 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
22353 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
22354 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
22355 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
22358 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
22359 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
22362 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
22363 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
22366 @item gnus-info-group
22367 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
22368 @findex gnus-info-group
22369 @findex gnus-info-set-group
22370 Get/set the group name.
22372 @item gnus-info-rank
22373 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
22374 @findex gnus-info-rank
22375 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
22376 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
22378 @item gnus-info-level
22379 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
22380 @findex gnus-info-level
22381 @findex gnus-info-set-level
22382 Get/set the group level.
22384 @item gnus-info-score
22385 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
22386 @findex gnus-info-score
22387 @findex gnus-info-set-score
22388 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
22390 @item gnus-info-read
22391 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
22392 @findex gnus-info-read
22393 @findex gnus-info-set-read
22394 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
22396 @item gnus-info-marks
22397 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
22398 @findex gnus-info-marks
22399 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
22400 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
22402 @item gnus-info-method
22403 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
22404 @findex gnus-info-method
22405 @findex gnus-info-set-method
22406 Get/set the group select method.
22408 @item gnus-info-params
22409 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
22410 @findex gnus-info-params
22411 @findex gnus-info-set-params
22412 Get/set the group parameters.
22415 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
22416 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
22418 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
22419 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
22420 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
22421 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
22424 @node Extended Interactive
22425 @subsection Extended Interactive
22426 @cindex interactive
22427 @findex gnus-interactive
22429 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
22430 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
22431 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
22434 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
22435 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
22440 The best thing to do would have been to implement
22441 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
22442 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
22443 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
22444 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
22445 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
22446 @code{interactive}.
22448 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
22453 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
22454 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
22458 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
22459 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
22460 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
22463 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
22467 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
22471 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
22477 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
22478 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
22482 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
22483 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
22484 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
22486 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
22487 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
22488 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
22489 Gnus, that's very useful.
22491 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
22492 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
22493 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
22494 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
22495 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
22496 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
22497 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
22498 following function:
22501 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
22505 (,function ,@@args))
22509 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
22510 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
22511 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
22514 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
22515 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
22516 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
22518 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
22519 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
22520 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
22523 @node Various File Formats
22524 @subsection Various File Formats
22527 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
22528 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
22532 @node Active File Format
22533 @subsubsection Active File Format
22535 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
22536 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
22539 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
22542 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
22543 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
22544 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
22545 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
22546 no.general 1000 900 y
22549 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
22552 active = *group-line
22553 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
22554 group = <non-white-space string>
22556 high-number = <non-negative integer>
22557 low-number = <positive integer>
22558 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
22561 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
22562 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
22565 @node Newsgroups File Format
22566 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
22568 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
22569 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
22570 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
22573 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
22574 Here's the definition:
22578 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
22579 group = <non-white-space string>
22581 description = <string>
22586 @node Emacs for Heathens
22587 @section Emacs for Heathens
22589 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
22590 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
22591 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
22592 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
22593 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
22594 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
22595 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
22599 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
22600 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
22605 @subsection Keystrokes
22609 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
22612 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
22615 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
22616 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
22617 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
22618 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
22619 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
22620 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
22622 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
22623 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
22624 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
22625 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
22626 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
22627 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
22628 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
22630 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
22631 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
22632 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
22633 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
22634 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
22635 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
22636 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
22638 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
22639 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
22640 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
22641 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
22642 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
22648 @subsection Emacs Lisp
22650 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
22651 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
22652 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
22653 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
22655 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
22656 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
22657 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
22658 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
22659 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
22660 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
22661 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
22664 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
22665 write the following:
22668 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
22671 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
22672 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
22673 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
22676 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
22677 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
22678 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
22679 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
22680 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
22682 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
22683 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
22684 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
22688 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
22692 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
22695 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
22696 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
22699 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
22702 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
22703 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
22706 @include gnus-faq.texi
22727 % LocalWords: Backend BNF mucho Backends backends detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
22728 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
22729 % LocalWords: nnmbox backend newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
22730 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
22731 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref