1 @c \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
4 @settitle Semi-gnus 6.10.072 Manual
9 @c * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
14 @setchapternewpage odd
18 \documentclass[twoside,a4paper,openright,11pt]{book}
19 \usepackage[latin1]{inputenc}
20 \usepackage{pagestyle}
28 \newcommand{\gnuschaptername}{}
29 \newcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
31 \newcommand{\gnusbackslash}{/}
33 \newcommand{\gnusxref}[1]{See ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
34 \newcommand{\gnuspxref}[1]{see ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
36 \newcommand{\gnuskindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
37 \newcommand{\gnusindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
39 \newcommand{\gnustt}[1]{{\fontfamily{pfu}\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont #1}}
40 \newcommand{\gnuscode}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
41 \newcommand{\gnussamp}[1]{``{\fontencoding{OT1}\fontfamily{pfu}\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont #1}''}
42 \newcommand{\gnuslisp}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
43 \newcommand{\gnuskbd}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
44 \newcommand{\gnusfile}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
45 \newcommand{\gnusdfn}[1]{\textit{#1}}
46 \newcommand{\gnusi}[1]{\textit{#1}}
47 \newcommand{\gnusstrong}[1]{\textbf{#1}}
48 \newcommand{\gnusemph}[1]{\textit{#1}}
49 \newcommand{\gnusvar}[1]{{\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont\textsl{\textsf{#1}}}}
50 \newcommand{\gnussc}[1]{\textsc{#1}}
51 \newcommand{\gnustitle}[1]{{\huge\textbf{#1}}}
52 \newcommand{\gnusauthor}[1]{{\large\textbf{#1}}}
53 \newcommand{\gnusresult}[1]{\gnustt{=> #1}}
55 \newcommand{\gnusbullet}{{${\bullet}$}}
56 \newcommand{\gnusdollar}{\$}
57 \newcommand{\gnusampersand}{\&}
58 \newcommand{\gnuspercent}{\%}
59 \newcommand{\gnushash}{\#}
60 \newcommand{\gnushat}{\symbol{"5E}}
61 \newcommand{\gnusunderline}{\symbol{"5F}}
62 \newcommand{\gnusnot}{$\neg$}
63 \newcommand{\gnustilde}{\symbol{"7E}}
64 \newcommand{\gnusless}{{$<$}}
65 \newcommand{\gnusgreater}{{$>$}}
66 \newcommand{\gnusbraceleft}{{$>$}}
67 \newcommand{\gnusbraceright}{{$>$}}
69 \newcommand{\gnushead}{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-head.eps,height=1cm}}}
70 \newcommand{\gnusinteresting}{
71 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\gnushead]{\gnushead}
74 \newcommand{\gnuscleardoublepage}{\ifodd\count0\mbox{}\clearpage\thispagestyle{empty}\mbox{}\clearpage\else\clearpage\fi}
76 \newcommand{\gnuspagechapter}[1]{
83 \newcommand{\gnuschapter}[2]{
85 \ifdim \gnusdimen = 0pt\setcounter{page}{1}\pagestyle{gnus}\pagenumbering{arabic} \gnusdimen 1pt\fi
87 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
88 \renewcommand{\gnuschaptername}{#2}
91 \begin{picture}(500,500)(0,0)
92 \put(480,350){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{#1}}
93 \put(40,300){\makebox(500,50)[bl]{{\Huge\bf{#2}}}}
98 \newcommand{\gnusfigure}[3]{
100 \mbox{}\ifodd\count0\hspace*{-0.8cm}\else\hspace*{-3cm}\fi\begin{picture}(440,#2)
107 \newcommand{\gnusicon}[1]{
108 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\raisebox{-1.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/#1-up.ps,height=1.5cm}}]{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/#1-up.ps,height=1cm}}}
111 \newcommand{\gnuspicon}[1]{
112 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=2cm}}
115 \newcommand{\gnusxface}[2]{
116 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=1cm}\epsfig{figure=#2,width=1cm}}
119 \newcommand{\gnussmiley}[2]{
120 \margindex{\makebox[2cm]{\hfill\epsfig{figure=#1,width=0.5cm}\hfill\epsfig{figure=#2,width=0.5cm}\hfill}}
123 \newcommand{\gnusitemx}[1]{\mbox{}\vspace*{-\itemsep}\vspace*{-\parsep}\item#1}
125 \newcommand{\gnussection}[1]{
126 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{#1}
130 \newenvironment{codelist}%
135 \newenvironment{kbdlist}%
141 \newenvironment{dfnlist}%
146 \newenvironment{stronglist}%
151 \newenvironment{samplist}%
156 \newenvironment{varlist}%
161 \newenvironment{emphlist}%
166 \newlength\gnusheadtextwidth
167 \setlength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{\headtextwidth}
168 \addtolength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{1cm}
170 \newpagestyle{gnuspreamble}%
175 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\mbox{}}\textbf{\hfill\roman{page}}}
179 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\roman{page}\hfill\mbox{}}}
188 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
190 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
195 \newpagestyle{gnusindex}%
200 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\gnuschaptername\hfill\arabic{page}}}}
204 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}
212 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
214 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
224 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{3.1cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{chapter}.\arabic{section}} \textbf{\gnussectionname\hfill\arabic{page}}}}}
228 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{-2.95cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}}
236 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
238 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
243 \pagenumbering{roman}
244 \pagestyle{gnuspreamble}
254 %\addtolength{\oddsidemargin}{-5cm}
255 %\addtolength{\evensidemargin}{-5cm}
257 \addtolength{\textheight}{2cm}
259 \gnustitle{\gnustitlename}\\
262 \hspace*{0cm}\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=15cm}
265 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
272 \thispagestyle{empty}
274 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
276 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
277 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
278 are preserved on all copies.
280 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
281 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
282 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
283 permission notice identical to this one.
285 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
286 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
295 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
297 Copyright (C) 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
299 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
300 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
301 are preserved on all copies.
304 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
305 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
306 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
307 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
310 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
311 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
312 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
313 permission notice identical to this one.
315 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
316 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
322 @title Semi-gnus 6.10.072 Manual
324 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
327 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
328 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
330 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
331 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
332 are preserved on all copies.
334 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
335 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
336 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
337 permission notice identical to this one.
339 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
340 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
349 @top The gnus Newsreader
353 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
354 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
355 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
358 Semi-gnus provides MIME features based on SEMI API. So Semi-gnus
359 supports your right to read strange messages including big images or
360 other various kinds of formats. Semi-gnus also supports
361 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
362 API. So Semi-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
363 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
365 This manual corresponds to Semi-gnus 6.10.072.
376 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
377 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
379 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
380 being accused of plagiarism:
382 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
383 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
384 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
385 even read news with it!
387 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
388 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
389 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
390 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
391 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
398 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
399 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
400 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
401 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
402 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
403 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
404 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
405 * Various:: General purpose settings.
406 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
407 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
408 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
409 * Key Index:: Key Index.
413 @chapter Starting gnus
418 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
419 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
422 @findex gnus-other-frame
423 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
424 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
425 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
427 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
428 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
429 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
431 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
432 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
435 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
436 * The First Time:: What does gnus do the first time you start it?
437 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
438 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one gnus active at a time.
439 * Fetching a Group:: Starting gnus just to read a group.
440 * New Groups:: What is gnus supposed to do with new groups?
441 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
442 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
443 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
444 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
445 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
449 @node Finding the News
450 @section Finding the News
453 @vindex gnus-select-method
455 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
456 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
457 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
458 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
461 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
462 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
465 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
468 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
471 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
474 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
475 certainly be much faster.
477 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
479 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
480 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
481 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
482 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
483 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
484 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
486 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
487 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
488 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
489 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
491 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
492 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
493 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
494 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
495 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
496 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
497 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
498 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
499 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
502 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
504 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
505 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
506 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
507 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
508 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
509 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
511 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
513 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
514 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
515 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
516 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
517 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
518 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
521 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
522 would typically set this variable to
525 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
530 @section The First Time
531 @cindex first time usage
533 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
534 be subscribed by default.
536 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
537 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
538 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
539 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
542 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
543 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
544 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
546 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
547 help you with most common problems.
549 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
550 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
554 @node The Server is Down
555 @section The Server is Down
556 @cindex server errors
558 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
559 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
560 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
562 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
563 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
564 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
565 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
566 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
567 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
568 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
570 @findex gnus-no-server
571 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
573 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
574 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
575 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
576 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
577 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
578 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
583 @section Slave Gnusae
586 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
587 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
588 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
589 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
591 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
594 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
595 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
596 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
597 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
598 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
599 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
600 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
602 Anyways, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
603 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
604 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
605 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
606 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
607 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
608 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
609 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
611 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
612 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
615 @node Fetching a Group
616 @section Fetching a Group
617 @cindex fetching a group
619 @findex gnus-fetch-group
620 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
621 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
622 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
623 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
624 It takes the group name as a parameter.
632 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
633 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
634 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
635 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
636 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
637 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
638 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
639 @code{always}, then gnus will query the backends for new groups even
640 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
643 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
644 * Subscription Methods:: What gnus should do with new groups.
645 * Filtering New Groups:: Making gnus ignore certain new groups.
649 @node Checking New Groups
650 @subsection Checking New Groups
652 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
653 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
654 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
655 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
656 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
657 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
658 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
659 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
660 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
661 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
663 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
664 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
665 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
666 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
667 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
668 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
669 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
670 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
671 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
672 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
673 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
675 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
676 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
677 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
678 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
679 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
680 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
683 @node Subscription Methods
684 @subsection Subscription Methods
686 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
687 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
688 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
690 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
691 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
693 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
697 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
698 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
699 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
700 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
701 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
703 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
704 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
705 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
706 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
708 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
709 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
710 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
712 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
713 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
714 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
715 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
716 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
717 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
718 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
719 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
720 up. Or something like that.
722 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
723 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
724 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
725 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
726 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
728 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
729 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
734 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
735 A closely related variable is
736 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
737 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
738 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
739 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
742 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
743 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
744 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
745 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
748 @node Filtering New Groups
749 @subsection Filtering New Groups
751 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
752 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
753 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
756 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
759 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
760 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
761 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
762 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
763 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
764 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
765 subscribing these groups.
766 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
767 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
769 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
770 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
771 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
772 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
773 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
774 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
775 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
776 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
778 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
779 Yet another variable that meddles here is
780 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
781 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
782 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
783 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
784 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
785 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
786 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
787 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
789 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
790 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
793 @node Changing Servers
794 @section Changing Servers
795 @cindex changing servers
797 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
798 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
799 very flaky and you want to use another.
801 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
802 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
806 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
807 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
808 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
809 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
812 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
813 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
814 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
815 functions more than absolutely necessary.
817 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
818 @findex gnus-change-server
819 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
820 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
821 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
822 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
823 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
825 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
826 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
827 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
828 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
829 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
831 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
832 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
833 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
834 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
835 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
836 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
838 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
839 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
840 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
844 @section Startup Files
845 @cindex startup files
850 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
851 information is traditionally stored in this file.
853 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{GNUS}. In addition to
854 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
855 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
856 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
857 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{GNUS} would read whichever one of these
858 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
859 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
861 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
862 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
863 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
864 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
865 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
866 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
868 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
869 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
870 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
871 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
872 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
873 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
874 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
875 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
876 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
877 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
879 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
880 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
881 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
882 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
883 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
884 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
885 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
886 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
887 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
888 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
889 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
890 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
892 @vindex gnus-startup-file
893 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
894 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
895 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
897 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
898 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
899 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
900 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
901 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
902 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
903 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
904 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
905 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
906 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
909 (defun turn-off-backup ()
910 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
912 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
913 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
916 @vindex gnus-init-file
917 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
918 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
919 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
920 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
921 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
922 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
923 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
924 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
925 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
934 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
935 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
936 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
937 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
938 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
941 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
942 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
945 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
946 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
947 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
949 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
950 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
951 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
952 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
953 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
954 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
956 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
957 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
958 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
961 @node The Active File
962 @section The Active File
964 @cindex ignored groups
966 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
967 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
968 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
970 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
971 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
972 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
973 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
974 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
975 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
976 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
979 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
980 @c if you set it to anything else.
982 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
984 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
985 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
986 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
988 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
989 you actually subscribe to.
991 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
992 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
993 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
994 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
996 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
997 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
998 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
999 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1000 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1001 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1003 Some news servers (Leafnode and old versions of INN, for instance) do
1004 not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these servers, @code{nil}
1005 is probably the most effficient value for this variable.
1007 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1008 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1009 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1010 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1011 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1012 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1014 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1015 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1017 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1018 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1020 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1021 secondary select methods.
1024 @node Startup Variables
1025 @section Startup Variables
1029 @item gnus-load-hook
1030 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1031 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1032 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1033 times you start gnus.
1035 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1036 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1037 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1039 @item gnus-startup-hook
1040 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1041 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1043 @item gnus-started-hook
1044 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1045 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1048 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1049 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1050 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1051 generating the group buffer.
1053 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1054 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1055 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1056 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1057 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1058 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1059 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1060 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1062 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1063 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1064 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1065 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1066 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1067 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1069 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1070 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1071 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1073 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1074 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1075 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1077 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1078 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1079 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1080 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1085 @node The Group Buffer
1086 @chapter The Group Buffer
1087 @cindex group buffer
1089 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1090 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1091 long as gnus is active.
1095 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1096 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1097 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1098 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1099 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1100 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1101 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1102 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1108 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1109 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1110 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1111 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1112 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1113 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1114 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1115 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1116 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1117 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1118 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1119 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1120 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1121 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1122 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1123 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1124 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1128 @node Group Buffer Format
1129 @section Group Buffer Format
1132 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1133 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1134 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1138 @node Group Line Specification
1139 @subsection Group Line Specification
1140 @cindex group buffer format
1142 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1143 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1145 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1148 25: news.announce.newusers
1149 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1154 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1155 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1156 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1157 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1159 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1160 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1161 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1162 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1163 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1164 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1166 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1168 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1169 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1170 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1171 never examined by gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1174 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1175 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1176 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1178 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1183 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1186 Whether the group is subscribed.
1189 Level of subscribedness.
1192 Number of unread articles.
1195 Number of dormant articles.
1198 Number of ticked articles.
1201 Number of read articles.
1204 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1205 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1208 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1211 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1220 Newsgroup description.
1223 @samp{m} if moderated.
1226 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1235 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1239 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1242 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1243 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1244 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1245 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1246 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.emacs.gnus}.
1249 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1251 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1255 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1259 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1260 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1261 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1262 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1263 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1264 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1269 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1270 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1271 group, or a bogus native group.
1274 @node Group Modeline Specification
1275 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1276 @cindex group modeline
1278 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1279 The mode line can be changed by setting
1280 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1281 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1285 The native news server.
1287 The native select method.
1291 @node Group Highlighting
1292 @subsection Group Highlighting
1293 @cindex highlighting
1294 @cindex group highlighting
1296 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1297 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1298 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1299 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1300 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1302 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1306 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-1
1307 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))))
1308 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-2
1309 '((t (:foreground "SeaGreen" :bold t))))
1310 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-3
1311 '((t (:foreground "SpringGreen" :bold t))))
1312 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-4
1313 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))))
1314 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-5
1315 '((t (:foreground "SkyBlue" :bold t))))
1317 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1318 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1319 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1320 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1321 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1322 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1325 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1327 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1334 The number of unread articles in the group.
1338 Whether the group is a mail group.
1340 The level of the group.
1342 The score of the group.
1344 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1346 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1347 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1349 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1350 topic being inserted.
1353 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1354 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1355 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1357 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1358 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1359 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1360 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1361 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1364 @node Group Maneuvering
1365 @section Group Maneuvering
1366 @cindex group movement
1368 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1369 expected, hopefully.
1375 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1376 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1377 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1383 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1384 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1385 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1389 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1390 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1394 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1395 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1399 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1400 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1401 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1405 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1406 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1407 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1410 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1416 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1417 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1418 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1423 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1424 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1425 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1429 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1430 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1431 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1434 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1435 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1436 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1437 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1441 @node Selecting a Group
1442 @section Selecting a Group
1443 @cindex group selection
1448 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1449 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1450 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1451 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1452 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1453 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1454 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1455 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1456 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1457 negative, gnus fetches the @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1461 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1462 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1463 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1464 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1465 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1469 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1470 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1471 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1472 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1473 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1474 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1475 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1476 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1477 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1478 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1481 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1482 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1483 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1484 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1485 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1488 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1489 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1490 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1491 doing any processing of its contents
1492 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1493 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1494 manner will have no permanent effects.
1498 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1499 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
1500 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1501 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
1502 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1503 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1504 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1505 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1508 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1509 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1510 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1511 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1516 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1517 full summary buffer.
1520 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1523 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
1528 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
1529 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
1530 Useful functions include:
1533 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
1534 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
1535 don't select the article.
1537 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
1538 Select the first unread article.
1540 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
1541 Select the highest-scored unread article.
1545 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1546 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1547 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1551 @node Subscription Commands
1552 @section Subscription Commands
1553 @cindex subscription
1561 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1562 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
1563 Toggle subscription to the current group
1564 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1570 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1571 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1572 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1573 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1579 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1580 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
1581 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1587 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1588 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1591 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1592 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1593 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1594 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1595 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1601 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1602 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1606 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1607 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1610 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1611 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1612 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1613 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1614 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1615 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1616 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1617 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1618 @file{.newsrc} file.
1622 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1632 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1633 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1634 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
1635 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1636 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1637 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
1642 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1643 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1644 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1648 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1649 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1650 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1652 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1653 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1654 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1655 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1656 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1657 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1664 @section Group Levels
1668 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1669 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1670 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1671 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1672 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1674 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1680 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1681 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1682 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1683 prompted for a level.
1686 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1687 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1688 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1689 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1690 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
1691 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1692 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1693 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1694 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1695 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
1696 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
1697 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
1698 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
1699 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
1700 reasons of efficiency.
1702 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1703 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1705 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1706 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1707 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1709 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1710 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1711 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1712 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1713 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1714 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1715 relevant valid ranges.
1717 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1718 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1719 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
1720 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1721 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1722 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1725 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1726 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1727 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1730 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1731 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1732 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1733 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1736 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1737 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1738 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1739 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1741 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1742 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
1743 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
1744 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
1745 to 5. The default is 6.
1749 @section Group Score
1754 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1755 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1756 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1759 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
1760 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
1761 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
1762 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
1763 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
1764 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
1765 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
1766 least significant part.))
1768 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1769 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1770 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1771 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1772 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1773 action after each summary exit, you can add
1774 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1775 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1776 slow things down somewhat.
1779 @node Marking Groups
1780 @section Marking Groups
1781 @cindex marking groups
1783 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1784 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1785 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1786 bidding on those groups.
1788 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1789 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1790 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1798 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1799 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1805 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1806 Remove the mark from the current group
1807 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1811 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1812 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1816 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1817 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1821 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1822 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1826 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1827 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1828 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1831 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1833 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1834 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1835 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1836 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1837 the command to be executed.
1840 @node Foreign Groups
1841 @section Foreign Groups
1842 @cindex foreign groups
1844 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1845 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1846 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1847 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1854 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1855 @cindex making groups
1856 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1857 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1858 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1862 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1863 @cindex renaming groups
1864 Rename the current group to something else
1865 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
1866 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1872 @findex gnus-group-customize
1873 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
1877 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1878 @cindex renaming groups
1879 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1880 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1884 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1885 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1886 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1890 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1891 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1892 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1896 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1898 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1899 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1904 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1905 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1909 @cindex (ding) archive
1910 @cindex archive group
1911 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1912 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1913 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1914 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1915 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1916 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1917 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1921 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1923 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1924 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1925 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1926 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1930 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1932 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
1933 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1934 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1938 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1939 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1941 Make a group based on some file or other
1942 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1943 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1944 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1945 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
1946 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
1947 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
1948 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
1952 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
1953 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
1954 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
1955 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
1959 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1964 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1965 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1966 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1967 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
1968 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1969 @xref{Web Searches}.
1971 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
1972 to a particular group by using a match string like
1973 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
1976 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1977 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1978 This function will delete the current group
1979 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1980 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1981 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1982 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
1983 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
1987 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1988 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1989 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1993 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1994 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1995 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1998 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2001 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2002 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2003 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2004 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2005 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2006 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2010 @node Group Parameters
2011 @section Group Parameters
2012 @cindex group parameters
2014 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2015 Here's an example group parameter list:
2018 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2022 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2023 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2024 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2025 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2027 The following group parameters can be used:
2032 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2035 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2038 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2039 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2040 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2041 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2042 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2044 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2045 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2046 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2047 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2048 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2049 list address instead.
2053 Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
2056 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2059 It is totally ignored
2060 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2061 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2063 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2064 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2065 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2066 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2067 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2069 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2070 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2071 sending the message.
2075 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2076 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2077 of whether it has any unread articles.
2079 @item broken-reply-to
2080 @cindex broken-reply-to
2081 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2082 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2083 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2084 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2085 broken behavior. So there!
2089 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2090 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2094 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2095 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2096 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2101 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2102 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2103 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2104 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2105 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2106 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2107 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2111 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2112 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2113 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2116 @cindex total-expire
2117 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2118 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2119 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2120 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2125 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2126 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2127 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2128 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2129 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2130 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2133 @cindex score file group parameter
2134 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2135 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2136 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2139 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2140 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2141 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2142 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2145 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2146 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2147 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2148 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2151 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2152 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2156 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2159 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2164 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2165 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2166 gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2170 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2171 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2172 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2174 @item @var{(variable form)}
2175 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2176 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2177 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2178 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2179 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2180 @code{eval}ed there.
2182 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2183 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2184 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2185 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2186 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2189 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2190 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2191 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2192 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2193 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2195 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2196 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2197 like this in the group parameters:
2202 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2207 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2208 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2212 @node Listing Groups
2213 @section Listing Groups
2214 @cindex group listing
2216 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2224 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2225 List all groups that have unread articles
2226 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2227 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2228 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2229 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2236 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2237 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2238 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2239 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2240 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2241 unsubscribed groups).
2245 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2246 List all unread groups on a specific level
2247 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2248 with no unread articles.
2252 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2253 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2254 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2255 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2260 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2261 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2265 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2266 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2267 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2271 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2272 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2276 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2277 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2278 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2279 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2280 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2281 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2282 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2283 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2287 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2288 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2289 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2293 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2294 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2295 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2299 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2300 @cindex visible group parameter
2301 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2302 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2303 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2304 get the same effect.
2306 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2307 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2308 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2309 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2310 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2313 @node Sorting Groups
2314 @section Sorting Groups
2315 @cindex sorting groups
2317 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2318 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2319 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2320 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2321 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2322 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2327 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2328 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2329 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2331 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2332 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2333 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2335 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2336 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2337 Sort by group level.
2339 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2340 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2341 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2343 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2344 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2345 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2346 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2348 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2349 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2350 Sort by number of unread articles.
2352 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2353 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2354 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2359 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2360 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2364 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2365 some sorting criteria:
2369 @kindex G S a (Group)
2370 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2371 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2372 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2375 @kindex G S u (Group)
2376 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2377 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2378 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2381 @kindex G S l (Group)
2382 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2383 Sort the group buffer by group level
2384 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2387 @kindex G S v (Group)
2388 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2389 Sort the group buffer by group score
2390 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2393 @kindex G S r (Group)
2394 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2395 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2396 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2399 @kindex G S m (Group)
2400 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2401 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2402 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2406 All the commands below obeys the process/prefix convention
2407 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2409 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2410 commands will sort in reverse order.
2412 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2416 @kindex G P a (Group)
2417 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2418 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2419 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2422 @kindex G P u (Group)
2423 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2424 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2425 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2428 @kindex G P l (Group)
2429 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2430 Sort the groups by group level
2431 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2434 @kindex G P v (Group)
2435 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2436 Sort the groups by group score
2437 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2440 @kindex G P r (Group)
2441 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2442 Sort the groups by group rank
2443 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2446 @kindex G P m (Group)
2447 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2448 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
2449 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2455 @node Group Maintenance
2456 @section Group Maintenance
2457 @cindex bogus groups
2462 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2463 Find bogus groups and delete them
2464 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2468 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2469 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2470 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2471 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
2472 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
2476 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2477 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2478 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2479 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2482 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2483 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2484 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2485 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2490 @node Browse Foreign Server
2491 @section Browse Foreign Server
2492 @cindex foreign servers
2493 @cindex browsing servers
2498 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2499 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2500 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2501 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2504 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2505 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2506 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2507 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2509 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2514 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2515 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2519 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2520 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2523 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2524 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2525 Enter the current group and display the first article
2526 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2529 @kindex RET (Browse)
2530 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2531 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2535 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2536 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2537 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2543 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2544 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2548 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2549 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2550 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2555 @section Exiting gnus
2556 @cindex exiting gnus
2558 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
2563 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2564 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
2565 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2566 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2570 @findex gnus-group-exit
2571 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
2572 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2576 @findex gnus-group-quit
2577 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2578 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2581 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2582 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2583 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
2584 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
2585 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2590 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2591 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2592 trying to customize meta-variables.
2597 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2598 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2599 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2605 @section Group Topics
2608 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2609 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2610 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2611 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2612 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2613 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2617 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
2618 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
2629 2: alt.religion.emacs
2632 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2634 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2635 13: comp.sources.unix
2638 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2640 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2641 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2642 is a toggling command.)
2644 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2645 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2646 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2647 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2650 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2651 the hook for the group mode:
2654 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2658 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2659 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2660 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2661 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2662 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2666 @node Topic Variables
2667 @subsection Topic Variables
2668 @cindex topic variables
2670 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2671 really neat, I think.
2673 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2674 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2675 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2688 Number of groups in the topic.
2690 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2692 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2695 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2696 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2697 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2700 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2701 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2703 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2704 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2705 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2708 @node Topic Commands
2709 @subsection Topic Commands
2710 @cindex topic commands
2712 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2713 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2714 definitions slightly.
2720 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2721 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2722 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2726 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2727 Move the current group to some other topic
2728 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2729 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2733 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
2734 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
2738 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2739 Copy the current group to some other topic
2740 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2741 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2745 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2746 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2747 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
2748 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
2749 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
2750 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
2751 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
2754 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2755 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2759 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2760 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2761 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2765 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2766 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2767 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2771 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
2772 Toggle hiding empty topics
2773 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
2777 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2778 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2779 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2782 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2783 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2784 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2785 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2789 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2791 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2792 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2793 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2794 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2797 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
2798 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
2799 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2800 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
2804 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2806 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2807 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2808 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2809 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2810 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2811 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2814 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
2815 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
2816 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the expiry
2817 process (if any) (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}).
2821 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2822 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2823 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2827 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2828 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2829 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2834 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2835 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2838 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2839 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2840 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2844 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2845 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2846 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2850 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2851 @cindex group parameters
2852 @cindex topic parameters
2854 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2855 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2861 @subsection Topic Sorting
2862 @cindex topic sorting
2864 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2870 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2871 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2872 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2873 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2876 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2877 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2878 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2879 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2882 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2883 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2884 Sort the current topic by group level
2885 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2888 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2889 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2890 Sort the current topic by group score
2891 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2894 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2895 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2896 Sort the current topic by group rank
2897 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2900 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2901 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2902 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2903 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2907 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
2910 @node Topic Topology
2911 @subsection Topic Topology
2912 @cindex topic topology
2915 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2921 2: alt.religion.emacs
2924 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2926 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2927 13: comp.sources.unix
2930 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2931 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2932 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
2937 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2938 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2942 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2943 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2944 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2945 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2946 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2947 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2949 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2950 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2951 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2954 @node Topic Parameters
2955 @subsection Topic Parameters
2956 @cindex topic parameters
2958 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2959 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
2960 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2962 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2963 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2964 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2965 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2971 2: alt.religion.emacs
2975 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2977 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2978 13: comp.sources.unix
2982 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
2983 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
2984 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
2985 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
2986 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
2987 . "religion.SCORE")}.
2989 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2990 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2991 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2992 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
2993 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
2995 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
2996 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
2997 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
2998 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
2999 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3000 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3001 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3002 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3005 @node Misc Group Stuff
3006 @section Misc Group Stuff
3009 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3010 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and gnus.
3011 * Group Timestamp:: Making gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3012 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the gnus files.
3019 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3020 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3021 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
3025 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3026 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3027 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3031 @findex gnus-group-mail
3032 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3036 Variables for the group buffer:
3040 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3041 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3042 is called after the group buffer has been
3045 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3046 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3047 is called after the group buffer is
3048 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3051 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3052 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3053 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3054 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3056 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3057 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3058 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3059 whether they are empty or not.
3064 @node Scanning New Messages
3065 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3066 @cindex new messages
3067 @cindex scanning new news
3073 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3074 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3075 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3076 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3077 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3078 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3083 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3084 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3085 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3086 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3087 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3088 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3089 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3091 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3092 @cindex activating groups
3094 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3095 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3100 @findex gnus-group-restart
3101 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3102 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3103 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
3107 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3108 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3110 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3111 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3115 @node Group Information
3116 @subsection Group Information
3117 @cindex group information
3118 @cindex information on groups
3125 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3126 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3129 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3130 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3131 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3132 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3133 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3134 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3135 for fetching the file.
3137 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
3138 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3142 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3144 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3145 @cindex describing groups
3146 @cindex group description
3147 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3148 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3149 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3153 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3154 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3155 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3162 @findex gnus-version
3163 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3167 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3168 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3171 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3174 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3175 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3179 @node Group Timestamp
3180 @subsection Group Timestamp
3182 @cindex group timestamps
3184 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
3185 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3186 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3189 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3192 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3194 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3195 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3198 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3199 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3202 This will result in lines looking like:
3205 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3206 0: custom 19961002T012713
3209 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3210 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3214 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3215 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3220 @subsection File Commands
3221 @cindex file commands
3227 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3228 @vindex gnus-init-file
3229 @cindex reading init file
3230 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3231 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3235 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3236 @cindex saving .newsrc
3237 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3238 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3239 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3242 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3243 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3244 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3249 @node The Summary Buffer
3250 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3251 @cindex summary buffer
3253 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3254 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3256 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3257 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3259 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3262 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3263 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3264 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3265 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3266 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3267 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
3268 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3269 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3270 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3271 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3272 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3273 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3274 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3275 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3276 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3277 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3278 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3279 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3280 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
3281 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3282 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3283 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3284 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3285 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3286 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3287 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3288 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3289 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3290 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3294 @node Summary Buffer Format
3295 @section Summary Buffer Format
3296 @cindex summary buffer format
3300 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3301 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3302 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3308 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3309 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3310 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3311 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3314 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3315 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3316 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3317 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3318 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3319 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
3320 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3321 fast, and too simplistic solution;
3322 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
3323 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
3324 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
3325 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
3326 other function instead:
3329 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3330 'mail-extract-address-components)
3333 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3334 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3335 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3336 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3339 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3340 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3342 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3343 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3344 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3345 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3346 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3348 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3350 The following format specification characters are understood:
3358 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3359 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3360 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3362 Full @code{From} header.
3364 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3366 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3367 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3369 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3370 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3371 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3372 may be more thorough.
3374 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3377 Number of lines in the article.
3379 Number of characters in the article.
3381 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3383 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3384 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3386 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3387 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3389 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3390 for adopted articles.
3392 One space for each thread level.
3394 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3399 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3400 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3404 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3406 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3407 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3408 default level. If the difference between
3409 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3410 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3418 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3420 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3426 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3427 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3429 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3430 article has any children.
3436 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3437 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3438 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3439 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3440 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3441 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3444 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3445 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
3446 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3447 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3448 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3449 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3451 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3452 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3454 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
3457 @node To From Newsgroups
3458 @subsection To From Newsgroups
3462 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
3463 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
3464 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
3465 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
3466 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
3470 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
3471 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
3472 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
3476 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3477 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
3480 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
3481 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
3484 @findex gnus-extra-header
3485 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
3486 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
3487 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
3490 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
3494 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
3495 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
3496 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
3497 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
3498 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
3499 headers are used instead.
3503 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
3504 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
3505 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
3506 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
3509 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3510 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
3511 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
3512 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
3514 In summary, you'd typically do something like the following:
3517 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3519 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
3520 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
3521 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
3522 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
3526 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
3527 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
3534 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
3535 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
3538 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3539 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3541 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3542 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
3543 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
3544 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3546 Here are the elements you can play with:
3552 Unprefixed group name.
3554 Current article number.
3556 Current article score.
3560 Number of unread articles in this group.
3562 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
3565 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3566 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3567 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3568 and no unselected ones.
3570 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3571 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3573 Subject of the current article.
3575 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
3577 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
3579 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3581 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3583 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3585 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3589 @node Summary Highlighting
3590 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3594 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3595 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3596 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3597 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3598 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3600 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3601 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3602 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3603 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3605 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3606 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3607 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
3608 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3610 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3611 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3612 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3613 list where the elements are of the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
3614 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
3615 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
3617 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3618 ((> score default) . bold))
3620 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3621 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
3625 @node Summary Maneuvering
3626 @section Summary Maneuvering
3627 @cindex summary movement
3629 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3630 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3632 None of these commands select articles.
3637 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3638 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3639 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3640 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3641 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3645 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3646 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3647 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3648 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3649 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3654 @kindex G j (Summary)
3655 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3656 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
3657 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3660 @kindex G g (Summary)
3661 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3662 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
3663 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3666 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3667 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3668 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3669 to the group buffer.
3671 Variables related to summary movement:
3675 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3676 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3677 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
3678 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
3679 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
3680 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
3681 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
3682 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
3683 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
3684 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
3685 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
3686 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
3687 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
3688 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
3690 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3691 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3692 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3693 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3694 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3695 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
3696 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
3698 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3700 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3701 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3702 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3703 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3704 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3706 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3707 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3708 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3709 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3710 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3711 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3712 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3713 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3716 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
3717 the given number of lines from the top.
3722 @node Choosing Articles
3723 @section Choosing Articles
3724 @cindex selecting articles
3727 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3728 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3732 @node Choosing Commands
3733 @subsection Choosing Commands
3735 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3736 and they all select and display an article.
3740 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3741 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3742 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3743 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3748 @kindex G n (Summary)
3749 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3750 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
3751 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3756 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3757 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
3758 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3763 @kindex G N (Summary)
3764 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3765 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3770 @kindex G P (Summary)
3771 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3772 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3775 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3776 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3777 Go to the next article with the same subject
3778 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3781 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3782 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3783 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3784 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3788 @kindex G f (Summary)
3790 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3791 Go to the first unread article
3792 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3796 @kindex G b (Summary)
3798 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3799 Go to the article with the highest score
3800 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3805 @kindex G l (Summary)
3806 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3807 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3810 @kindex G o (Summary)
3811 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3813 @cindex article history
3814 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3815 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3816 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3817 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
3818 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
3819 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
3823 @node Choosing Variables
3824 @subsection Choosing Variables
3826 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3829 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3830 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3831 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3832 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3833 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3834 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3836 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3837 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3838 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3839 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3841 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3842 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3843 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3844 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3845 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3846 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3847 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3848 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3849 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3850 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3851 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3852 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3853 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3854 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3859 @node Paging the Article
3860 @section Scrolling the Article
3861 @cindex article scrolling
3866 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3867 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3868 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3869 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3870 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3873 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3874 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3875 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3878 @kindex RET (Summary)
3879 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3880 Scroll the current article one line forward
3881 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3884 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
3885 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
3886 Scroll the current article one line backward
3887 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
3891 @kindex A g (Summary)
3893 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3894 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3895 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3896 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3897 the way it came from the server.
3902 @kindex A < (Summary)
3903 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3904 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3905 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3910 @kindex A > (Summary)
3911 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3912 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3916 @kindex A s (Summary)
3918 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3919 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3920 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3924 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
3925 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
3930 @node Reply Followup and Post
3931 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3934 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3935 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3939 @node Summary Mail Commands
3940 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3942 @cindex composing mail
3944 Commands for composing a mail message:
3950 @kindex S r (Summary)
3952 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3953 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
3954 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
3955 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3956 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3961 @kindex S R (Summary)
3962 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3963 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
3964 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3965 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3966 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3969 @kindex S w (Summary)
3970 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
3971 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
3972 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
3973 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
3974 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
3977 @kindex S W (Summary)
3978 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
3979 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
3980 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
3981 the process/prefix convention.
3984 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3985 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3986 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
3987 Forward the current article to some other person
3988 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3989 headers of the forwarded article.
3994 @kindex S m (Summary)
3995 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3996 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
3997 Send a mail to some other person
3998 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4001 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4002 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4003 @cindex bouncing mail
4004 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4005 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4006 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4007 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4008 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4009 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
4010 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4011 very well fail, though.
4014 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4015 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4016 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4017 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4018 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4019 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4020 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4021 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4022 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4023 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4025 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4026 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4027 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4028 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4029 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4031 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4032 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4035 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4036 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4037 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4038 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4039 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4042 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4043 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4044 @cindex crossposting
4045 @cindex excessive crossposting
4046 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4047 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4049 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4050 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4051 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4052 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4053 command understands the process/prefix convention
4054 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4058 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4061 @node Summary Post Commands
4062 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4064 @cindex composing news
4066 Commands for posting a news article:
4072 @kindex S p (Summary)
4073 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4074 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4075 Post an article to the current group
4076 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4081 @kindex S f (Summary)
4082 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4083 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4084 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4088 @kindex S F (Summary)
4090 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4091 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4092 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4093 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4094 process/prefix convention.
4097 @kindex S n (Summary)
4098 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4099 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4100 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4103 @kindex S N (Summary)
4104 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4105 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4106 message through mail and include the original message
4107 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4108 the process/prefix convention.
4111 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4112 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4113 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4114 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4115 headers of the forwarded article.
4118 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4119 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4121 @cindex making digests
4122 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4123 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4124 process/prefix convention.
4127 @kindex S u (Summary)
4128 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4129 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4130 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4131 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4134 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4137 @node Canceling and Superseding
4138 @section Canceling Articles
4139 @cindex canceling articles
4140 @cindex superseding articles
4142 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4143 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4145 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4147 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4149 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4150 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4151 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4152 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4153 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4154 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4156 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4157 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4160 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4161 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4162 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4164 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4165 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4166 your original article.
4168 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4170 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4171 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4172 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4175 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4176 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4177 have posted almost the same article twice.
4179 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4180 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4181 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4182 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4183 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4184 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4185 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4186 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4187 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4188 canceled/superseded.
4190 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4193 @node Marking Articles
4194 @section Marking Articles
4195 @cindex article marking
4196 @cindex article ticking
4199 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4201 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4202 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4203 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4205 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4208 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4209 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4210 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4214 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4218 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4219 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
4220 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4224 @node Unread Articles
4225 @subsection Unread Articles
4227 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4232 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4233 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4235 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4236 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4237 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4238 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4239 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4243 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4244 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4246 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4247 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4248 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4251 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4252 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4254 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4259 @subsection Read Articles
4260 @cindex expirable mark
4262 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4267 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4268 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4269 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4272 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4273 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4276 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4277 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4278 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4281 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4282 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4285 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4286 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4289 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4290 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4293 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4294 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4297 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4298 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4301 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4302 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4305 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4306 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4310 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4311 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4312 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4316 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4317 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4319 One more special mark, though:
4323 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4324 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4326 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4327 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4328 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4329 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
4335 @subsection Other Marks
4336 @cindex process mark
4339 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4345 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4346 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4347 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4348 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4349 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
4352 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4353 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4354 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4355 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4358 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4359 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4360 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4363 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4364 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4365 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4366 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4369 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4370 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4371 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4372 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4373 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4376 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4377 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4378 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4379 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4380 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4381 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4385 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4386 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4387 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4389 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4390 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4391 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4395 @subsection Setting Marks
4396 @cindex setting marks
4398 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4403 @kindex M c (Summary)
4404 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4405 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4406 @cindex mark as unread
4407 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4408 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4414 @kindex M t (Summary)
4415 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4416 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4417 @xref{Article Caching}.
4422 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4423 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4424 Mark the current article as dormant
4425 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4429 @kindex M d (Summary)
4431 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4432 Mark the current article as read
4433 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4437 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4438 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4439 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
4444 @kindex M k (Summary)
4445 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
4446 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
4447 and then select the next unread article
4448 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
4452 @kindex M K (Summary)
4453 @kindex C-k (Summary)
4454 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
4455 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
4456 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4459 @kindex M C (Summary)
4460 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4461 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
4462 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4465 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4466 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4467 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4468 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4471 @kindex M H (Summary)
4472 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4473 Catchup the current group to point
4474 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4477 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4478 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4479 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4480 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
4483 @kindex M V k (Summary)
4484 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
4485 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
4486 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
4490 @kindex M e (Summary)
4492 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
4493 Mark the current article as expirable
4494 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
4497 @kindex M b (Summary)
4498 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
4499 Set a bookmark in the current article
4500 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
4503 @kindex M B (Summary)
4504 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
4505 Remove the bookmark from the current article
4506 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
4509 @kindex M V c (Summary)
4510 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
4511 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
4512 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4515 @kindex M V u (Summary)
4516 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
4517 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
4518 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
4521 @kindex M V m (Summary)
4522 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
4523 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
4524 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
4525 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4528 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
4529 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
4530 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
4531 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
4532 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
4533 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
4534 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
4535 The default is @code{t}.
4538 @node Generic Marking Commands
4539 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
4541 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
4542 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
4543 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
4544 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go the the
4545 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
4548 Multiply these five behaviours with five different marking commands, and
4549 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
4552 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
4553 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
4554 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
4555 to list in this manual.
4557 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
4558 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
4559 @kbd{!} command to go the the next article instead of the next unread
4560 article, you could say something like:
4563 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
4564 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
4565 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
4571 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
4572 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
4576 @node Setting Process Marks
4577 @subsection Setting Process Marks
4578 @cindex setting process marks
4585 @kindex M P p (Summary)
4586 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
4587 Mark the current article with the process mark
4588 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
4589 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
4593 @kindex M P u (Summary)
4594 @kindex M-# (Summary)
4595 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
4596 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
4599 @kindex M P U (Summary)
4600 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
4601 Remove the process mark from all articles
4602 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
4605 @kindex M P i (Summary)
4606 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
4607 Invert the list of process marked articles
4608 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
4611 @kindex M P R (Summary)
4612 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
4613 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
4614 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
4617 @kindex M P r (Summary)
4618 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
4619 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
4622 @kindex M P t (Summary)
4623 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4624 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4625 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4628 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4629 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4630 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4631 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4634 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4635 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4636 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4637 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4640 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4641 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4642 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4645 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4646 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4647 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4648 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4651 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4652 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4653 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4656 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4657 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4658 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4659 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4662 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4663 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4664 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4665 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4668 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4669 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4670 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4671 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4674 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4675 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4676 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4677 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4686 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4687 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4688 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4691 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
4692 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
4693 additional articles.
4699 @kindex / / (Summary)
4700 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4701 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4702 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4705 @kindex / a (Summary)
4706 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4707 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4708 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4711 @kindex / x (Summary)
4712 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
4713 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
4714 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
4715 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4719 @kindex / u (Summary)
4721 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4722 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
4723 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4724 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4725 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4728 @kindex / m (Summary)
4729 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4730 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
4731 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4734 @kindex / t (Summary)
4735 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
4736 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
4737 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}). If given a prefix, limit to
4738 articles younger than that number of days.
4741 @kindex / n (Summary)
4742 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4743 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4744 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4745 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4748 @kindex / w (Summary)
4749 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4750 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4751 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4755 @kindex / v (Summary)
4756 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4757 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4758 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4762 @kindex M S (Summary)
4763 @kindex / E (Summary)
4764 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4765 Include all expunged articles in the limit
4766 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4769 @kindex / D (Summary)
4770 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4771 Include all dormant articles in the limit
4772 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4775 @kindex / * (Summary)
4776 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
4777 Include all cached articles in the limit
4778 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
4781 @kindex / d (Summary)
4782 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4783 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
4784 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4787 @kindex / M (Summary)
4788 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
4789 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
4792 @kindex / T (Summary)
4793 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
4794 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
4797 @kindex / c (Summary)
4798 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4799 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
4800 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4803 @kindex / C (Summary)
4804 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4805 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4806 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4807 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4815 @cindex article threading
4817 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
4818 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
4819 hierarchical fashion.
4821 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
4822 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
4823 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
4824 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
4825 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
4826 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
4827 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
4829 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
4833 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
4836 A tree-like article structure.
4839 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
4842 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
4843 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
4844 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
4845 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
4846 called loose threads.
4848 @item thread gathering
4849 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
4851 @item sparse threads
4852 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
4853 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
4859 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4860 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4864 @node Customizing Threading
4865 @subsection Customizing Threading
4866 @cindex customizing threading
4869 * Loose Threads:: How gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
4870 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
4871 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
4872 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
4877 @subsubsection Loose Threads
4880 @cindex loose threads
4883 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4884 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4885 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4886 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4887 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4888 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4890 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
4891 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
4892 There are four possible values:
4896 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
4897 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
4898 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4899 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4900 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4905 @cindex adopting articles
4910 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4911 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4912 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4913 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4916 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4917 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4918 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4919 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4920 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4921 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4922 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4925 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4926 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4927 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4931 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4932 display them after one another.
4935 Don't gather loose threads.
4938 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4939 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4940 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4941 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
4942 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4943 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4944 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
4945 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
4946 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4947 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
4948 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4950 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4951 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
4952 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
4955 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4956 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4957 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4958 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4959 simplification is used.
4961 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4962 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4963 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4964 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4966 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4968 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4974 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4975 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4976 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4977 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4982 (mapconcat 'identity
4983 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4985 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4988 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4991 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4992 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4993 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
4994 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
4995 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
4996 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
4998 Useful functions to put in this list include:
5001 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
5002 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
5003 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
5005 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5006 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5009 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
5010 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
5011 Remove excessive whitespace.
5014 You may also write your own functions, of course.
5017 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5018 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5019 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
5020 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
5021 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
5022 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
5023 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
5024 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
5026 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5027 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5028 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
5029 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
5030 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
5031 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
5032 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
5033 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
5034 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
5038 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5039 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5040 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
5041 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
5043 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5044 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5045 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
5048 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
5052 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5053 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
5059 @node Filling In Threads
5060 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
5063 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
5064 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
5065 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
5066 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
5067 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
5068 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
5069 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
5070 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
5071 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
5072 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
5073 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
5074 expired by the server, there's not much gnus can do about that.
5076 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
5077 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
5078 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
5080 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
5081 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
5082 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
5083 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
5084 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
5085 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
5086 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
5087 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
5088 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
5089 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
5090 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
5091 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
5092 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
5093 @code{nil} by default.
5098 @node More Threading
5099 @subsubsection More Threading
5102 @item gnus-show-threads
5103 @vindex gnus-show-threads
5104 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
5105 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
5106 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
5107 slower and more awkward.
5109 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5110 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5111 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
5114 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
5115 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5116 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5117 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5118 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5119 threads are expunged.
5121 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5122 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5123 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5126 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5127 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5128 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5129 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
5130 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
5133 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5134 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5135 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5141 @node Low-Level Threading
5142 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5146 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5147 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5148 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
5149 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
5150 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
5151 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
5153 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5154 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5155 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5156 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5157 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5158 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5159 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5160 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5161 meaningful. Here's one example:
5164 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5166 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5167 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5169 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5171 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5178 @node Thread Commands
5179 @subsection Thread Commands
5180 @cindex thread commands
5186 @kindex T k (Summary)
5187 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5188 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5189 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5190 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5191 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5196 @kindex T l (Summary)
5197 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5198 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5199 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5200 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5203 @kindex T i (Summary)
5204 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5205 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5206 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5209 @kindex T # (Summary)
5210 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5211 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5212 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5215 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5216 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5217 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5218 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5221 @kindex T T (Summary)
5222 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5223 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5226 @kindex T s (Summary)
5227 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5228 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5229 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5232 @kindex T h (Summary)
5233 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5234 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5237 @kindex T S (Summary)
5238 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5239 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5242 @kindex T H (Summary)
5243 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5244 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5247 @kindex T t (Summary)
5248 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5249 Re-thread the current article's thread
5250 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5251 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5254 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5255 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5256 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5257 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5261 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5262 understand the numeric prefix.
5267 @kindex T n (Summary)
5268 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5269 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5272 @kindex T p (Summary)
5273 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5274 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5277 @kindex T d (Summary)
5278 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5279 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5282 @kindex T u (Summary)
5283 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5284 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5287 @kindex T o (Summary)
5288 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5289 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5292 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5293 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5294 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5295 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5296 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5297 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5298 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5299 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5300 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5301 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5302 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5303 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5310 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5311 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5312 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5313 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5314 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5315 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5316 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5317 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5318 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
5319 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
5320 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
5322 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5323 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5324 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5325 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5326 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5328 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5329 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5330 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
5332 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
5333 last function in the list. You should probably always include
5334 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5335 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5336 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5337 ascending article order.
5339 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
5340 by number, you could do something like:
5343 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5344 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5345 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5346 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
5349 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5350 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5351 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5352 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5353 which the articles arrived.
5355 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
5359 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5361 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
5362 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5365 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5366 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5367 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5368 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5371 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5372 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5373 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5374 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5375 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5376 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5377 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5378 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5379 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5380 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5381 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5382 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5383 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5385 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5389 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5390 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5391 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5396 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5397 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5398 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5399 @cindex article pre-fetch
5402 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5403 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5404 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5405 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5406 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5408 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5409 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
5411 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
5412 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
5413 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
5414 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
5415 connection is blocked.
5417 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
5418 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
5419 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
5420 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
5422 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
5423 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
5424 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
5425 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
5428 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
5431 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
5432 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
5433 happen automatically.
5435 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
5436 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
5437 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
5438 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
5439 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
5440 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
5441 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
5443 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
5444 @findex gnus-async-read-p
5445 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
5446 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
5447 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
5448 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
5449 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
5450 data structure as the only parameter.
5452 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
5455 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
5456 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
5457 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
5458 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
5461 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
5464 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
5465 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
5466 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
5468 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
5469 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
5470 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
5471 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
5475 Remove articles when they are read.
5478 Remove articles when exiting the group.
5481 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
5483 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
5484 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
5485 @c from the next group.
5488 @node Article Caching
5489 @section Article Caching
5490 @cindex article caching
5493 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
5494 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
5495 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
5496 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
5497 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
5499 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
5501 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5502 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
5503 @vindex gnus-use-cache
5504 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
5505 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
5506 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
5507 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
5508 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
5510 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
5511 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
5512 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
5513 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
5514 as dormant, and don't worry.
5516 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
5518 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
5519 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
5520 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
5521 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
5522 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
5523 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
5524 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
5525 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
5526 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
5527 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
5529 @findex gnus-jog-cache
5530 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
5531 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
5532 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
5533 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
5534 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
5535 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
5536 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
5537 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
5538 not then be downloaded by this command.
5540 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
5541 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
5542 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
5543 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
5544 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
5545 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
5547 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
5548 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
5549 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
5550 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
5551 variables, the group is not cached.
5553 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
5554 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
5555 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
5556 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
5557 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
5558 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
5559 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
5560 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
5561 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
5565 @node Persistent Articles
5566 @section Persistent Articles
5567 @cindex persistent articles
5569 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
5570 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
5571 useful in my opinion.
5573 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
5574 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
5575 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
5576 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
5577 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
5578 the expiry going on at the news server.
5580 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
5581 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
5582 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
5588 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
5589 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
5592 @kindex M-* (Summary)
5593 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
5594 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
5595 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
5599 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
5601 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
5602 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
5603 interested in persistent articles:
5606 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
5610 @node Article Backlog
5611 @section Article Backlog
5613 @cindex article backlog
5615 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
5616 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
5617 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
5618 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
5619 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
5620 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
5621 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
5622 increase memory usage some.
5624 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
5625 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
5626 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
5627 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
5628 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
5629 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
5630 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
5632 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
5635 @node Saving Articles
5636 @section Saving Articles
5637 @cindex saving articles
5639 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
5640 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
5641 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
5642 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
5643 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
5645 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
5646 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
5647 unwanted headers before saving the article.
5649 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
5650 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
5651 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
5652 deleted before saving.
5658 @kindex O o (Summary)
5660 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
5661 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
5662 Save the current article using the default article saver
5663 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
5666 @kindex O m (Summary)
5667 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
5668 Save the current article in mail format
5669 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
5672 @kindex O r (Summary)
5673 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
5674 Save the current article in rmail format
5675 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
5678 @kindex O f (Summary)
5679 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
5680 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
5681 Save the current article in plain file format
5682 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
5685 @kindex O F (Summary)
5686 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
5687 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
5688 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
5691 @kindex O b (Summary)
5692 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
5693 Save the current article body in plain file format
5694 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
5697 @kindex O h (Summary)
5698 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
5699 Save the current article in mh folder format
5700 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
5703 @kindex O v (Summary)
5704 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
5705 Save the current article in a VM folder
5706 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
5709 @kindex O p (Summary)
5710 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
5711 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
5712 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
5715 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
5716 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
5717 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
5718 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
5719 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
5720 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
5721 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
5722 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
5723 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
5724 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
5725 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
5726 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
5730 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
5731 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
5732 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
5733 functions below, or you can create your own.
5737 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5738 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5739 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
5740 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5741 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
5742 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5743 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5745 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5746 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5747 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
5748 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
5749 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5750 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5752 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
5753 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
5754 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
5755 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5756 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
5757 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5758 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5760 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5761 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5762 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
5763 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5764 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5766 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5767 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5768 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
5769 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
5770 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
5773 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
5774 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
5775 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
5776 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
5777 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
5779 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5780 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5781 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
5782 reader to use this setting.
5785 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
5786 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
5787 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
5788 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
5791 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
5792 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
5793 available functions that generate names:
5797 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
5798 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
5799 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5801 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
5802 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5803 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5805 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
5806 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
5807 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5809 @item gnus-plain-save-name
5810 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5811 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5814 @vindex gnus-split-methods
5815 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
5816 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
5817 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
5818 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
5822 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
5823 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
5824 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
5825 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
5828 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
5829 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
5830 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5831 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5832 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5833 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5834 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5835 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5836 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5838 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5839 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5840 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5841 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5843 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5844 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5845 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
5848 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
5849 lots of mail groups called things like
5850 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
5851 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
5852 following will do just that:
5855 (defun my-save-name (group)
5856 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
5857 (substring group (match-end 0))))
5859 (setq gnus-split-methods
5860 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
5865 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5866 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5867 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5868 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5869 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5870 all the files in the top level directory
5871 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5872 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5873 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5874 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5876 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5877 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5878 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5879 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5880 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5883 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5887 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5888 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5891 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5892 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5893 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5894 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5897 @node Decoding Articles
5898 @section Decoding Articles
5899 @cindex decoding articles
5901 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5902 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5905 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5906 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
5907 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5908 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
5909 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5910 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5914 @cindex article series
5915 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5916 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5917 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5918 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5919 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5921 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5922 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5923 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5925 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
5926 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5927 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5929 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
5930 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
5931 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
5934 @node Uuencoded Articles
5935 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
5937 @cindex uuencoded articles
5942 @kindex X u (Summary)
5943 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
5944 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
5945 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
5948 @kindex X U (Summary)
5949 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
5950 Uudecodes and saves the current series
5951 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5954 @kindex X v u (Summary)
5955 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
5956 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
5959 @kindex X v U (Summary)
5960 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
5961 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
5962 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
5966 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
5967 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
5968 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
5969 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
5970 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5972 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
5973 @sc{GNUS 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
5974 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
5975 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
5978 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
5979 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
5980 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
5981 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5982 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5983 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
5987 @node Shell Archives
5988 @subsection Shell Archives
5990 @cindex shell archives
5991 @cindex shared articles
5993 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
5994 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
5995 some commands to deal with these:
6000 @kindex X s (Summary)
6001 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
6002 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
6005 @kindex X S (Summary)
6006 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
6007 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
6010 @kindex X v s (Summary)
6011 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
6012 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
6015 @kindex X v S (Summary)
6016 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
6017 Unshars, views and saves the current series
6018 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
6022 @node PostScript Files
6023 @subsection PostScript Files
6029 @kindex X p (Summary)
6030 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
6031 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
6034 @kindex X P (Summary)
6035 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
6036 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
6037 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
6040 @kindex X v p (Summary)
6041 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
6042 View the current PostScript series
6043 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
6046 @kindex X v P (Summary)
6047 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
6048 View and save the current PostScript series
6049 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
6054 @subsection Other Files
6058 @kindex X o (Summary)
6059 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
6060 Save the current series
6061 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
6064 @kindex X b (Summary)
6065 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
6066 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
6067 doesn't really work yet.
6071 @node Decoding Variables
6072 @subsection Decoding Variables
6074 Adjective, not verb.
6077 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
6078 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
6079 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
6083 @node Rule Variables
6084 @subsubsection Rule Variables
6085 @cindex rule variables
6087 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
6088 variables are of the form
6091 (list '(regexp1 command2)
6098 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6099 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6101 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
6102 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
6105 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6106 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
6109 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6110 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6111 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
6112 user and default view rules.
6114 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6115 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6116 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6121 @node Other Decode Variables
6122 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6125 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6127 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6128 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6129 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6130 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6131 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6135 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6136 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6139 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6140 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6141 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6144 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6145 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6146 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6147 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6148 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6151 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6152 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6153 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6155 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6156 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6157 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6158 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6159 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6162 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6163 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6164 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6166 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6167 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6168 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6169 looking for files to display.
6171 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6172 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6173 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6176 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6177 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6178 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6181 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6182 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6183 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6186 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6187 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6188 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6191 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6192 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6193 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6194 decoded articles as unread.
6196 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6197 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6198 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6199 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6201 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6202 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6203 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6205 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6206 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6208 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6209 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6210 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6211 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6213 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6214 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6215 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6216 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6217 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6218 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
6219 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6220 simply dropped them.
6225 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6226 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6230 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6231 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6232 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6233 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6234 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6235 for you when you post the article.
6237 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6238 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6239 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6240 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6242 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6243 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6244 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6245 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6246 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6247 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6248 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6250 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6251 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6252 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6253 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6254 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6255 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6256 Default is @code{t}.
6262 @subsection Viewing Files
6263 @cindex viewing files
6264 @cindex pseudo-articles
6266 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
6267 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6268 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6269 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
6270 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6271 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6272 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6274 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6275 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6276 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6277 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6279 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6280 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6281 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6283 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6284 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6285 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6286 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6287 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6289 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6290 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6291 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6292 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6293 a list of parameters to that command.
6295 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6296 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6297 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6299 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6300 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6301 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6304 @node Article Treatment
6305 @section Article Treatment
6307 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6308 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6309 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6310 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6311 these articles easier.
6314 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6315 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6316 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6317 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6318 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6319 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6320 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6321 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
6325 @node Article Highlighting
6326 @subsection Article Highlighting
6327 @cindex highlighting
6329 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6330 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6335 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6336 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6337 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6338 Do much highlighting of the current article
6339 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
6340 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
6343 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6344 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6345 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6346 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6347 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6348 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
6349 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6350 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6351 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6352 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6353 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
6356 @kindex W H c (Summary)
6357 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
6358 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
6360 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
6363 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6365 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6366 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
6367 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
6369 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6370 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6371 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6373 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6374 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6375 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6377 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6378 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6379 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
6380 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
6381 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
6382 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
6384 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6385 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6386 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6388 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6389 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6390 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6392 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6393 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6394 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6395 that it's a citation.
6397 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6398 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6399 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6401 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6402 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6403 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6405 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6406 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6407 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6408 cited text belonging to the attribution.
6414 @kindex W H s (Summary)
6415 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6416 @vindex gnus-signature-face
6417 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
6418 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
6419 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
6420 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
6421 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
6426 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
6429 @node Article Fontisizing
6430 @subsection Article Fontisizing
6432 @cindex article emphasis
6434 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
6435 @kindex W e (Summary)
6436 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
6437 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*}. Gnus can make this look nicer by
6438 running the article through the @kbd{W e}
6439 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
6441 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
6442 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
6443 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
6444 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
6445 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
6446 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
6447 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
6448 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
6452 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
6453 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
6454 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
6457 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
6458 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
6459 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
6460 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
6461 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
6462 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
6463 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
6464 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
6465 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
6466 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
6467 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
6468 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
6469 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
6471 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
6472 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
6473 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
6477 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
6480 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
6482 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
6483 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
6484 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
6485 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
6487 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
6490 @node Article Hiding
6491 @subsection Article Hiding
6492 @cindex article hiding
6494 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
6495 too much cruft in most articles.
6500 @kindex W W a (Summary)
6501 @findex gnus-article-hide
6502 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
6503 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
6504 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
6507 @kindex W W h (Summary)
6508 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
6509 Toggle hiding of headers (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}). @xref{Hiding
6513 @kindex W W b (Summary)
6514 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6515 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
6516 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
6519 @kindex W W s (Summary)
6520 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
6521 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
6525 @kindex W W p (Summary)
6526 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
6527 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6528 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
6529 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
6530 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
6531 articles that have signatures in them do:
6533 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
6535 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
6537 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
6538 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
6540 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6543 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
6548 @kindex W W P (Summary)
6549 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
6550 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
6551 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
6554 @kindex W W B (Summary)
6555 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
6556 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
6557 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
6558 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
6559 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
6560 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
6561 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
6562 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
6563 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
6564 signature should be removed.
6567 @kindex W W c (Summary)
6568 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
6569 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
6570 customizing the hiding:
6574 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
6575 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
6576 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
6577 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
6578 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
6579 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
6580 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
6585 Starting point of the hidden text.
6587 Ending point of the hidden text.
6589 Number of characters in the hidden region.
6591 Number of lines of hidden text.
6594 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
6595 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
6596 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
6601 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
6602 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
6604 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
6605 following two variables:
6608 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6609 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6610 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
6611 50), hide the cited text.
6613 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6614 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6615 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
6620 @kindex W W C (Summary)
6621 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
6622 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
6623 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
6624 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
6625 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
6629 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
6630 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
6631 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
6633 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
6634 citation customization.
6636 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
6640 @node Article Washing
6641 @subsection Article Washing
6643 @cindex article washing
6645 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
6646 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
6648 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
6649 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
6655 @kindex W l (Summary)
6656 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
6657 Remove page breaks from the current article
6658 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
6662 @kindex W r (Summary)
6663 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
6664 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
6665 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
6666 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
6667 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
6668 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
6670 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
6671 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
6672 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
6673 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
6676 @kindex W t (Summary)
6677 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
6678 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
6679 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
6682 @kindex W v (Summary)
6683 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
6684 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
6685 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
6688 @kindex W m (Summary)
6689 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
6690 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
6691 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
6694 @kindex W o (Summary)
6695 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
6696 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
6699 @kindex W d (Summary)
6700 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
6701 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
6703 @cindex M******** sm*rtq**t*s
6705 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s according to
6706 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
6707 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
6708 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
6712 @kindex W w (Summary)
6713 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
6714 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
6716 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
6720 @kindex W q (Summary)
6721 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
6722 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
6725 @kindex W C (Summary)
6726 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentencse
6727 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
6728 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
6731 @kindex W c (Summary)
6732 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
6733 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
6734 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
6735 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
6736 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
6739 @kindex W f (Summary)
6741 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
6742 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
6743 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
6744 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
6750 Look for and display any X-Face headers
6751 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
6752 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
6753 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
6754 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
6755 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
6756 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
6757 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
6758 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
6759 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
6760 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
6761 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
6762 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
6763 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
6767 @kindex W b (Summary)
6768 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
6769 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
6770 @xref{Article Buttons}.
6773 @kindex W B (Summary)
6774 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
6775 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
6776 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
6779 @kindex W W H (Summary)
6780 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
6781 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
6782 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
6785 @kindex W E l (Summary)
6786 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
6787 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
6788 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
6791 @kindex W E m (Summary)
6792 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
6793 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
6794 lines with a single empty line.
6795 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
6798 @kindex W E t (Summary)
6799 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
6800 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
6801 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
6804 @kindex W E a (Summary)
6805 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
6806 Do all the three commands above
6807 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
6810 @kindex W E A (Summary)
6811 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
6812 Remove all blank lines
6813 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
6816 @kindex W E s (Summary)
6817 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
6818 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
6819 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
6822 @kindex W E e (Summary)
6823 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
6824 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
6825 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
6829 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
6832 @node Article Buttons
6833 @subsection Article Buttons
6836 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
6837 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
6838 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
6839 button on these references.
6841 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
6842 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
6843 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
6848 @item gnus-button-alist
6849 @vindex gnus-button-alist
6850 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
6853 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6859 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
6860 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
6861 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
6864 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
6865 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
6866 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
6869 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
6870 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
6871 avoid false matches.
6874 This function will be called when you click on this button.
6877 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
6878 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
6882 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
6885 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
6888 @item gnus-header-button-alist
6889 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
6890 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
6891 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
6892 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
6895 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6898 @var{HEADER} is a regular expression.
6900 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
6901 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
6902 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
6903 default values of the variables above.
6905 @item gnus-article-button-face
6906 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
6907 Face used on buttons.
6909 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
6910 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
6911 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
6915 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
6919 @subsection Article Date
6921 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
6922 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
6923 when the article was sent.
6928 @kindex W T u (Summary)
6929 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
6930 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
6931 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
6934 @kindex W T i (Summary)
6935 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
6937 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
6938 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
6941 @kindex W T l (Summary)
6942 @findex gnus-article-date-local
6943 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
6946 @kindex W T s (Summary)
6947 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
6948 @findex gnus-article-date-user
6949 @findex format-time-string
6950 Display the date using a user-defined format
6951 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
6952 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
6953 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
6954 for a list of possible format specs.
6957 @kindex W T e (Summary)
6958 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
6959 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
6960 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
6961 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
6962 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
6965 X-Sent: 9 years, 6 weeks, 4 days, 9 hours, 3 minutes, 28 seconds ago
6968 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
6969 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
6972 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
6973 into wonderful absurdities.
6975 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
6978 (gnus-start-date-timer)
6981 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
6982 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
6986 @kindex W T o (Summary)
6987 @findex gnus-article-date-original
6988 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
6989 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
6990 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
6991 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
6992 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
6996 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
6997 preferred format automatically.
7000 @node Article Signature
7001 @subsection Article Signature
7003 @cindex article signature
7005 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7006 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
7007 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
7008 that says what is to be considered a signature is
7009 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
7010 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
7011 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
7012 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
7013 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
7016 (setq gnus-signature-separator
7017 '("^-- $" ; The standard
7018 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
7019 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
7020 ; line of dashes. Shame!
7021 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
7022 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
7023 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
7026 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
7029 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
7030 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
7031 signature when displaying articles.
7035 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
7038 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
7041 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
7042 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
7044 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
7045 in question is not a signature.
7048 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
7049 listed above. Here's an example:
7052 (setq gnus-signature-limit
7053 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
7056 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
7057 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
7058 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
7059 signature after all.
7062 @node Article Miscellania
7063 @subsection Article Miscellania
7067 @kindex A t (Summary)
7068 @findex gnus-article-babel
7069 Translate the article from one language to another
7070 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
7076 @section @sc{mime} Commands
7077 @cindex MIME decoding
7081 @kindex X m (Summary)
7082 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
7083 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
7084 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
7085 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7088 @kindex M-t (Summary)
7089 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
7090 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
7091 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
7094 @kindex W M w (Summary)
7095 Decode RFC2047-encoded words in the article headers
7096 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
7099 @kindex W M c (Summary)
7100 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
7101 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
7103 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
7104 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
7105 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
7106 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
7107 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
7108 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
7111 @kindex W M v (Summary)
7112 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
7113 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
7120 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
7121 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
7122 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7123 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
7126 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
7129 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
7133 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7134 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7135 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7136 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
7137 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
7139 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
7140 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
7141 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
7142 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
7143 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
7144 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
7145 save all jpegs into some directory).
7147 Here's an example function the does the latter:
7150 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
7151 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
7153 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
7154 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
7155 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
7156 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
7157 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
7160 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7161 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7162 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
7171 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
7172 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
7173 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
7174 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
7175 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
7176 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
7177 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
7179 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
7180 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
7181 variable, which is an alist of regexps (to match group names) and
7182 default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
7184 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
7185 aren't. These blitely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
7186 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
7187 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
7188 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
7189 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
7190 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
7191 something some agents insist on having in there.
7194 @node Article Commands
7195 @section Article Commands
7202 @kindex A P (Summary)
7203 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
7204 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
7205 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
7206 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
7207 run just before printing the buffer.
7212 @node Summary Sorting
7213 @section Summary Sorting
7214 @cindex summary sorting
7216 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
7217 can't really see why you'd want that.
7222 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
7223 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
7224 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
7227 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
7228 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
7229 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
7232 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
7233 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
7234 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
7237 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
7238 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
7239 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
7242 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
7243 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
7244 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
7247 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
7248 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
7249 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
7252 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
7253 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
7254 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
7257 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
7258 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
7259 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
7260 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
7261 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
7265 @node Finding the Parent
7266 @section Finding the Parent
7267 @cindex parent articles
7268 @cindex referring articles
7273 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
7274 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
7275 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
7276 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
7277 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
7278 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
7279 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
7280 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
7281 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
7283 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
7284 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
7285 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
7286 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
7287 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
7291 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
7292 @kindex A R (Summary)
7293 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
7294 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
7297 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
7298 @kindex A T (Summary)
7299 Display the full thread where the current article appears
7300 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
7301 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
7302 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
7303 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
7304 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
7305 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
7307 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
7308 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
7309 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
7310 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
7311 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
7312 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
7315 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
7316 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
7318 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
7319 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
7320 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
7321 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
7322 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
7323 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
7324 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
7327 The current select method will be used when fetching by
7328 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
7329 by giving this command a prefix.
7331 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
7332 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
7333 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
7334 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
7335 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
7336 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
7339 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
7340 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
7341 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
7342 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
7343 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
7344 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
7347 @node Alternative Approaches
7348 @section Alternative Approaches
7350 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
7351 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
7354 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
7355 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
7360 @subsection Pick and Read
7361 @cindex pick and read
7363 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
7364 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
7365 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
7366 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
7368 @findex gnus-pick-mode
7369 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
7370 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
7371 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
7372 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
7373 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
7375 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
7380 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
7381 Pick the article or thread on the current line
7382 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
7383 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
7384 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
7385 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
7386 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
7387 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
7390 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
7391 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
7392 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
7393 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
7397 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
7398 Unpick the thread or article
7399 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
7400 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
7401 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
7402 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
7403 the thread or article at that line.
7407 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
7408 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
7409 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
7410 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
7411 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
7412 will still be visible when you are reading.
7416 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
7417 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
7418 which is mapped to the same function
7419 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
7421 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
7424 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
7427 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
7428 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
7430 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
7431 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
7432 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
7434 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
7435 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
7436 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
7437 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
7438 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
7439 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
7440 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
7444 @subsection Binary Groups
7445 @cindex binary groups
7447 @findex gnus-binary-mode
7448 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
7449 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
7450 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
7451 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
7452 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
7453 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
7456 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
7457 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
7458 command, when you have turned on this mode
7459 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
7461 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
7462 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
7466 @section Tree Display
7469 @vindex gnus-use-trees
7470 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
7471 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
7472 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
7475 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
7478 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
7479 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
7480 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
7482 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
7483 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
7484 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
7485 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
7486 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
7488 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
7489 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
7490 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
7491 default is @code{modeline}.
7493 @item gnus-tree-line-format
7494 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
7495 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
7496 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
7497 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
7498 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
7499 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
7505 The name of the poster.
7507 The @code{From} header.
7509 The number of the article.
7511 The opening bracket.
7513 The closing bracket.
7518 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
7520 Variables related to the display are:
7523 @item gnus-tree-brackets
7524 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
7525 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
7526 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
7527 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
7528 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
7530 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7531 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7532 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
7533 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
7537 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
7538 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
7539 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
7540 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
7541 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
7542 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
7543 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
7544 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
7545 other windows displayed next to it.
7547 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
7548 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
7549 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7550 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
7551 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
7552 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
7553 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
7557 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
7560 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
7570 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
7574 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
7575 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
7577 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
7579 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
7584 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
7585 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
7586 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
7589 (setq gnus-use-trees t
7590 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7591 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
7592 (gnus-add-configuration
7596 (summary 0.75 point)
7601 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
7604 @node Mail Group Commands
7605 @section Mail Group Commands
7606 @cindex mail group commands
7608 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
7609 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
7611 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
7612 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7617 @kindex B e (Summary)
7618 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
7619 Expire all expirable articles in the group
7620 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
7623 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
7624 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
7625 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
7626 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
7627 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
7628 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
7631 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
7632 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
7633 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
7634 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
7635 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
7636 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
7639 @kindex B m (Summary)
7641 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
7642 Move the article from one mail group to another
7643 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
7646 @kindex B c (Summary)
7648 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
7649 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
7650 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
7651 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
7654 @kindex B B (Summary)
7655 @cindex crosspost mail
7656 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
7657 Crosspost the current article to some other group
7658 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
7659 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
7660 be properly updated.
7663 @kindex B i (Summary)
7664 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
7665 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
7666 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
7667 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
7670 @kindex B r (Summary)
7671 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
7672 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
7673 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
7674 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
7675 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
7679 @kindex B w (Summary)
7681 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
7682 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
7683 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
7684 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
7685 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
7686 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
7689 @kindex B q (Summary)
7690 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
7691 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
7692 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
7693 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
7696 @kindex B t (Summary)
7697 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
7698 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
7699 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
7702 @kindex B p (Summary)
7703 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
7704 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
7705 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
7706 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
7707 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
7708 article from your news server (or rather, from
7709 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
7710 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
7711 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
7712 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
7713 just not have arrived yet.
7717 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
7718 @cindex moving articles
7719 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
7720 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
7721 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
7722 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
7723 suggestions you find reasonable.
7726 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
7727 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
7728 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
7729 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
7733 @node Various Summary Stuff
7734 @section Various Summary Stuff
7737 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
7738 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
7739 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
7740 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
7744 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
7745 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
7746 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
7748 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
7749 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
7750 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
7751 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
7752 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
7753 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
7756 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7757 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7758 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
7759 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
7760 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
7762 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
7763 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
7764 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
7767 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7768 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7769 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
7770 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
7771 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
7772 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
7773 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
7774 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
7775 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
7776 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
7781 @node Summary Group Information
7782 @subsection Summary Group Information
7787 @kindex H f (Summary)
7788 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
7789 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
7790 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
7791 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
7792 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
7793 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
7794 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
7795 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
7796 be used for fetching the file.
7799 @kindex H d (Summary)
7800 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
7801 Give a brief description of the current group
7802 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
7803 rereading the description from the server.
7806 @kindex H h (Summary)
7807 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
7808 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
7809 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
7812 @kindex H i (Summary)
7813 @findex gnus-info-find-node
7814 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
7818 @node Searching for Articles
7819 @subsection Searching for Articles
7824 @kindex M-s (Summary)
7825 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
7826 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
7827 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
7830 @kindex M-r (Summary)
7831 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
7832 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
7833 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
7837 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
7838 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
7839 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
7840 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
7844 @kindex M-& (Summary)
7845 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
7846 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
7847 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
7850 @node Summary Generation Commands
7851 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
7856 @kindex Y g (Summary)
7857 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
7858 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
7861 @kindex Y c (Summary)
7862 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
7863 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
7864 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
7869 @node Really Various Summary Commands
7870 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
7876 @kindex C-d (Summary)
7877 @kindex A D (Summary)
7878 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
7879 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
7880 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
7881 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
7882 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
7883 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
7884 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
7885 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
7889 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
7890 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
7891 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
7892 several documents into one biiig group
7893 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
7894 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
7895 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
7896 command understands the process/prefix convention
7897 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7900 @kindex C-t (Summary)
7901 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
7902 Toggle truncation of summary lines
7903 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
7904 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
7905 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
7909 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
7910 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
7911 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
7914 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
7915 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
7916 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
7917 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
7920 @kindex M-C-g (Summary)
7921 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
7922 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
7923 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
7928 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
7929 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
7930 @cindex summary exit
7931 @cindex exiting groups
7933 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
7934 group and return you to the group buffer.
7940 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
7942 @findex gnus-summary-exit
7943 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
7944 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
7945 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
7946 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
7947 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
7948 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
7949 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
7950 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
7951 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
7952 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
7956 @kindex Z E (Summary)
7958 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
7959 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
7960 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
7964 @kindex Z c (Summary)
7966 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
7967 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
7968 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
7969 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
7972 @kindex Z C (Summary)
7973 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
7974 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
7975 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
7978 @kindex Z n (Summary)
7979 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
7980 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
7981 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
7984 @kindex Z R (Summary)
7985 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
7986 Exit this group, and then enter it again
7987 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
7988 all articles, both read and unread.
7992 @kindex Z G (Summary)
7993 @kindex M-g (Summary)
7994 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
7995 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
7996 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
7997 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
7998 articles, both read and unread.
8001 @kindex Z N (Summary)
8002 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
8003 Exit the group and go to the next group
8004 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
8007 @kindex Z P (Summary)
8008 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
8009 Exit the group and go to the previous group
8010 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
8013 @kindex Z s (Summary)
8014 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
8015 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
8016 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
8017 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
8018 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
8021 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
8022 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
8025 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
8026 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
8027 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
8028 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
8029 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
8030 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
8031 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
8032 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
8033 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
8034 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
8035 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
8036 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
8038 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
8040 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
8041 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
8042 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
8043 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
8044 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
8045 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
8046 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
8047 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
8048 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
8051 @node Crosspost Handling
8052 @section Crosspost Handling
8056 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
8057 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
8058 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
8059 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
8060 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
8061 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
8064 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
8065 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
8066 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
8067 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
8068 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
8070 @cindex cross-posting
8073 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
8074 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
8075 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
8076 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
8077 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
8078 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
8079 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
8080 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
8081 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
8082 the cross reference mechanism.
8084 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
8085 @cindex overview.fmt
8086 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
8087 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
8088 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
8089 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
8090 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
8091 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
8094 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
8095 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
8096 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
8101 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
8104 @node Duplicate Suppression
8105 @section Duplicate Suppression
8107 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
8108 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
8109 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
8110 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
8115 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
8116 is evil and not very common.
8119 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
8120 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
8123 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
8124 different @sc{nntp} servers.
8127 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
8130 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
8131 well, but these four are the most common situations.
8133 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
8134 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
8135 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
8136 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
8137 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
8138 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
8139 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
8142 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
8143 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
8144 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
8145 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
8146 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
8150 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
8151 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
8152 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
8154 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
8155 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
8156 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
8157 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
8158 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
8159 session are suppressed.
8161 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
8162 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
8163 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
8164 suppression list. The default is 10000.
8166 @item gnus-duplicate-file
8167 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
8168 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
8169 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
8172 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
8173 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
8174 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
8175 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
8176 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
8177 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
8178 to you to figure out, I think.
8181 @node The Article Buffer
8182 @chapter The Article Buffer
8183 @cindex article buffer
8185 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
8186 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
8187 tell gnus otherwise.
8190 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
8191 * Using MIME:: Pushing to mime articles as @sc{mime} messages.
8192 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
8193 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
8194 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
8198 @node Hiding Headers
8199 @section Hiding Headers
8200 @cindex hiding headers
8201 @cindex deleting headers
8203 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
8204 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
8206 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
8207 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
8208 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
8209 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
8210 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
8211 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
8212 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
8213 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
8214 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
8216 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
8220 @item gnus-visible-headers
8221 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
8222 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
8223 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
8224 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
8226 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
8227 the article and the subject, you'd say:
8230 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
8233 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
8236 @item gnus-ignored-headers
8237 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
8238 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
8239 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
8240 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
8241 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
8243 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
8244 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
8247 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
8250 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
8253 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
8254 variable will have no effect.
8258 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
8259 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
8260 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
8261 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
8262 the headers are to be displayed.
8264 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
8265 and then the subject, you might say something like:
8268 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
8271 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
8272 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
8274 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8275 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
8276 You can hide further boring headers by setting
8277 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
8278 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
8279 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
8280 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
8283 These conditions are:
8286 Remove all empty headers.
8288 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
8289 @code{Newsgroups} header.
8291 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
8294 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
8297 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
8300 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
8302 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
8305 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
8308 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
8309 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
8312 This is also the default value for this variable.
8316 @section Using @sc{mime}
8319 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
8320 while people stand around yawning.
8322 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
8323 while all newsreaders die of fear.
8325 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
8326 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
8327 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
8329 @vindex gnus-show-mime
8330 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
8331 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
8332 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
8333 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
8334 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
8335 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
8336 calls the SEMI MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
8337 information on SEMI MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is not
8338 existed yet, sorry).
8340 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
8341 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
8342 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
8343 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
8344 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
8345 buffer. These can't be avoided.
8347 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
8348 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
8349 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
8350 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
8351 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
8352 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
8353 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
8354 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
8355 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
8358 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
8360 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
8361 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
8362 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
8363 buffer when there are nobody else.
8365 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
8368 @node Customizing Articles
8369 @section Customizing Articles
8370 @cindex article customization
8372 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
8373 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
8374 called automatically when you select the articles.
8376 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
8377 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
8378 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
8379 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
8383 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
8386 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
8389 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
8392 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
8395 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
8399 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
8400 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
8401 regexps in the list.
8404 A list where the first element is not a string:
8406 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
8407 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
8408 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
8412 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
8416 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
8421 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
8422 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
8423 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
8424 considered to contain just a single part.
8426 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
8427 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
8428 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
8429 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
8430 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
8431 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
8432 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
8434 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
8435 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
8439 @item gnus-treat-buttonize
8440 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head
8441 @item gnus-treat-emphasize
8442 @item gnus-treat-fill-article
8443 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr
8444 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers
8445 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
8446 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature
8447 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation
8448 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp
8449 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem
8450 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers
8451 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation
8452 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature
8453 @item gnus-treat-date-ut
8454 @item gnus-treat-date-local
8455 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed
8456 @item gnus-treat-date-original
8457 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body
8458 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines
8459 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines
8460 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8461 @item gnus-treat-overstrike
8462 @item gnus-treat-display-xface
8463 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys
8464 @item gnus-treat-display-picons
8465 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences
8466 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines
8467 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
8468 @item gnus-treat-translate
8469 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset
8472 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
8473 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
8474 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
8475 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
8476 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
8477 everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead make
8478 them invisible if you want to make them go away.
8481 @node Article Keymap
8482 @section Article Keymap
8484 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
8485 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
8486 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
8487 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
8490 A few additional keystrokes are available:
8495 @kindex SPACE (Article)
8496 @findex gnus-article-next-page
8497 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
8500 @kindex DEL (Article)
8501 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
8502 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
8505 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
8506 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
8507 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
8508 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
8509 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
8512 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
8513 @findex gnus-article-mail
8514 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
8515 given a prefix, include the mail.
8519 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
8520 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
8521 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
8525 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
8526 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
8527 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
8530 @kindex TAB (Article)
8531 @findex gnus-article-next-button
8532 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
8533 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
8536 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
8537 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
8538 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
8544 @section Misc Article
8548 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
8549 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
8550 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
8551 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
8554 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
8555 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
8557 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
8558 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
8560 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
8561 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
8562 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
8563 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
8564 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
8565 the contents of the article buffer.
8567 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
8568 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
8569 Hook called in article mode buffers.
8571 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
8572 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
8573 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
8574 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
8576 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
8577 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
8578 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
8579 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
8580 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with one
8585 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
8586 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
8589 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
8592 @vindex gnus-break-pages
8594 @item gnus-break-pages
8595 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
8596 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
8597 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
8598 paging will not be done.
8600 @item gnus-page-delimiter
8601 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
8602 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
8607 @node Composing Messages
8608 @chapter Composing Messages
8609 @cindex composing messages
8612 @cindex sending mail
8617 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
8618 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
8619 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
8620 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
8621 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
8622 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
8623 to make gnus try to post using the foreign server.
8626 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
8627 * Post:: Posting and following up.
8628 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
8629 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
8630 * Archived Messages:: Where gnus stores the messages you've sent.
8631 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
8632 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
8633 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
8636 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
8637 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
8643 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
8646 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
8647 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
8648 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
8649 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
8651 @item gnus-add-to-list
8652 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
8653 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
8654 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
8662 Variables for composing news articles:
8665 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8666 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8667 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
8668 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
8669 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
8670 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
8671 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
8672 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
8673 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want gnus to keep a history
8676 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8677 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8678 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
8679 file. It is 1000 by default.
8684 @node Posting Server
8685 @section Posting Server
8687 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
8688 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
8690 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
8692 @vindex gnus-post-method
8694 It can be quite complicated. Normally, gnus will use the same native
8695 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
8696 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
8697 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
8698 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
8701 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
8704 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
8705 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
8706 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
8707 the ``current'' server for posting.
8709 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
8710 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
8712 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
8713 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
8716 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
8717 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
8718 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
8723 @section Mail and Post
8725 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
8729 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
8730 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
8731 @cindex mailing lists
8733 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
8734 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
8735 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
8736 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
8737 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
8738 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
8739 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
8740 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
8741 still a pain, though.
8745 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
8746 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
8747 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
8750 @findex ispell-message
8752 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
8756 @node Archived Messages
8757 @section Archived Messages
8758 @cindex archived messages
8759 @cindex sent messages
8761 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
8762 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
8763 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
8764 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
8767 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
8768 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
8769 use to store sent messages. The default is:
8773 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
8774 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
8775 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
8776 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
8779 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
8780 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
8781 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
8782 directory chosen, you could say something like:
8785 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
8786 '(nnfolder "archive"
8787 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
8788 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
8789 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
8792 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
8794 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
8795 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
8796 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
8798 This variable can be used to do the following:
8802 Messages will be saved in that group.
8803 @item a list of strings
8804 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
8805 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
8806 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
8808 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
8813 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
8815 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
8818 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
8820 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
8823 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
8825 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8826 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
8827 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
8828 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
8833 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8834 '((if (message-news-p)
8839 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
8840 messages in one file per month:
8843 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8844 '((if (message-news-p)
8846 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
8847 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
8850 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
8851 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
8853 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
8854 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
8855 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
8856 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
8857 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
8858 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
8859 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
8860 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
8861 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
8862 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
8864 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
8865 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
8866 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
8867 this will disable archiving.
8870 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
8871 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
8872 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
8873 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
8874 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
8877 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
8878 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
8879 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
8882 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
8883 but the latter is the preferred method.
8887 @node Posting Styles
8888 @section Posting Styles
8889 @cindex posting styles
8892 All them variables, they make my head swim.
8894 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
8895 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
8896 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
8899 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
8900 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
8901 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
8902 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
8903 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
8908 (signature "Peace and happiness")
8909 (organization "What me?"))
8911 (signature "Death to everybody"))
8912 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
8913 (organization "Emacs is it")))
8916 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
8917 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
8918 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
8919 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
8920 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
8921 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
8922 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
8923 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
8925 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
8926 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
8927 If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
8928 arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
8929 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
8930 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
8933 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
8934 attribute consists of a @var{(name value)} pair. The attribute name
8935 can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
8936 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
8937 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
8938 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
8941 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
8942 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
8943 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
8944 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
8945 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
8946 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
8948 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
8949 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
8950 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
8952 @findex message-mail-p
8953 @findex message-news-p
8955 So here's a new example:
8958 (setq gnus-posting-styles
8960 (signature-file "~/.signature")
8962 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
8963 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
8965 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
8966 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
8967 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
8969 (signature my-news-signature))
8970 ((posting-from-work-p)
8971 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
8972 (address "user@@bar.foo")
8973 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
8974 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
8976 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
8984 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
8985 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
8986 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
8987 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
8988 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
8990 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
8991 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
8992 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
8993 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
8994 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
8998 @vindex nndraft-directory
8999 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
9000 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
9001 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
9002 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
9003 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
9004 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
9006 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
9007 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
9010 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
9011 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
9012 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
9013 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
9014 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
9015 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
9016 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
9017 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
9018 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
9019 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
9020 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
9021 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
9022 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
9023 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
9025 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
9026 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
9027 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
9029 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
9031 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
9032 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
9033 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
9035 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
9038 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
9039 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
9040 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
9041 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
9042 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
9043 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
9044 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
9047 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
9048 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
9049 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
9052 @node Rejected Articles
9053 @section Rejected Articles
9054 @cindex rejected articles
9056 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
9057 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
9058 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
9059 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
9061 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
9062 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
9063 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
9064 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
9065 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
9067 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
9068 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
9069 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
9072 @node Select Methods
9073 @chapter Select Methods
9074 @cindex foreign groups
9075 @cindex select methods
9077 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
9078 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
9079 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
9080 personal mail group.
9082 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
9083 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
9084 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
9085 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
9086 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
9087 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
9089 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
9090 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
9092 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
9095 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
9096 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
9097 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
9098 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
9099 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
9101 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
9104 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
9105 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
9106 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
9107 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
9108 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
9109 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
9113 @node The Server Buffer
9114 @section The Server Buffer
9116 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
9117 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
9118 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
9119 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
9120 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
9121 backend represents a virtual server.
9123 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
9124 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
9125 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
9126 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
9128 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
9129 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
9130 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
9131 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
9132 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
9133 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
9134 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
9136 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
9137 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
9140 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
9141 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
9142 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
9143 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
9144 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
9145 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
9146 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
9149 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
9150 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
9153 @node Server Buffer Format
9154 @subsection Server Buffer Format
9155 @cindex server buffer format
9157 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
9158 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
9159 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
9160 variable, with some simple extensions:
9165 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
9168 The name of this server.
9171 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
9174 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
9177 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
9178 The mode line can also be customized by using the
9179 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
9180 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
9190 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
9193 @node Server Commands
9194 @subsection Server Commands
9195 @cindex server commands
9201 @findex gnus-server-add-server
9202 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
9206 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
9207 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
9210 @kindex SPACE (Server)
9211 @findex gnus-server-read-server
9212 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
9216 @findex gnus-server-exit
9217 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
9221 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
9222 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
9226 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
9227 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
9231 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
9232 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
9236 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
9237 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
9241 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
9242 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
9243 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
9248 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
9249 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
9250 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
9251 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
9256 @node Example Methods
9257 @subsection Example Methods
9259 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
9262 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
9265 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
9271 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
9272 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
9275 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
9276 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
9278 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
9279 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
9283 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
9286 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
9287 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
9289 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
9290 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
9291 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
9295 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
9298 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
9301 Here's the method for a public spool:
9305 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
9306 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
9309 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
9310 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
9311 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
9312 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
9313 should probably look something like this:
9317 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
9318 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
9319 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
9320 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
9321 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
9324 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
9325 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
9326 server that would look something like this:
9330 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
9331 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
9332 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
9333 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
9334 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
9335 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
9338 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
9339 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
9340 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
9341 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
9344 @node Creating a Virtual Server
9345 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
9347 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
9348 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
9350 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
9351 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
9352 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
9354 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
9356 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
9357 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
9358 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
9359 will contain the following:
9369 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
9370 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
9371 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
9374 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
9375 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
9376 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
9379 @node Server Variables
9380 @subsection Server Variables
9382 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
9383 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
9384 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
9385 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
9386 won't change the "derived" variables.
9388 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
9389 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
9390 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
9391 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
9392 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
9393 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
9394 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
9395 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
9396 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
9400 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
9401 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
9402 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
9406 @node Servers and Methods
9407 @subsection Servers and Methods
9409 Wherever you would normally use a select method
9410 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
9411 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
9412 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
9416 @node Unavailable Servers
9417 @subsection Unavailable Servers
9419 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
9420 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
9421 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
9422 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
9423 actually the case or not.
9425 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
9426 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
9427 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
9428 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
9429 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
9430 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
9431 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
9432 it will regard that server as ``down''.
9434 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
9435 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
9437 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
9438 with the following commands:
9444 @findex gnus-server-open-server
9445 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
9446 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
9450 @findex gnus-server-close-server
9451 Close the connection (if any) to the server
9452 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
9456 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
9457 Mark the current server as unreachable
9458 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
9461 @kindex M-o (Server)
9462 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
9463 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
9464 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
9467 @kindex M-c (Server)
9468 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
9469 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
9470 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
9474 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
9475 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
9476 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
9482 @section Getting News
9483 @cindex reading news
9484 @cindex news backends
9486 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
9487 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
9488 or it can read from a local spool.
9491 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
9492 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
9497 @subsection @sc{nntp}
9500 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
9501 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
9502 server as the, uhm, address.
9504 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
9505 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
9506 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
9507 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
9509 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
9510 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
9511 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
9513 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
9518 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
9519 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
9520 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
9522 @cindex authentification
9523 @cindex nntp authentification
9524 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
9525 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
9526 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
9527 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
9528 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
9529 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
9530 present in this hook.
9532 @item nntp-authinfo-function
9533 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
9534 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
9535 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
9536 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
9537 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
9538 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
9539 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
9540 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
9541 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
9542 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
9543 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
9547 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
9550 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
9551 valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
9552 @samp{default} and @samp{force}. (The latter is not a valid
9553 @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} token, which is the only way the
9554 @file{.authinfo} file format deviates from the @file{.netrc} file
9559 Here's an example file:
9562 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
9563 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
9566 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
9567 have to be first, for instance.
9569 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
9570 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
9571 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
9572 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
9573 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
9574 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
9575 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
9577 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
9578 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
9584 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
9585 previously mentioned.
9587 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
9589 @item nntp-server-action-alist
9590 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
9591 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
9592 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
9593 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
9596 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
9600 You probably don't want to do that, though.
9602 The default value is
9605 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
9606 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
9609 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
9610 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
9612 @item nntp-maximum-request
9613 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
9614 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
9615 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
9616 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
9617 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
9618 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
9619 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
9621 @item nntp-connection-timeout
9622 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
9623 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
9624 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
9625 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
9626 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
9627 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
9628 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
9629 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
9630 no timeouts are done.
9632 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
9633 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
9634 @c @cindex PPP connections
9635 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
9636 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
9637 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
9638 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
9639 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
9640 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
9641 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
9642 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
9643 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
9644 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
9646 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
9647 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
9648 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
9649 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
9652 @item nntp-server-hook
9653 @vindex nntp-server-hook
9654 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
9657 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
9658 @findex nntp-open-telnet
9659 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
9660 @item nntp-open-connection-function
9661 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
9662 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
9663 functions are supplied:
9666 @item nntp-open-network-stream
9667 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
9670 @item nntp-open-rlogin
9671 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
9672 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
9675 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
9679 @item nntp-rlogin-program
9680 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
9681 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
9682 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
9684 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
9685 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
9686 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
9688 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9689 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9690 User name on the remote system.
9694 @item nntp-open-telnet
9695 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
9696 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
9698 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
9701 @item nntp-telnet-command
9702 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
9703 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
9705 @item nntp-telnet-switches
9706 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
9707 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
9709 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
9710 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
9711 User name for log in on the remote system.
9713 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
9714 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
9715 Password to use when logging in.
9717 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
9718 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
9719 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
9722 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9723 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9724 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
9725 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
9727 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9728 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9729 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
9730 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
9731 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
9735 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
9736 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
9737 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
9738 you must have SSLay installed
9739 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
9740 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
9741 define a server as follows:
9744 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
9746 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
9748 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
9749 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
9750 (nntp-port-number "snews")
9751 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
9756 @item nntp-end-of-line
9757 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
9758 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
9759 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
9760 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
9762 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9763 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9764 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
9768 @vindex nntp-address
9769 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
9771 @item nntp-port-number
9772 @vindex nntp-port-number
9773 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
9776 @item nntp-buggy-select
9777 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
9778 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
9780 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
9781 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
9782 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
9783 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
9786 @item nntp-xover-commands
9787 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
9790 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
9791 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
9795 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
9796 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
9797 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
9798 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
9799 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
9800 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
9801 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
9802 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
9803 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
9804 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
9805 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
9807 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
9808 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
9809 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
9811 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9812 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9813 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
9814 server closes connection.
9816 @item nntp-record-commands
9817 @vindex nntp-record-commands
9818 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
9819 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
9820 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
9821 that doesn't seem to work.
9827 @subsection News Spool
9831 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
9832 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
9833 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
9836 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
9837 anything else) as the address.
9839 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
9840 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
9841 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
9842 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
9846 @item nnspool-inews-program
9847 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
9848 Program used to post an article.
9850 @item nnspool-inews-switches
9851 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
9852 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
9854 @item nnspool-spool-directory
9855 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
9856 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
9857 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
9859 @item nnspool-nov-directory
9860 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
9861 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
9862 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
9864 @item nnspool-lib-dir
9865 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
9866 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
9868 @item nnspool-active-file
9869 @vindex nnspool-active-file
9870 The path to the active file.
9872 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
9873 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
9874 The path to the group descriptions file.
9876 @item nnspool-history-file
9877 @vindex nnspool-history-file
9878 The path to the news history file.
9880 @item nnspool-active-times-file
9881 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
9882 The path to the active date file.
9884 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
9885 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
9886 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
9889 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9890 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9892 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
9893 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
9894 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
9900 @section Getting Mail
9901 @cindex reading mail
9904 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
9908 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
9909 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
9910 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
9911 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
9912 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
9913 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
9914 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
9915 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
9916 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
9917 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
9918 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
9919 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
9923 @node Mail in a Newsreader
9924 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
9926 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
9927 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
9930 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
9931 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
9933 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
9934 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
9935 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
9936 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
9938 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
9940 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
9943 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
9944 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
9945 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
9946 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
9949 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
9950 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
9951 they want to treat a message.
9953 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
9954 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
9955 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
9956 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
9957 archived somewhere else.
9959 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
9960 These are transported via NNTP, and are therefore news. But we may need
9961 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
9962 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
9963 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
9965 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
9966 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
9967 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
9969 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
9970 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
9973 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
9974 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
9975 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
9976 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
9977 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
9979 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
9980 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
9981 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
9982 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
9983 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
9984 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
9988 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
9989 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
9991 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
9992 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
9993 and things will happen automatically.
9995 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
9996 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
9999 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
10000 '((nnml "private")))
10003 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
10004 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
10005 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
10006 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
10007 like any other group.
10009 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
10012 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10013 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
10014 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
10018 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
10019 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
10020 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
10023 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
10024 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
10025 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
10028 @node Splitting Mail
10029 @subsection Splitting Mail
10030 @cindex splitting mail
10031 @cindex mail splitting
10033 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
10034 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
10035 to be split into groups.
10038 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10039 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
10040 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
10041 ("mail.other" "")))
10044 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
10045 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
10046 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
10047 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
10048 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
10049 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
10050 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
10053 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
10056 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
10057 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
10058 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
10059 mail belongs in that group.
10061 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
10062 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
10063 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
10064 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
10065 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
10066 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
10068 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
10069 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
10070 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
10071 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
10072 thinks should carry this mail message.
10074 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
10075 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
10076 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
10077 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
10079 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
10080 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
10081 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
10082 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
10083 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
10085 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
10088 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
10089 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
10090 links. If that's the case for you, set
10091 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
10092 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
10094 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
10095 @kindex nnmail-split-history
10096 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
10097 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
10099 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
10100 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
10101 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
10102 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
10103 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
10104 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
10105 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
10106 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
10107 month's rent money.
10111 @subsection Mail Sources
10113 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
10114 POP mail server, or from a procmail directory, for instance.
10117 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
10118 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
10119 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
10123 @node Mail Source Specifiers
10124 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
10126 @cindex mail server
10129 @cindex mail source
10131 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
10132 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
10137 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
10140 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
10141 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
10142 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
10145 The following mail source types are available:
10149 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
10155 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
10156 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
10159 An example file mail source:
10162 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
10165 Or using the default path:
10172 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
10173 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
10179 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
10183 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
10187 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
10188 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
10189 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
10190 predicate are considered.
10194 Script run before/after fetching mail.
10198 An example directory mail source:
10201 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
10206 Get mail from a POP server.
10212 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
10213 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
10216 The port number of the POP server. The default is @samp{pop3}.
10219 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
10223 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
10227 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This is should be
10228 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
10231 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
10234 The valid format specifier characters are:
10238 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
10239 included in this string.
10242 The name of the server.
10245 The port number of the server.
10248 The user name to use.
10251 The password to use.
10254 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
10255 corresponding keywords.
10258 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
10259 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
10262 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
10263 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
10266 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
10267 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
10270 @item :authentication
10271 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
10272 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
10277 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
10278 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
10280 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
10281 default user name, and default fetcher:
10287 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
10290 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
10291 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
10294 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
10297 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
10301 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox currently only
10302 supported by qmail, where each file in a special directory contains
10309 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
10310 @samp{~/Maildir/new}.
10312 If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
10313 them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
10314 @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the following example.
10318 An example maildir mail source:
10321 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/cur")
10327 @node Mail Source Customization
10328 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
10330 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
10331 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
10335 @item mail-source-crash-box
10336 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
10337 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
10338 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
10340 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
10341 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
10342 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
10344 @item mail-source-directory
10345 @vindex mail-source-directory
10346 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
10347 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
10348 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
10351 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
10352 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
10353 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
10358 @node Fetching Mail
10359 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
10361 @vindex mail-sources
10362 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
10363 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
10364 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
10365 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
10367 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
10368 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
10371 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
10372 mail server, you'd say something like:
10377 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
10378 :password "secret")))
10381 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
10385 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
10386 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
10389 :password "secret")))
10393 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
10394 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
10395 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
10396 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
10397 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
10398 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
10402 @node Mail Backend Variables
10403 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
10405 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
10409 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
10410 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
10411 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
10412 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
10414 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
10415 @item nnmail-split-hook
10416 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
10417 @findex RFC1522 decoding
10418 @findex RFC2047 decoding
10419 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
10420 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
10421 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
10422 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
10423 in the buffer will show up in any files.
10424 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
10427 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
10428 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
10429 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
10430 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
10431 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
10432 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
10433 starting to handle the new mail) and
10434 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
10435 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
10436 default file modes the new mail files get:
10439 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
10440 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
10442 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
10443 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
10446 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
10447 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
10448 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
10449 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
10450 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
10451 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
10452 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
10454 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
10455 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
10456 @findex delete-file
10457 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
10459 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
10460 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
10461 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
10462 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
10463 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
10468 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
10469 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
10470 @cindex mail splitting
10471 @cindex fancy mail splitting
10473 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
10474 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
10475 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
10476 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
10477 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
10478 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
10480 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
10483 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
10484 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
10485 ;; from real errors.
10486 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
10488 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
10489 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
10490 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
10491 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
10492 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
10493 ;; Other mailing lists...
10494 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
10495 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
10496 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
10497 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
10498 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
10499 ;; message was really cross-posted.
10500 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
10501 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
10503 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
10504 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
10508 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
10509 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
10510 the five possible split syntaxes:
10515 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
10516 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
10520 @var{(FIELD VALUE [- RESTRICT [- RESTRICT [...]]] SPLIT)}: If the split
10521 is a list, the first element of which is a string, then store the
10522 message as specified by SPLIT, if header FIELD (a regexp) contains VALUE
10523 (also a regexp). If RESTRICT (yet another regexp) matches some string
10524 after FIELD and before the end of the matched VALUE, the SPLIT is
10525 ignored. If none of the RESTRICT clauses match, SPLIT is processed.
10528 @var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
10529 @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
10530 matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
10531 be stored in one or more groups.
10534 @var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
10535 @code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
10538 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
10539 this message. Use with extreme caution.
10542 @var{(: function arg1 arg2 ...)}: If the split is a list, and the first
10543 element is @code{:}, then the second element will be called as a
10544 function with @var{args} given as arguments. The function should return
10548 @var{(! FUNC SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, and the first element
10549 is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be called as a
10550 function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should return a split.
10553 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
10557 In these splits, @var{FIELD} must match a complete field name.
10558 @var{VALUE} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
10559 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
10560 field names or words. In other words, all @var{VALUE}'s are wrapped in
10561 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
10563 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
10564 @var{FIELD} and @var{VALUE} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
10565 are expanded as specified by the variable
10566 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
10567 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
10570 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
10571 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
10572 when all this splitting is performed.
10574 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
10575 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
10576 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
10579 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
10582 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
10583 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
10585 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
10586 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
10587 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
10588 groupings 1 through 9.
10591 @node Incorporating Old Mail
10592 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
10594 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
10595 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
10596 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
10599 Doing so can be quite easy.
10601 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
10602 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
10603 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
10604 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
10605 your @code{nnml} groups.
10611 Go to the group buffer.
10614 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
10615 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10618 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
10621 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
10622 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
10625 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
10626 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
10629 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
10630 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
10631 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
10632 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
10633 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
10635 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
10636 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
10637 using the new mail backend.
10640 @node Expiring Mail
10641 @subsection Expiring Mail
10642 @cindex article expiry
10644 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
10645 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
10646 different approach to mail reading.
10648 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
10649 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
10650 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
10651 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
10652 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
10653 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
10656 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
10657 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
10658 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
10659 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
10660 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
10661 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
10662 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
10663 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
10665 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
10666 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
10667 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
10668 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
10669 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
10670 column in the summary buffer.
10672 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
10673 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
10674 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
10675 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
10678 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
10680 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
10681 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
10682 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
10685 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
10686 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
10687 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
10688 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
10689 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
10691 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
10692 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
10695 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
10696 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
10699 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
10700 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
10702 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
10703 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
10704 don't really mix very well.
10706 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
10707 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
10708 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
10709 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
10712 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
10713 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
10714 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
10715 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
10718 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
10720 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
10722 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
10724 ((string= group "mail.junk")
10726 ((string= group "important")
10732 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
10733 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
10735 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
10736 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
10737 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
10740 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
10741 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
10743 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
10744 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
10745 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
10746 easier for procmail users.
10748 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
10749 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
10750 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
10751 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
10752 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
10753 caution. Even more dangerous is the
10754 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
10755 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
10756 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
10757 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
10758 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
10759 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
10760 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
10763 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
10765 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
10766 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
10767 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
10768 auto-expire turned on.
10772 @subsection Washing Mail
10773 @cindex mail washing
10774 @cindex list server brain damage
10775 @cindex incoming mail treatment
10777 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
10778 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
10779 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
10780 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
10781 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
10782 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
10784 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
10785 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
10786 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
10789 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
10790 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
10791 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
10792 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
10795 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
10796 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
10797 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
10798 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
10799 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
10802 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
10803 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
10804 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
10805 Emacs running on MS machines.
10809 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
10810 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
10811 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
10812 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
10815 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
10816 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
10817 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
10818 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
10820 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
10821 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
10822 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
10823 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
10824 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
10825 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
10826 also be a list of regexp.
10828 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
10829 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
10832 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
10833 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
10836 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
10837 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
10838 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
10840 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
10841 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
10843 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
10844 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
10845 @code{References} headers.
10849 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
10850 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
10851 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
10855 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
10856 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
10857 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
10864 @subsection Duplicates
10866 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
10867 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
10868 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
10869 @cindex duplicate mails
10870 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
10871 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
10872 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
10873 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
10874 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
10875 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
10876 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
10877 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
10878 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
10879 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
10880 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
10881 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
10882 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
10884 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
10885 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
10886 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
10887 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
10889 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
10892 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
10893 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
10897 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
10898 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
10899 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
10900 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
10901 (any mail "mail.misc")
10908 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10909 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
10914 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
10915 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
10916 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
10917 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
10918 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
10921 @node Not Reading Mail
10922 @subsection Not Reading Mail
10924 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
10925 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
10926 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
10928 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
10929 @code{nil}, none of the backends will ever attempt to read incoming
10930 mail, which should help.
10932 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10933 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10934 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10935 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10936 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10937 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
10938 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
10939 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
10940 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
10941 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
10942 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
10944 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
10945 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
10949 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
10950 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
10952 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
10953 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
10954 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
10956 There are five different mail backends in the standard Gnus, and more
10957 backends are available separately. The mail backend most people use
10958 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
10959 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
10962 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
10963 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
10964 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
10965 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
10966 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
10967 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
10971 @node Unix Mail Box
10972 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
10974 @cindex unix mail box
10976 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10977 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10978 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
10979 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
10980 which group it belongs in.
10982 Virtual server settings:
10985 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
10986 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10987 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
10989 @item nnmbox-active-file
10990 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10991 The name of the active file for the mail box.
10993 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
10994 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10995 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
11001 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
11005 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
11006 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
11007 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
11008 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
11009 article to say which group it belongs in.
11011 Virtual server settings:
11014 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
11015 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
11016 The name of the rmail mbox file.
11018 @item nnbabyl-active-file
11019 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
11020 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
11022 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
11023 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
11024 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
11029 @subsubsection Mail Spool
11031 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
11033 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
11034 format. It should be used with some caution.
11036 @vindex nnml-directory
11037 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
11038 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
11039 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
11040 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
11042 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
11045 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
11046 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
11047 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
11048 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
11049 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
11050 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
11051 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
11052 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
11054 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
11055 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
11056 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
11057 backend when it comes to reading mail.
11059 Virtual server settings:
11062 @item nnml-directory
11063 @vindex nnml-directory
11064 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
11066 @item nnml-active-file
11067 @vindex nnml-active-file
11068 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
11070 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
11071 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
11072 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
11075 @item nnml-get-new-mail
11076 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
11077 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
11079 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
11080 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
11081 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
11083 @item nnml-nov-file-name
11084 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
11085 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
11087 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
11088 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
11089 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
11093 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
11094 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
11095 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
11096 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
11097 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
11098 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
11099 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
11104 @subsubsection MH Spool
11106 @cindex mh-e mail spool
11108 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
11109 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
11110 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
11111 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
11113 Virtual server settings:
11116 @item nnmh-directory
11117 @vindex nnmh-directory
11118 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
11120 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
11121 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
11122 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
11125 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
11126 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
11127 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
11128 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
11129 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
11130 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
11131 to set this variable to @code{t}.
11136 @subsubsection Mail Folders
11138 @cindex mbox folders
11139 @cindex mail folders
11141 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
11142 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
11143 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
11146 Virtual server settings:
11149 @item nnfolder-directory
11150 @vindex nnfolder-directory
11151 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
11153 @item nnfolder-active-file
11154 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
11155 The name of the active file.
11157 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
11158 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
11159 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
11161 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
11162 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
11163 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
11165 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
11166 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
11167 @cindex backup files
11168 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
11169 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
11170 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
11171 your @file{.emacs} file:
11174 (defun turn-off-backup ()
11175 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
11177 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
11180 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
11181 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
11182 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
11183 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
11184 extract some information from it before removing it.
11189 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
11190 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
11191 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
11192 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
11193 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
11194 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
11197 @node Comparing Mail Backends
11198 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Backends
11200 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{backend} is the common word for a
11201 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
11202 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
11203 and so selection of a suitable backend is required in order to get that
11204 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
11206 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
11207 typically done by NNTP these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
11208 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
11209 articles lay (the machine which today we call an NNTP server), and
11210 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
11211 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
11212 @code{nnspool} backends, to select between these methods, if one happens
11213 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
11216 The goal in selecting a mail backend is to pick one which
11217 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
11218 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
11219 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
11224 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
11225 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
11226 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
11227 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
11228 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
11229 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
11230 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
11231 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
11232 this backend, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
11233 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
11234 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
11235 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
11236 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
11241 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
11242 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
11243 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
11244 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
11245 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
11246 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
11247 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
11248 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
11249 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
11250 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
11251 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
11252 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
11253 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
11254 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
11256 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
11257 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
11262 @code{nnml} is the backend which smells the most as though you were
11263 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
11264 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
11265 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
11266 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
11267 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
11268 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
11269 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
11270 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
11271 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
11272 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
11273 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
11274 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
11275 provided by the active file and overviews.
11277 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
11278 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
11279 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
11280 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
11281 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
11284 It is also problematic using this backend if you are living in a
11285 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
11290 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
11291 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
11292 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
11293 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
11294 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
11295 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
11296 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
11300 Basically the effetc of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
11301 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
11302 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
11303 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
11304 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
11305 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
11306 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
11307 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
11308 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
11310 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
11311 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
11312 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
11313 friendly mail backend all over.
11319 @node Other Sources
11320 @section Other Sources
11322 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
11323 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
11327 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
11328 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
11329 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
11330 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
11331 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
11332 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
11336 @node Directory Groups
11337 @subsection Directory Groups
11339 @cindex directory groups
11341 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
11342 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
11345 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
11346 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
11347 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
11348 backend to read directories. Big deal.
11350 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
11351 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
11352 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
11353 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
11354 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
11356 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
11358 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
11359 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
11360 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
11361 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
11364 @node Anything Groups
11365 @subsection Anything Groups
11368 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
11369 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
11370 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
11373 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
11374 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
11375 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
11376 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
11377 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
11378 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
11379 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
11380 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
11381 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
11382 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
11385 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
11386 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
11387 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
11388 in the article buffer, just as usual.
11390 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
11391 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
11392 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
11393 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
11395 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
11396 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
11397 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
11398 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
11399 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
11400 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
11401 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
11402 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
11407 @item nneething-map-file-directory
11408 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
11409 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
11410 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
11412 @item nneething-exclude-files
11413 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
11414 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
11415 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
11417 @item nneething-include-files
11418 @vindex nneething-include-files
11419 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
11420 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
11422 @item nneething-map-file
11423 @vindex nneething-map-file
11424 Name of the map files.
11428 @node Document Groups
11429 @subsection Document Groups
11431 @cindex documentation group
11434 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
11435 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
11442 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
11447 The standard Unix mbox file.
11449 @cindex MMDF mail box
11451 The MMDF mail box format.
11454 Several news articles appended into a file.
11457 @cindex rnews batch files
11458 The rnews batch transport format.
11459 @cindex forwarded messages
11462 Forwarded articles.
11465 Netscape mail boxes.
11468 MIME multipart messages.
11470 @item standard-digest
11471 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
11474 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
11477 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
11478 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
11479 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
11482 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
11483 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
11484 group. And that's it.
11486 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
11487 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
11488 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
11489 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
11490 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
11491 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
11492 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
11493 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
11494 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
11495 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
11497 Virtual server variables:
11500 @item nndoc-article-type
11501 @vindex nndoc-article-type
11502 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
11503 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
11504 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
11505 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
11507 @item nndoc-post-type
11508 @vindex nndoc-post-type
11509 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
11510 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
11515 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
11519 @node Document Server Internals
11520 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
11522 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
11523 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
11524 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
11525 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
11527 First, here's an example document type definition:
11531 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
11532 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
11535 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
11536 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
11537 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
11538 types can be defined with very few settings:
11541 @item first-article
11542 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
11543 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
11546 @item article-begin
11547 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
11548 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
11550 @item head-begin-function
11551 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
11554 @item nndoc-head-begin
11555 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
11558 @item nndoc-head-end
11559 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
11560 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
11562 @item body-begin-function
11563 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
11567 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
11570 @item body-end-function
11571 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
11575 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
11578 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
11579 regexp will be totally ignored.
11583 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
11584 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
11585 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
11586 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
11587 something that's palatable for Gnus:
11590 @item prepare-body-function
11591 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
11592 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
11593 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
11595 @item article-transform-function
11596 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
11597 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
11598 body of the article.
11600 @item generate-head-function
11601 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
11602 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
11603 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
11604 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
11608 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
11613 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
11614 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
11615 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
11616 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
11617 (head-end . "^ ?$")
11618 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
11619 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
11620 (subtype digest guess))
11623 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
11624 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
11625 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
11626 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
11627 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
11629 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
11630 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
11631 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
11632 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
11633 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
11634 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
11635 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
11636 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
11637 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
11638 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
11646 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
11647 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
11648 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
11650 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
11651 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
11652 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
11655 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
11656 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
11657 that interested in doing things properly.
11659 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
11660 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
11663 First some terminology:
11668 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
11669 get news and/or mail from.
11672 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
11673 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
11676 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
11680 @item message packets
11681 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
11682 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
11683 default, where @var{X} is a number.
11685 @item response packets
11686 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
11687 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
11688 default, where @var{X} is a number.
11698 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
11699 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
11700 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
11701 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
11704 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
11707 You put the packet in your home directory.
11710 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
11711 the native or secondary server.
11714 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
11715 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
11718 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
11722 You transfer this packet to the server.
11725 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
11728 You then repeat until you die.
11732 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
11733 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
11736 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
11737 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
11738 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
11742 @node SOUP Commands
11743 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
11745 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
11749 @kindex G s b (Group)
11750 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
11751 Pack all unread articles in the current group
11752 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
11753 process/prefix convention.
11756 @kindex G s w (Group)
11757 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
11758 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
11761 @kindex G s s (Group)
11762 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
11763 Send all replies from the replies packet
11764 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
11767 @kindex G s p (Group)
11768 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
11769 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
11772 @kindex G s r (Group)
11773 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
11774 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
11777 @kindex O s (Summary)
11778 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
11779 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
11780 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
11781 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
11786 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
11791 @item gnus-soup-directory
11792 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
11793 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
11794 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
11796 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
11797 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
11798 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
11799 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
11801 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
11802 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
11803 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
11804 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
11806 @item gnus-soup-packer
11807 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
11808 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
11809 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
11811 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
11812 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
11813 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
11814 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
11816 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
11817 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
11818 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
11820 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
11821 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
11822 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
11823 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
11829 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
11832 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
11833 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
11834 you can read them at leisure.
11836 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
11840 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
11841 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
11842 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
11843 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
11845 @item nnsoup-directory
11846 @vindex nnsoup-directory
11847 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
11848 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
11850 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
11851 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
11852 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
11853 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
11855 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
11856 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
11857 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
11858 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
11859 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
11861 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
11862 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
11863 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
11864 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
11866 @item nnsoup-active-file
11867 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
11868 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
11869 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
11870 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
11871 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
11873 @item nnsoup-packer
11874 @vindex nnsoup-packer
11875 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
11876 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
11878 @item nnsoup-unpacker
11879 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
11880 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
11881 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
11883 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
11884 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
11885 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
11888 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
11889 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
11890 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
11893 @item nnsoup-always-save
11894 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
11895 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
11901 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
11903 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
11904 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
11905 more for that to happen.
11907 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
11908 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
11909 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
11912 In specific, this is what it does:
11915 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
11916 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
11919 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
11920 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
11921 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
11925 @subsection Web Searches
11929 @cindex InReference
11930 @cindex Usenet searches
11931 @cindex searching the Usenet
11933 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
11934 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
11935 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
11936 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
11937 searches without having to use a browser.
11939 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
11940 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
11941 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
11942 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
11943 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
11945 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
11946 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
11947 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
11948 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
11949 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
11950 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
11951 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
11952 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
11953 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
11954 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
11957 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
11958 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
11959 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
11960 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
11961 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
11962 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
11964 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
11965 to use @code{nnweb}.
11967 Virtual server variables:
11972 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
11973 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
11977 @vindex nnweb-search
11978 The search string to feed to the search engine.
11980 @item nnweb-max-hits
11981 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
11982 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
11985 @item nnweb-type-definition
11986 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
11987 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
11988 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
11993 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
11997 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
12000 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
12003 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
12007 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
12014 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
12015 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
12016 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
12019 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
12020 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
12021 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
12023 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
12029 @item nngateway-address
12030 @vindex nngateway-address
12031 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
12033 @item nngateway-header-transformation
12034 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
12035 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
12036 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
12037 transformation should be called, and defaults to
12038 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
12039 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
12042 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
12043 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
12044 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
12047 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
12050 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
12053 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
12056 The following pre-defined functions exist:
12058 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
12061 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
12062 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
12063 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
12065 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
12067 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
12068 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
12069 @code{nngateway-address}.
12074 (setq gnus-post-method
12075 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
12076 (nngateway-header-transformation
12077 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
12085 So, to use this, simply say something like:
12088 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
12092 @node Combined Groups
12093 @section Combined Groups
12095 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
12099 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
12100 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
12104 @node Virtual Groups
12105 @subsection Virtual Groups
12107 @cindex virtual groups
12108 @cindex merging groups
12110 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
12113 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
12114 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
12115 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
12117 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
12118 regexp to match component groups.
12120 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
12121 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
12122 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
12123 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
12124 the virtual group.)
12126 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
12127 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
12130 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
12133 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
12134 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
12136 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
12137 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
12138 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
12139 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
12142 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
12145 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
12146 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
12147 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
12149 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
12150 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
12151 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
12152 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
12153 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
12155 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
12156 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
12157 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
12159 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
12160 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
12161 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
12162 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
12163 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
12164 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
12165 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
12166 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
12167 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
12168 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
12169 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
12171 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
12172 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
12173 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
12174 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
12175 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
12176 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
12177 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
12179 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
12180 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
12184 @node Kibozed Groups
12185 @subsection Kibozed Groups
12189 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
12190 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
12191 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
12192 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
12194 @kindex G k (Group)
12195 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
12198 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
12199 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
12200 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
12201 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
12203 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
12204 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
12205 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
12207 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
12208 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
12209 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
12210 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
12211 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
12212 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
12213 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
12214 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
12216 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
12217 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
12218 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
12219 Stranger things have happened.
12221 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
12222 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
12224 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
12225 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
12226 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
12227 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
12228 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
12229 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
12231 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
12232 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
12235 @node Gnus Unplugged
12236 @section Gnus Unplugged
12241 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
12243 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
12244 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
12245 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
12246 read news. Believe it or not.
12248 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
12249 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
12250 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
12251 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
12252 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
12254 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
12255 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
12256 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
12257 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
12258 reading news on a machine.
12260 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
12264 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
12265 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
12269 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
12270 @file{.gnus.el} file:
12277 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
12279 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
12282 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
12283 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
12284 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
12285 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
12286 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
12287 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
12288 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
12289 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
12290 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
12295 @subsection Agent Basics
12297 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
12299 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
12300 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
12301 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
12302 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
12304 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
12305 connected to the net continuously.
12307 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
12308 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
12310 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
12315 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
12316 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
12317 already fetched while in this mode.
12320 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
12321 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
12322 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged}.
12325 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
12326 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
12327 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
12328 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
12331 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
12332 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
12333 then you read the news offline.
12336 And then you go to step 2.
12339 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
12345 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
12346 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
12347 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
12348 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
12349 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
12350 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
12353 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
12360 @node Agent Categories
12361 @subsection Agent Categories
12363 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
12364 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
12365 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
12366 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
12367 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
12368 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
12369 you're interested in the articles anyway.
12371 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
12372 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
12373 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
12374 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
12375 managing categories.
12378 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
12379 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
12380 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
12384 @node Category Syntax
12385 @subsubsection Category Syntax
12387 A category consists of two things.
12391 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
12392 are eligible for downloading; and
12395 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
12396 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
12397 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
12400 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
12401 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
12402 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
12403 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
12405 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
12406 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
12407 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as descibed below.
12409 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
12410 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
12411 operators sprinkled in between.
12413 Perhaps some examples are in order.
12415 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
12416 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
12422 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
12423 short (for some value of ``short'').
12425 Here's a more complex predicate:
12434 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
12435 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
12438 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
12439 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
12440 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
12442 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
12443 you want to do, you can write your own.
12447 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
12448 lines; default 100.
12451 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
12452 lines; default 200.
12455 True iff the article has a download score less than
12456 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
12459 True iff the article has a download score greater than
12460 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
12463 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
12464 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
12465 checksum and sees whether articles match.
12474 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
12475 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
12476 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
12479 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
12480 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
12481 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
12482 something along the lines of the following:
12485 (defun my-article-old-p ()
12486 "Say whether an article is old."
12487 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
12488 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
12491 with the predicate then defined as:
12494 (not my-article-old-p)
12497 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
12498 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
12499 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
12500 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
12503 (defvar gnus-category-predicate-alist
12504 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
12505 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
12508 and simply specify your predicate as:
12514 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
12515 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
12516 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
12517 just don't give a damm.
12520 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
12521 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
12522 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
12523 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
12524 parameters like so:
12527 (agent-predicate . short)
12530 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category
12531 default. Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this,
12532 the @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair
12535 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
12538 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
12541 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
12542 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
12543 predicate is assumed to be a list.
12546 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
12547 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
12548 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
12549 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
12550 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
12551 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
12553 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
12554 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
12555 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
12556 if it's to be specific to that group.
12558 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
12565 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
12566 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
12572 Category specification
12576 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
12582 Group Parameter specification
12585 (agent-score ("from"
12586 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
12591 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
12597 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
12604 Category specification
12607 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
12613 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
12617 Group Parameter specification
12620 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
12623 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
12628 Use @code{normal} score files
12630 If you dont want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
12631 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
12632 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
12633 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
12635 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
12636 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
12637 files for a group, *filtering out* those those sections that do not
12638 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
12642 Category Specification
12649 Group Parameter specification
12652 (agent-score . file)
12657 @node The Category Buffer
12658 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
12660 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
12661 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
12662 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
12664 The following commands are available in this buffer:
12668 @kindex q (Category)
12669 @findex gnus-category-exit
12670 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
12673 @kindex k (Category)
12674 @findex gnus-category-kill
12675 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
12678 @kindex c (Category)
12679 @findex gnus-category-copy
12680 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
12683 @kindex a (Category)
12684 @findex gnus-category-add
12685 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
12688 @kindex p (Category)
12689 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
12690 Edit the predicate of the current category
12691 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
12694 @kindex g (Category)
12695 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
12696 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
12697 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
12700 @kindex s (Category)
12701 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
12702 Edit the download score rule of the current category
12703 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
12706 @kindex l (Category)
12707 @findex gnus-category-list
12708 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
12712 @node Category Variables
12713 @subsubsection Category Variables
12716 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
12717 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
12718 Hook run in category buffers.
12720 @item gnus-category-line-format
12721 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
12722 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
12723 Variables}). Valid elements are:
12727 The name of the category.
12730 The number of groups in the category.
12733 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
12734 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
12735 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
12737 @item gnus-agent-short-article
12738 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
12739 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
12741 @item gnus-agent-long-article
12742 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
12743 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
12745 @item gnus-agent-low-score
12746 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
12747 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
12750 @item gnus-agent-high-score
12751 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
12752 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
12758 @node Agent Commands
12759 @subsection Agent Commands
12761 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
12762 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
12763 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
12767 * Group Agent Commands::
12768 * Summary Agent Commands::
12769 * Server Agent Commands::
12772 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
12773 following incantation:
12775 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
12777 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
12782 @node Group Agent Commands
12783 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
12787 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
12788 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
12789 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
12790 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
12793 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
12794 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
12795 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
12798 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
12799 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
12800 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
12801 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
12804 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
12805 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
12806 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
12807 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}). @xref{Drafts}.
12810 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
12811 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
12812 Add the current group to an Agent category
12813 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
12814 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
12817 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
12818 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
12819 Remove the current group from its category, if any
12820 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
12821 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
12826 @node Summary Agent Commands
12827 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
12831 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
12832 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
12833 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
12836 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
12837 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
12838 Remove the downloading mark from the article
12839 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
12842 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
12843 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
12844 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
12847 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
12848 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
12849 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
12854 @node Server Agent Commands
12855 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
12859 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
12860 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
12861 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
12862 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
12865 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
12866 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
12867 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
12868 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
12874 @subsection Agent Expiry
12876 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
12877 @findex gnus-agent-expire
12878 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
12879 @cindex Agent expiry
12880 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
12883 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
12884 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
12885 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
12886 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
12887 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
12888 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
12890 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
12891 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
12892 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
12893 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
12894 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
12897 @node Outgoing Messages
12898 @subsection Outgoing Messages
12900 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
12901 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
12902 after posting, and edit them at will.
12904 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
12905 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
12906 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
12907 messages in the draft group.
12911 @node Agent Variables
12912 @subsection Agent Variables
12915 @item gnus-agent-directory
12916 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
12917 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
12918 @file{~/News/agent/}.
12920 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
12921 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
12922 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
12923 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
12924 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
12927 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
12928 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
12929 Hook run when connecting to the network.
12931 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
12932 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
12933 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
12938 @node Example Setup
12939 @subsection Example Setup
12941 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
12942 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
12943 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
12946 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over NNTP
12947 ;;; from your ISP's server.
12948 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
12950 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
12951 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
12952 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
12954 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
12955 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12957 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
12961 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
12962 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
12965 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
12966 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
12967 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
12968 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
12969 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
12972 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
12973 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
12974 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
12975 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
12976 back all the killed groups.)
12978 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
12979 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
12980 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
12983 @node Batching Agents
12984 @subsection Batching Agents
12986 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
12987 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
12988 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
12992 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
12996 @node Agent Caveats
12997 @subsection Agent Caveats
12999 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
13000 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
13004 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
13009 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
13010 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
13016 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
13017 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
13024 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
13025 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
13026 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
13029 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
13030 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
13031 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
13032 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
13033 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
13035 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
13036 before generating the summary buffer.
13038 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
13039 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
13040 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
13042 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
13043 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
13044 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
13045 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
13048 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
13049 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
13050 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
13051 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
13052 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
13053 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
13054 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
13055 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
13056 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
13057 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
13058 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
13059 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
13060 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
13061 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
13062 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
13063 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
13067 @node Summary Score Commands
13068 @section Summary Score Commands
13069 @cindex score commands
13071 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
13072 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
13073 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
13074 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
13075 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
13077 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
13078 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
13079 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
13080 score file the current one.
13082 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
13087 @kindex V s (Summary)
13088 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
13089 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
13092 @kindex V S (Summary)
13093 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
13094 Display the score of the current article
13095 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
13098 @kindex V t (Summary)
13099 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
13100 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
13101 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
13104 @kindex V R (Summary)
13105 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
13106 Run the current summary through the scoring process
13107 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
13108 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
13109 effect you're having.
13112 @kindex V c (Summary)
13113 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
13114 Make a different score file the current
13115 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
13118 @kindex V e (Summary)
13119 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
13120 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
13121 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
13125 @kindex V f (Summary)
13126 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
13127 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
13128 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
13131 @kindex V F (Summary)
13132 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
13133 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
13134 after editing score files.
13137 @kindex V C (Summary)
13138 @findex gnus-score-customize
13139 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
13140 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
13144 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
13149 @kindex V m (Summary)
13150 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
13151 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
13152 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
13155 @kindex V x (Summary)
13156 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
13157 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
13158 expunge all articles below this score
13159 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
13162 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
13163 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
13166 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
13167 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
13171 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
13172 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
13174 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
13175 keys are available:
13179 Score on the author name.
13182 Score on the subject line.
13185 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
13188 Score on the @code{References} line.
13194 Score on the number of lines.
13197 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
13200 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
13201 the followups to this author.
13215 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
13216 what headers you are scoring on.
13228 Substring matching.
13231 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
13260 Greater than number.
13265 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
13266 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
13267 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
13271 Temporary score entry.
13274 Permanent score entry.
13277 Immediately scoring.
13282 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
13283 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
13284 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
13285 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
13287 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
13288 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
13289 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
13290 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
13291 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
13293 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
13294 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
13295 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
13296 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
13297 current score file.
13299 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
13300 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
13301 pretend they are keymaps or not.
13304 @node Group Score Commands
13305 @section Group Score Commands
13306 @cindex group score commands
13308 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
13313 @kindex W f (Group)
13314 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
13315 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
13316 all the time. This command will flush the cache
13317 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
13321 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
13323 @findex gnus-batch-score
13324 @cindex batch scoring
13326 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
13330 @node Score Variables
13331 @section Score Variables
13332 @cindex score variables
13336 @item gnus-use-scoring
13337 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
13338 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
13339 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
13341 @item gnus-kill-killed
13342 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
13343 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
13344 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
13345 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
13346 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
13347 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
13348 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
13350 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
13351 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
13352 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
13353 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
13354 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
13356 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
13357 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
13358 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
13359 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
13361 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
13362 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
13363 @cindex score cache
13364 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
13365 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
13366 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
13367 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
13368 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
13369 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
13372 @item gnus-save-score
13373 @vindex gnus-save-score
13374 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
13375 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
13376 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
13378 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
13379 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
13380 across group visits.
13382 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
13383 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
13384 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
13385 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
13386 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
13387 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
13388 manually entered data.
13390 @item gnus-summary-default-score
13391 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
13392 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
13394 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
13395 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
13396 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
13397 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
13398 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
13399 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
13401 @item gnus-score-over-mark
13402 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
13403 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
13404 default. Default is @samp{+}.
13406 @item gnus-score-below-mark
13407 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
13408 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
13409 default. Default is @samp{-}.
13411 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
13412 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
13413 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
13414 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
13416 Predefined functions available are:
13419 @item gnus-score-find-single
13420 @findex gnus-score-find-single
13421 Only apply the group's own score file.
13423 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
13424 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
13425 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
13426 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
13427 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
13428 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
13429 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
13430 then a regexp match is done.
13432 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
13433 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
13435 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
13436 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
13437 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
13438 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
13440 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
13441 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
13442 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
13443 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
13444 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
13447 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
13448 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
13449 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
13450 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
13451 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
13452 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
13455 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
13456 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
13457 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
13458 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
13459 are expired. It's 7 by default.
13461 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
13462 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
13463 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
13464 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
13465 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
13466 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
13467 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
13470 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
13471 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
13472 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
13474 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
13475 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
13476 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
13477 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
13478 threading---according to the current value of
13479 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
13480 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
13481 simplified in this manner.
13486 @node Score File Format
13487 @section Score File Format
13488 @cindex score file format
13490 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
13491 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
13492 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
13494 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
13498 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
13500 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
13502 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
13504 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
13509 (mark-and-expunge -10)
13513 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
13514 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
13515 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
13516 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
13520 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
13521 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
13523 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
13524 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
13525 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
13527 Six keys are supported by this alist:
13532 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
13533 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
13534 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
13535 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
13536 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
13537 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
13538 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
13539 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
13540 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
13541 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
13542 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
13543 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
13544 to articles that matches these score entries.
13546 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
13547 score entry has one to four elements.
13551 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
13552 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
13556 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
13557 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
13558 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
13559 is successful. If this element is not present, the
13560 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
13561 instead. This is 1000 by default.
13564 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
13565 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
13566 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
13567 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
13568 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
13571 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
13572 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
13573 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
13574 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
13577 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
13578 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
13579 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
13580 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
13581 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
13582 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
13583 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
13584 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
13585 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
13586 instead, if you feel like.
13589 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
13590 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
13592 These predicates are true if
13595 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
13598 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
13599 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
13606 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
13607 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
13608 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
13609 it's not. I think.)
13611 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
13612 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
13613 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
13614 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
13617 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
13618 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
13619 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
13620 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
13621 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
13622 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
13623 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
13627 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
13628 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
13629 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
13630 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
13631 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
13632 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
13633 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
13634 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
13637 @item Head, Body, All
13638 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
13642 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
13643 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
13644 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
13645 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
13646 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
13647 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
13648 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
13652 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
13653 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{X}, then you add a
13654 @samp{thread} match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each
13655 article that has @var{X} in its @code{References} header. (These new
13656 @samp{thread} matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching
13657 articles.) This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an
13658 entire thread, even though some articles in the thread may not have
13659 complete @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
13660 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
13661 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
13665 @cindex Score File Atoms
13667 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
13668 lower than this number will be marked as read.
13671 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
13672 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
13674 @item mark-and-expunge
13675 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
13676 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
13679 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
13680 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
13681 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
13682 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
13683 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
13686 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
13687 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
13690 @item exclude-files
13691 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
13692 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
13696 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
13697 ignored when handling global score files.
13700 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
13701 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
13702 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
13703 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
13706 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
13707 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
13708 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
13709 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
13711 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
13715 (mark-and-expunge -100)
13718 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
13719 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
13720 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
13721 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
13722 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
13724 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
13725 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
13726 ordinary scoring rules.
13729 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
13730 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
13731 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
13732 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
13733 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
13734 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
13735 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
13736 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
13737 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
13738 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
13739 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
13743 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
13744 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
13745 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
13746 file for a number of groups.
13749 @cindex local variables
13750 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
13751 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
13752 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
13753 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
13754 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
13758 @node Score File Editing
13759 @section Score File Editing
13761 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
13762 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
13763 with a mode for that.
13765 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
13766 additional commands:
13771 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
13772 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
13773 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
13774 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
13777 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
13778 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
13779 Insert the current date in numerical format
13780 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
13781 you were wondering.
13784 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
13785 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
13786 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
13787 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
13788 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
13793 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
13795 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
13796 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
13798 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
13799 e} to begin editing score files.
13802 @node Adaptive Scoring
13803 @section Adaptive Scoring
13804 @cindex adaptive scoring
13806 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
13807 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
13808 stupidity, to be precise.
13810 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
13811 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
13812 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
13813 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
13814 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
13815 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
13816 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
13817 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
13818 variable to @code{(word line)}.
13820 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
13821 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
13822 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
13823 might look something like this:
13826 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
13827 '((gnus-unread-mark)
13828 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
13829 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
13830 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
13831 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
13832 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
13833 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
13834 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
13835 (gnus-ancient-mark)
13836 (gnus-low-score-mark)
13837 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
13840 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
13841 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
13842 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
13843 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
13844 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
13845 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
13848 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
13849 will be applied to each article.
13851 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
13852 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
13853 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
13854 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
13856 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
13857 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
13858 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
13859 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
13861 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
13862 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
13863 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
13864 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
13866 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
13867 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
13868 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
13869 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
13870 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
13871 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
13873 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
13874 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
13875 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
13876 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
13877 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
13878 aspirins afterwards.)
13880 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
13881 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
13882 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
13884 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
13885 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
13886 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
13888 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
13889 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
13890 let you use different rules in different groups.
13892 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
13893 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
13894 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
13897 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
13898 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
13899 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
13900 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
13901 the length of the match is less than
13902 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
13903 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
13906 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
13907 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
13908 headers. If you adapt on words, the
13909 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
13910 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
13913 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
13914 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
13915 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
13916 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
13917 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
13920 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
13921 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
13922 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
13923 score with 30 points.
13925 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
13926 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
13927 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
13928 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
13929 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
13931 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
13932 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
13933 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
13934 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
13936 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
13937 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
13938 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
13939 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
13941 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
13942 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
13943 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
13944 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
13945 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
13947 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
13948 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
13949 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
13951 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
13952 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
13953 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
13954 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
13957 @node Home Score File
13958 @section Home Score File
13960 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
13961 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
13962 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
13963 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
13965 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
13966 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
13967 could perhaps use the same home score file.
13969 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
13970 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
13975 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
13979 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
13980 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
13984 A list. The elements in this list can be:
13988 @var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
13989 the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
13992 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
13993 the home score file.
13996 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
13999 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
14004 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
14007 (setq gnus-home-score-file
14008 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
14011 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
14012 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
14014 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
14016 (setq gnus-home-score-file
14017 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
14020 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
14021 Other functions include
14024 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
14025 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
14026 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
14027 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
14031 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
14032 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
14033 their own home score files:
14036 (setq gnus-home-score-file
14037 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
14038 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
14039 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
14040 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
14043 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
14044 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
14045 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
14046 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
14047 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
14049 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
14050 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
14051 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
14052 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
14053 precedence over this variable.
14056 @node Followups To Yourself
14057 @section Followups To Yourself
14059 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
14060 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
14061 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
14062 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
14063 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
14064 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
14068 @item gnus-score-followup-article
14069 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
14070 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
14073 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
14074 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
14075 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
14079 @vindex message-sent-hook
14080 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
14081 @code{message-sent-hook}.
14083 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
14084 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
14088 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
14089 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
14092 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
14093 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
14098 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
14102 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
14103 is system-dependent.
14107 @section Scoring Tips
14108 @cindex scoring tips
14114 @cindex scoring crossposts
14115 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
14116 the @code{Xref} header.
14118 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
14121 @item Multiple crossposts
14122 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
14123 more than, say, 3 groups:
14125 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
14128 @item Matching on the body
14129 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
14130 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
14131 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
14132 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
14133 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
14134 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
14135 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
14138 @item Marking as read
14139 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
14140 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
14141 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
14145 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
14147 @item Negated character classes
14148 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
14149 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
14150 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
14154 @node Reverse Scoring
14155 @section Reverse Scoring
14156 @cindex reverse scoring
14158 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
14159 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
14160 like this in your score file:
14164 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
14169 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
14170 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
14173 @node Global Score Files
14174 @section Global Score Files
14175 @cindex global score files
14177 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
14178 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
14179 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
14181 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
14182 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
14183 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
14185 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
14186 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
14187 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
14188 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
14189 files are applicable to which group.
14191 Say you want to use the score file
14192 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
14193 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
14196 (setq gnus-global-score-files
14197 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
14198 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
14201 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
14202 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
14203 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
14204 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
14205 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
14207 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
14208 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
14210 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
14211 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
14212 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
14213 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
14214 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
14215 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
14217 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
14223 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
14225 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
14227 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
14229 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
14230 lowered out of existence.
14232 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
14233 articles completely.
14236 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
14237 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
14238 old articles for a long time.
14241 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
14242 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
14243 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
14244 holding our breath yet?
14248 @section Kill Files
14251 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
14252 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
14253 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
14255 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
14256 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
14257 files into score files.
14259 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
14260 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
14261 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
14262 that isn't a very good idea.
14264 Normal kill files look like this:
14267 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14268 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
14272 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
14273 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
14275 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
14276 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
14279 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
14284 @kindex M-k (Summary)
14285 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
14286 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
14289 @kindex M-K (Summary)
14290 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
14291 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
14294 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
14299 @kindex M-k (Group)
14300 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
14301 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
14304 @kindex M-K (Group)
14305 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
14306 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
14309 Kill file variables:
14312 @item gnus-kill-file-name
14313 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
14314 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
14315 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
14316 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
14317 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
14318 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
14320 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
14321 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
14322 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
14323 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
14326 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
14327 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
14328 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
14329 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
14330 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
14331 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
14332 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
14333 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
14334 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
14336 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
14337 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
14338 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
14343 @node Converting Kill Files
14344 @section Converting Kill Files
14346 @cindex converting kill files
14348 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
14349 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
14350 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
14353 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
14354 You can fetch it from
14355 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
14357 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
14358 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
14359 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
14367 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
14368 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
14369 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
14371 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
14372 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
14373 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
14374 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
14375 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
14376 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
14377 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
14378 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
14382 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
14383 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
14384 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
14385 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
14389 @node Using GroupLens
14390 @subsection Using GroupLens
14392 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
14394 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
14395 better bit in town at the moment.
14397 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
14401 @item gnus-use-grouplens
14402 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
14403 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
14404 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
14406 @item grouplens-pseudonym
14407 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
14408 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
14409 with the Better Bit Bureau.
14411 @item grouplens-newsgroups
14412 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
14413 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
14417 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
14418 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
14419 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
14420 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
14421 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
14422 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
14425 @node Rating Articles
14426 @subsection Rating Articles
14428 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
14429 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
14430 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
14431 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
14434 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
14439 @kindex r (GroupLens)
14440 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
14441 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
14444 @kindex k (GroupLens)
14445 @findex grouplens-score-thread
14446 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
14447 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
14448 threads in rec.humor.
14452 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
14453 the score of the article you're reading.
14458 @kindex n (GroupLens)
14459 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
14460 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
14463 @kindex , (GroupLens)
14464 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
14465 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
14469 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
14470 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
14473 @node Displaying Predictions
14474 @subsection Displaying Predictions
14476 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
14477 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
14478 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
14479 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
14480 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
14482 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
14483 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
14484 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
14485 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
14486 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
14487 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
14488 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
14489 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
14490 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
14491 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
14492 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
14493 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
14494 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
14496 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
14497 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
14498 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
14499 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
14501 The following are valid values for that variable.
14504 @item prediction-spot
14505 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
14508 @item confidence-interval
14509 A numeric confidence interval.
14511 @item prediction-bar
14512 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
14514 @item confidence-bar
14515 Numerical confidence.
14517 @item confidence-spot
14518 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
14520 @item prediction-num
14521 Plain-old numeric value.
14523 @item confidence-plus-minus
14524 Prediction +/- confidence.
14529 @node GroupLens Variables
14530 @subsection GroupLens Variables
14534 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
14535 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
14536 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
14537 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
14540 @item grouplens-bbb-host
14541 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
14544 @item grouplens-bbb-port
14545 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
14547 @item grouplens-score-offset
14548 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
14549 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
14552 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
14553 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
14554 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
14559 @node Advanced Scoring
14560 @section Advanced Scoring
14562 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
14563 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
14564 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
14565 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
14566 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
14568 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
14572 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
14573 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
14574 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
14578 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
14579 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
14581 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
14582 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
14583 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
14584 non-@code{nil} value.
14586 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
14587 operator, and various match operators.
14594 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
14595 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
14596 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
14601 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
14602 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
14603 then this operator will return @code{false}.
14608 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
14609 logical negation of the value of its argument.
14613 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
14614 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
14615 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
14616 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
14617 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
14618 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
14619 the ancestry you want to go.
14621 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
14622 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
14623 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
14624 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
14625 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
14628 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
14629 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
14631 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
14632 when he's talking about Gnus:
14636 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14637 ("subject" "Gnus"))
14643 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
14647 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14654 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
14655 really don't want to read what he's written:
14659 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14660 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
14664 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
14665 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
14666 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
14673 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
14674 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
14675 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
14676 ("body" "white.*socks"))
14680 The possibilities are endless.
14683 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
14684 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
14686 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
14687 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
14688 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
14689 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
14690 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
14691 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
14692 @samp{subject}) first.
14694 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
14695 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
14706 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
14707 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
14713 ("subject" "Gnus")))
14720 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
14721 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
14726 @section Score Decays
14727 @cindex score decays
14730 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
14731 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
14732 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
14733 use them in any sensible way.
14735 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
14736 @findex gnus-decay-score
14737 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
14738 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
14739 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
14740 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
14741 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
14742 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
14743 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
14744 definition of that function:
14747 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
14749 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
14750 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
14753 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
14755 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
14757 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
14760 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
14761 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
14762 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
14763 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
14767 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
14770 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
14773 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
14777 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
14778 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
14779 the new score, which should be an integer.
14781 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
14782 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
14789 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
14790 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
14791 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
14792 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
14793 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
14794 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
14795 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
14796 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
14797 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
14798 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
14799 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
14800 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
14801 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
14802 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
14803 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
14804 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
14805 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
14806 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
14810 @node Process/Prefix
14811 @section Process/Prefix
14812 @cindex process/prefix convention
14814 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
14815 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
14817 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
14818 command to be performed on.
14822 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
14823 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
14824 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
14825 with the current one.
14827 @vindex transient-mark-mode
14828 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
14829 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
14831 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
14832 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
14835 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
14836 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
14838 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
14841 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
14842 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
14843 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
14844 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14846 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
14847 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
14848 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
14849 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
14850 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
14851 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
14852 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
14853 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
14857 @section Interactive
14858 @cindex interaction
14862 @item gnus-novice-user
14863 @vindex gnus-novice-user
14864 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
14865 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
14866 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
14867 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
14870 @item gnus-expert-user
14871 @vindex gnus-expert-user
14872 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
14873 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
14874 matter how strange.
14876 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
14877 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
14878 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
14879 is @code{t} by default.
14881 @item gnus-interactive-exit
14882 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
14883 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
14888 @node Symbolic Prefixes
14889 @section Symbolic Prefixes
14890 @cindex symbolic prefixes
14892 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
14893 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
14894 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
14895 rule of 900 to the current article.
14897 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
14898 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
14899 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
14900 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
14901 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
14902 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
14903 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
14905 @kindex M-i (Summary)
14906 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
14907 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
14908 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
14909 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
14910 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
14911 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
14912 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
14913 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
14915 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
14916 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
14917 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
14919 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
14923 @node Formatting Variables
14924 @section Formatting Variables
14925 @cindex formatting variables
14927 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
14928 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
14929 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
14930 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
14931 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
14934 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
14935 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
14936 lots of percentages everywhere.
14939 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
14940 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
14941 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
14942 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
14943 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
14946 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
14947 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
14948 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
14949 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
14950 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
14951 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
14952 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
14953 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
14955 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
14956 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
14958 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
14959 @findex gnus-update-format
14960 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
14961 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
14962 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
14963 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
14967 @node Formatting Basics
14968 @subsection Formatting Basics
14970 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
14971 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
14972 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
14974 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
14975 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
14976 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
14977 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
14978 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
14981 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
14982 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
14983 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
14984 less than 4 characters wide.
14987 @node Mode Line Formatting
14988 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
14990 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
14991 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
14992 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
14993 with the following two differences:
14998 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
15001 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
15002 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
15003 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
15004 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
15005 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
15006 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
15007 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
15012 @node Advanced Formatting
15013 @subsection Advanced Formatting
15015 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
15016 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
15017 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
15018 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
15020 These are the valid modifiers:
15025 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
15029 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
15034 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
15037 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
15042 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
15045 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
15048 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
15051 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
15055 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
15056 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
15057 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
15058 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
15059 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
15060 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
15061 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
15063 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
15064 last operation, padding.
15066 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
15067 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
15068 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
15069 @xref{Compilation}.
15072 @node User-Defined Specs
15073 @subsection User-Defined Specs
15075 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
15076 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
15077 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
15078 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
15079 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
15080 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
15081 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
15082 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
15083 should protect against that.
15085 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
15086 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
15087 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
15088 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
15092 @node Formatting Fonts
15093 @subsection Formatting Fonts
15095 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
15096 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
15097 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
15098 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
15101 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
15102 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
15103 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
15104 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
15105 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
15106 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
15108 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
15109 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say
15110 @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
15111 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or
15112 symbols naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
15113 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
15114 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
15115 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
15117 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
15120 ;; Create three face types.
15121 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
15122 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
15124 ;; We want the article count to be in
15125 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
15126 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
15127 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
15129 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
15130 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
15132 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
15133 (setq gnus-group-line-format
15134 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
15137 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
15138 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
15140 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
15141 mode-line variables.
15144 @node Windows Configuration
15145 @section Windows Configuration
15146 @cindex windows configuration
15148 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
15150 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
15151 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
15152 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
15153 @code{t} by default.
15155 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
15156 glitches. Use at your own peril.
15158 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
15159 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
15160 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
15163 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
15164 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
15165 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
15169 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
15170 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
15171 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
15172 possible names is listed below.
15174 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
15175 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
15178 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
15182 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
15183 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
15184 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
15185 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
15186 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
15187 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
15188 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
15189 size spec per split.
15191 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
15192 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
15193 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
15194 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
15195 present) gets focus.
15197 Here's a more complicated example:
15200 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
15201 (summary 0.25 point)
15202 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
15206 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
15207 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
15208 occupy, not a percentage.
15210 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
15211 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
15212 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
15213 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
15214 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
15217 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
15220 (article (horizontal 1.0
15225 (summary 0.25 point)
15230 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
15231 @code{horizontal} thingie?
15233 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
15234 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
15235 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
15236 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
15237 the screen is to be given to this strip.
15239 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
15240 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
15241 lines from the splits.
15243 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
15247 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
15248 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
15249 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
15250 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
15251 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
15252 size = number | frame-params
15253 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
15256 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
15257 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
15258 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
15259 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
15261 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
15262 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
15263 @cindex window height
15264 @cindex window width
15265 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
15266 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
15267 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
15268 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
15269 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
15270 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
15272 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
15273 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
15274 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
15275 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
15277 @findex gnus-configure-frame
15278 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
15279 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
15280 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
15281 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
15282 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
15283 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
15284 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
15285 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
15286 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
15287 configuration list.
15290 (gnus-configure-frame
15294 (article 0.3 point))
15302 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
15303 @code{frame} split:
15306 (gnus-configure-frame
15309 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
15311 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
15312 (user-position . t)
15313 (left . -1) (top . 1))
15318 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
15319 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
15320 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
15321 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
15322 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
15323 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
15324 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
15325 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
15327 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
15328 be found in its default value.
15330 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
15331 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
15332 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
15336 (message (horizontal 1.0
15337 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
15339 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
15344 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
15345 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
15346 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
15349 (message (frame 1.0
15350 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
15351 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
15352 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
15353 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
15354 (name . "Message"))
15355 (message 1.0 point))))
15358 @findex gnus-add-configuration
15359 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
15360 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
15361 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
15362 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
15365 (gnus-add-configuration
15366 '(article (vertical 1.0
15368 (summary .25 point)
15372 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
15373 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
15374 Gnus has been loaded.
15376 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
15377 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
15378 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
15379 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
15380 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
15382 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
15383 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
15384 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
15388 @node Faces and Fonts
15389 @section Faces and Fonts
15394 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
15395 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
15396 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
15401 @section Compilation
15402 @cindex compilation
15403 @cindex byte-compilation
15405 @findex gnus-compile
15407 Remember all those line format specification variables?
15408 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
15409 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
15410 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
15411 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
15412 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
15415 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
15416 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
15417 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
15418 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
15419 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
15420 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
15421 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
15425 @section Mode Lines
15428 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
15429 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
15430 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
15431 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
15432 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
15433 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
15434 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
15437 @cindex display-time
15439 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
15440 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
15441 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
15442 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
15443 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
15444 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
15445 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
15446 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
15449 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
15451 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
15452 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
15454 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
15455 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
15456 (length display-time-string)))))
15459 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
15460 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
15461 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
15462 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
15463 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
15466 @node Highlighting and Menus
15467 @section Highlighting and Menus
15469 @cindex highlighting
15472 @vindex gnus-visual
15473 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
15474 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
15475 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
15478 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
15479 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
15482 @item group-highlight
15483 Do highlights in the group buffer.
15484 @item summary-highlight
15485 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
15486 @item article-highlight
15487 Do highlights in the article buffer.
15489 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
15491 Create menus in the group buffer.
15493 Create menus in the summary buffers.
15495 Create menus in the article buffer.
15497 Create menus in the browse buffer.
15499 Create menus in the server buffer.
15501 Create menus in the score buffers.
15503 Create menus in all buffers.
15506 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
15507 buffers, you could say something like:
15510 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
15513 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
15516 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
15519 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
15520 in all Gnus buffers.
15522 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
15525 @item gnus-mouse-face
15526 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
15527 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
15528 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
15532 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
15536 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
15537 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
15538 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
15540 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
15541 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
15542 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
15544 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
15545 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
15546 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
15548 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
15549 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
15550 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
15552 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
15553 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
15554 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
15556 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
15557 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
15558 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
15569 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
15570 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
15571 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
15572 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
15573 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
15577 @vindex gnus-carpal
15578 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
15579 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
15580 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
15585 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
15586 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
15587 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
15589 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
15590 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
15591 Face used on buttons.
15593 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
15594 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
15595 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
15597 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
15598 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
15599 Buttons in the group buffer.
15601 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
15602 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
15603 Buttons in the summary buffer.
15605 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
15606 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
15607 Buttons in the server buffer.
15609 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
15610 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
15611 Buttons in the browse buffer.
15614 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
15615 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
15616 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
15624 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
15625 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
15626 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
15627 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
15628 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
15630 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
15631 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
15632 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
15634 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
15635 been idle for thirty minutes:
15638 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
15641 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
15645 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
15648 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
15649 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
15650 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
15652 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
15653 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
15654 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
15655 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
15657 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
15658 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
15659 @var{idle} minutes.
15661 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
15662 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
15665 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
15666 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
15667 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
15669 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
15670 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
15671 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
15672 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
15674 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
15675 your @file{.gnus} file:
15677 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
15679 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
15682 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
15683 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
15684 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
15685 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
15686 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
15687 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
15688 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
15689 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
15690 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
15691 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
15692 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
15694 @findex gnus-demon-init
15695 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
15696 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
15697 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
15698 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
15699 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
15701 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
15702 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
15703 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
15712 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
15713 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
15715 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
15716 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
15717 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
15718 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
15721 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
15722 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
15723 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
15724 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
15726 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
15727 this will make spam disappear.
15729 There are some variables to customize, of course:
15732 @item gnus-use-nocem
15733 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
15734 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
15737 @item gnus-nocem-groups
15738 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
15739 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
15740 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
15741 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
15743 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
15744 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
15745 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
15746 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
15747 "rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
15748 "jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
15749 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
15751 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
15754 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
15755 @cindex Chris Lewis
15756 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
15757 usenet abuse than anybody else.
15760 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
15761 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
15762 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
15764 @item jem@@xpat.com;
15766 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
15769 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
15770 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
15771 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
15774 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
15775 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
15776 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
15777 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
15778 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
15779 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
15780 @var{(issuer conditions ...)} elements in the list. Each condition is
15781 either a string (which is a regexp that matches types you want to use)
15782 or a list on the form @code{(not STRING)}, where @var{string} is a
15783 regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
15785 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
15786 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
15789 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
15792 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
15793 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
15796 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
15799 The specs are applied left-to-right.
15802 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
15803 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
15805 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
15806 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
15807 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
15808 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
15810 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
15811 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
15814 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
15816 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
15824 This might be dangerous, though.
15826 @item gnus-nocem-directory
15827 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
15828 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
15829 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
15831 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
15832 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
15833 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
15834 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
15835 might then see old spam.
15839 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
15840 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
15841 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
15842 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
15849 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
15850 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
15851 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
15853 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
15854 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
15855 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
15856 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
15857 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
15858 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
15859 @code{undo} function.
15861 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
15862 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
15863 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
15864 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
15865 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
15866 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
15867 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
15868 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
15869 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
15870 never be totally undoable.
15872 @findex gnus-undo-mode
15873 @vindex gnus-use-undo
15875 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
15876 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
15877 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
15878 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
15883 @section Moderation
15886 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
15887 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
15888 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
15891 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
15895 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
15898 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
15900 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
15905 You split your incoming mail by matching on
15906 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
15907 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
15910 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
15911 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
15914 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
15915 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
15919 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
15922 (setq gnus-moderated-list
15923 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
15927 @node XEmacs Enhancements
15928 @section XEmacs Enhancements
15931 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
15935 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
15936 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
15937 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
15938 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
15951 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
15952 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
15953 over your shoulder as you read news.
15956 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
15957 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
15958 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
15959 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
15960 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
15965 @subsubsection Picon Basics
15967 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
15976 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
15977 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
15978 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
15979 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
15980 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
15981 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
15982 @code{GIF} formats.
15985 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15986 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
15987 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
15988 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
15989 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
15991 @vindex gnus-picons-database
15992 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
15993 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
15994 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
15995 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
15996 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
15999 @node Picon Requirements
16000 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
16002 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
16003 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
16006 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
16007 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
16008 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
16010 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
16011 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
16012 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
16013 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
16014 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
16018 @subsubsection Easy Picons
16020 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
16021 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
16024 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
16025 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
16028 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
16029 containing the Picons databases.
16031 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
16034 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
16035 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
16040 @subsubsection Hard Picons
16048 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
16049 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
16050 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
16051 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
16052 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
16057 @item gnus-picons-database
16058 @vindex gnus-picons-database
16059 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
16060 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
16061 subdirectories. This is only useful if
16062 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
16063 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
16065 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
16066 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
16067 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
16068 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
16069 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
16070 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
16071 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
16073 @item gnus-picons-display-where
16074 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
16075 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
16076 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
16077 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
16078 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
16079 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
16080 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
16082 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
16083 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
16084 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
16089 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
16090 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
16092 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
16093 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
16096 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
16098 @item gnus-article-display-picons
16099 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
16100 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
16101 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
16103 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
16104 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
16105 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
16111 @node Picon Useless Configuration
16112 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
16120 The following variables offer further control over how things are
16121 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
16122 don't need to worry about.
16126 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
16127 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
16128 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
16129 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
16131 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
16132 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
16133 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
16134 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
16136 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
16137 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
16138 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
16139 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
16140 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
16142 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
16143 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
16144 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
16145 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
16146 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
16147 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
16148 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
16150 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
16151 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
16152 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
16153 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
16155 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
16156 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
16157 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
16158 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
16159 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
16160 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
16161 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
16163 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
16164 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
16165 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
16166 Defaults to @code{nil}.
16168 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
16169 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
16170 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
16171 Defaults to @code{t}.
16173 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
16174 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
16175 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
16176 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
16178 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
16179 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
16180 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
16182 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
16183 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
16184 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
16185 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
16187 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
16188 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the defailt.
16190 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
16191 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
16192 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
16193 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
16194 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
16195 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
16196 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
16197 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
16208 @subsection Smileys
16213 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
16218 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
16219 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
16221 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
16222 @file{.gnus.el} file:
16225 (setq gnus-treat-display-smiley t)
16228 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
16229 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
16230 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
16231 text and maps that to file names.
16233 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
16234 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
16235 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
16236 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
16237 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
16238 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
16240 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
16241 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
16243 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
16244 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
16245 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
16247 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
16248 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
16252 @item smiley-data-directory
16253 @vindex smiley-data-directory
16254 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
16256 @item smiley-flesh-color
16257 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
16258 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
16260 @item smiley-features-color
16261 @vindex smiley-features-color
16262 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
16264 @item smiley-tongue-color
16265 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
16266 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
16268 @item smiley-circle-color
16269 @vindex smiley-circle-color
16270 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
16272 @item smiley-mouse-face
16273 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
16274 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
16280 @subsection Toolbar
16290 @item gnus-use-toolbar
16291 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
16292 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
16293 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
16294 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
16296 @item gnus-group-toolbar
16297 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
16298 The toolbar in the group buffer.
16300 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
16301 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
16302 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
16304 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
16305 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
16306 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
16312 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
16315 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
16316 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
16317 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
16318 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
16319 unusual directory structure.
16321 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
16322 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
16323 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
16324 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
16326 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
16327 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
16328 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
16329 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
16330 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
16331 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
16333 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
16334 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
16335 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
16349 @node Fuzzy Matching
16350 @section Fuzzy Matching
16351 @cindex fuzzy matching
16353 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
16354 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
16356 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
16357 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
16358 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
16360 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
16361 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
16362 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
16363 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
16364 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
16367 @node Thwarting Email Spam
16368 @section Thwarting Email Spam
16372 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
16374 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
16375 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
16376 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
16377 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
16378 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
16379 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
16380 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
16381 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
16384 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
16385 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
16386 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
16387 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
16388 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
16389 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
16393 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
16394 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
16396 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
16397 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
16398 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
16399 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
16400 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
16401 part of the mail address.)
16404 (setq message-default-news-headers
16405 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
16408 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
16409 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
16414 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
16415 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
16416 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
16422 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
16423 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
16424 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
16425 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
16427 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
16428 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
16429 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
16430 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
16431 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
16432 your fancy split rule in this way:
16437 (to "larsi" "misc")
16441 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
16442 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
16443 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
16444 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
16445 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
16447 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
16448 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
16449 at @* @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
16450 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
16451 cosmic balance somewhat.
16453 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
16454 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
16455 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
16456 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
16459 @node Various Various
16460 @section Various Various
16466 @item gnus-home-directory
16467 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
16468 defaults to @file{~/}.
16470 @item gnus-directory
16471 @vindex gnus-directory
16472 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
16473 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
16474 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
16476 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
16477 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
16478 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
16479 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
16481 @item gnus-default-directory
16482 @vindex gnus-default-directory
16483 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
16484 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
16485 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
16486 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
16487 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
16488 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
16491 @vindex gnus-verbose
16492 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
16493 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
16494 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
16495 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
16496 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
16498 @item gnus-verbose-backends
16499 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
16500 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
16501 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
16503 @item nnheader-max-head-length
16504 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
16505 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
16506 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
16507 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
16508 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
16509 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
16510 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
16511 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
16512 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
16514 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
16515 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
16516 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
16517 read when doing the operation described above.
16519 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
16520 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
16522 @cindex invalid characters in file names
16523 @cindex characters in file names
16524 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
16525 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
16526 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
16529 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
16533 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
16534 Windows (phooey) systems.
16536 @item gnus-hidden-properties
16537 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
16538 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
16539 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
16540 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
16542 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
16543 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
16544 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
16545 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
16546 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
16548 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
16549 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
16550 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
16559 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
16560 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
16562 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
16564 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
16570 Not because of victories @*
16573 but for the common sunshine,@*
16575 the largess of the spring.
16579 but for the day's work done@*
16580 as well as I was able;@*
16581 not for a seat upon the dais@*
16582 but at the common table.@*
16587 @chapter Appendices
16590 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
16591 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
16592 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
16593 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
16594 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
16595 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
16596 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
16604 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
16605 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
16607 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
16608 can point your (feh!) web browser to
16609 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
16610 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
16611 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
16613 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
16614 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
16615 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
16616 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
16617 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
16618 appropriate name, don't you think?)
16620 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
16621 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
16622 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
16623 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
16625 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
16626 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
16627 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
16629 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
16630 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
16632 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
16633 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
16635 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37
16636 releases. If was released as ``Gnus 5.6 on March 8th 1998.
16638 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
16639 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
16640 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
16641 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
16642 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
16646 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
16647 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
16648 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
16649 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
16650 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
16651 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
16652 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
16653 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
16660 What's the point of Gnus?
16662 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
16663 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
16664 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
16665 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
16666 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
16667 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
16668 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
16669 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
16670 keep track of millions of people who post?
16672 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
16673 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
16674 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
16675 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
16676 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
16677 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
16678 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
16679 every one of you to explore and invent.
16681 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
16682 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
16685 @node Compatibility
16686 @subsection Compatibility
16688 @cindex compatibility
16689 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
16690 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
16691 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
16696 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
16700 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
16703 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
16706 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
16707 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
16708 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
16709 important variables have their values copied into their global
16710 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
16711 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
16713 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
16714 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
16715 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
16716 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
16717 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
16721 @cindex highlighting
16722 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
16723 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
16724 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
16725 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
16726 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
16727 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
16730 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
16731 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
16732 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
16733 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
16735 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
16736 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
16737 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
16738 to stop doing it the old way.
16740 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
16742 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
16744 @cindex reporting bugs
16746 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
16747 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
16748 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
16750 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
16751 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
16752 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
16753 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
16758 @subsection Conformity
16760 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
16761 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
16768 There are no known breaches of this standard.
16772 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
16774 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
16775 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
16776 We do have some breaches to this one.
16782 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
16783 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
16784 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
16785 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
16786 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
16791 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
16792 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
16793 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
16794 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
16798 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
16799 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
16804 @subsection Emacsen
16810 Gnus should work on :
16818 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
16822 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
16823 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
16826 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
16827 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
16828 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
16832 @node Gnus Development
16833 @subsection Gnus Development
16835 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
16836 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
16837 propose changes and new features, post patches and new backends. This
16838 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
16839 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
16840 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
16841 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
16842 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
16844 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
16845 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
16846 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
16847 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
16848 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
16851 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
16852 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
16853 In particular, @code{nnmail-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
16854 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
16855 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
16857 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
16858 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
16859 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
16860 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
16861 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
16862 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
16863 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
16864 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
16865 usually keep up with these rapid changes, whille people on the newsgroup
16866 can't be assumed to do so.
16871 @subsection Contributors
16872 @cindex contributors
16874 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
16875 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
16876 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
16877 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
16878 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
16879 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
16880 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
16881 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
16882 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
16883 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
16885 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
16891 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
16894 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
16895 well as numerous other things).
16898 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
16901 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
16904 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el and many other things
16905 connected with @sc{mime} and other types of en/decoding.
16908 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
16909 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
16912 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
16915 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
16916 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
16919 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
16922 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
16925 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
16928 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
16931 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
16932 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
16935 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
16938 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
16941 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
16944 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
16948 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
16951 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
16954 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
16957 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
16958 well as autoconf support.
16962 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
16963 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
16965 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
16974 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
16978 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
16988 Alexei V. Barantsev,
17003 Massimo Campostrini,
17008 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
17009 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
17013 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
17016 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
17022 Michael Welsh Duggan,
17027 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
17031 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
17039 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
17041 Michelangelo Grigni,
17045 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
17047 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
17049 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
17056 François Felix Ingrand,
17057 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
17058 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
17060 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
17071 Peter Skov Knudsen,
17072 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
17074 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
17075 Thor Kristoffersen,
17078 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
17096 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
17097 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
17104 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
17109 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
17113 John McClary Prevost,
17119 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
17124 Christian von Roques,
17127 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
17134 Philippe Schnoebelen,
17136 Randal L. Schwartz,
17151 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
17156 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
17172 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
17177 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
17178 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
17179 (550kB and counting).
17181 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
17184 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
17185 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
17189 @subsection New Features
17190 @cindex new features
17193 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
17194 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
17195 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
17196 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
17199 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
17200 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
17201 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
17205 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
17207 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
17212 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
17213 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
17216 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
17217 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
17220 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
17223 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
17224 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
17225 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
17228 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
17229 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
17230 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
17231 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
17234 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
17235 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
17238 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
17239 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
17240 (@pxref{The Active File}).
17243 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
17244 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
17247 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
17248 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
17249 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
17252 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
17253 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
17254 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
17257 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
17258 the @file{.emacs} file.
17261 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
17262 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17265 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
17266 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
17269 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
17270 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
17273 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
17274 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
17277 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
17278 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
17281 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
17284 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
17285 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
17288 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
17289 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
17292 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
17293 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
17296 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
17299 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
17300 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
17303 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
17307 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
17311 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
17312 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
17315 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
17321 @node September Gnus
17322 @subsubsection September Gnus
17326 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
17330 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
17335 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
17336 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
17340 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
17341 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
17345 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
17349 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
17350 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
17353 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
17357 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
17360 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
17363 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
17366 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
17370 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
17371 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
17374 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
17378 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
17382 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
17386 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
17390 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
17393 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
17394 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
17397 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
17401 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
17402 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
17405 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
17408 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
17409 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
17410 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
17413 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
17417 The Gnus cache is much faster.
17420 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
17424 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
17425 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
17428 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
17429 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
17432 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
17433 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
17436 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
17437 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
17438 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
17441 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
17442 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
17445 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
17448 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
17451 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
17454 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
17457 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
17458 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
17461 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
17465 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
17468 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
17473 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
17476 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
17480 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
17483 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
17487 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
17490 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
17493 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
17494 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
17497 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
17498 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
17502 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
17503 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
17506 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
17510 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
17511 buffer to allow easier treatment.
17514 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
17517 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
17521 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
17525 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
17526 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
17529 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
17533 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
17534 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
17537 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
17538 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
17541 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
17545 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
17548 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
17551 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
17557 @subsubsection Red Gnus
17559 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
17563 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
17570 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
17573 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
17574 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
17577 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
17578 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
17582 Article washing status can be displayed in the
17583 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
17586 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
17589 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
17590 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
17593 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
17597 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
17598 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
17602 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
17603 Server Internals}).
17606 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
17610 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
17613 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
17614 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
17617 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
17618 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
17619 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
17622 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
17623 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
17626 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
17627 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
17630 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
17634 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
17635 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
17638 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
17639 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
17642 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
17646 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
17649 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
17653 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
17654 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
17657 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
17658 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
17661 A new command for reading collections of documents
17662 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
17663 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
17666 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
17670 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
17671 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
17674 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
17675 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
17676 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
17679 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
17680 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
17684 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
17688 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
17692 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
17697 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
17701 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
17705 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
17706 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
17709 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
17715 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
17717 New features in Gnus 5.6:
17722 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
17723 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
17724 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
17727 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
17728 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
17729 group, which is created automatically.
17732 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
17736 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
17739 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
17740 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
17743 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
17747 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
17750 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
17751 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
17754 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
17757 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
17758 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
17761 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
17762 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
17765 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
17766 control over simplification.
17769 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
17772 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
17776 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
17779 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
17782 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
17783 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
17784 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
17787 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
17788 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
17791 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
17795 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
17796 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
17799 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
17800 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
17803 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
17807 A history of where mails have been split is available.
17810 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
17813 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
17814 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
17817 A new function for citing in Message has been
17818 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
17821 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
17824 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
17828 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
17829 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
17832 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
17833 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
17836 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
17839 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
17844 @node Newest Features
17845 @subsection Newest Features
17848 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
17851 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
17853 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
17854 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
17857 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
17862 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
17863 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
17866 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
17869 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
17872 facep is not declared.
17875 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
17876 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
17879 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
17884 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
17885 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
17886 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
17887 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
17888 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
17889 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
17890 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
17895 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
17898 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
17901 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
17903 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
17904 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
17906 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
17908 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
17910 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
17911 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
17913 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
17915 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
17916 be marked as unread.
17918 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
17920 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
17922 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
17923 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
17925 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
17927 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
17929 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
17930 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
17932 topics that contain just groups with ticked
17933 articles aren't displayed.
17935 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
17937 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
17938 make the mail groups killed.
17940 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
17942 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
17943 and articles have to be removed.
17945 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
17948 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
17950 finding short score file names takes forever.
17952 canceling articles in foreign groups.
17954 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
17956 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
17958 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
17960 nnweb doesn't work properly.
17962 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
17964 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
17965 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
17969 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
17971 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
17972 bar and the Gnus bar.
17975 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
17976 `(canonize-message-id id)'
17977 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
17978 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
17979 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
17980 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
17985 nnml .overview directory with splits.
17989 postponed commands.
17991 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
17993 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
17996 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
17997 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
17999 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
18000 inherit copy prompts and save files.
18002 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
18004 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
18005 for backends that support that.
18007 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
18009 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
18010 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
18012 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
18013 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
18015 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
18017 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
18019 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
18021 server mode command: close/open all connections
18023 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
18024 has been changed before using it.
18026 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
18028 hide (sub)threads with low score.
18030 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
18032 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
18034 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
18035 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
18037 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
18038 contain groups that match a regexp.
18040 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
18043 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
18046 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
18047 from subject lines.
18049 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
18051 nntp-ping-before-connect
18053 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
18055 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
18056 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
18058 message annotations.
18060 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
18062 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
18063 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
18065 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
18070 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
18072 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
18074 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
18076 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
18077 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
18079 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
18081 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
18083 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
18084 finds and generate proper active ranges.
18086 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
18087 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
18089 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
18091 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
18093 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
18094 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
18096 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
18098 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
18100 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
18101 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
18104 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
18106 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
18108 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
18109 `C-c C-c' when posting.
18111 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
18114 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
18115 should be marker as expirable.
18117 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
18119 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
18120 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
18122 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
18123 Also consult Date headers.
18125 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
18127 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
18129 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
18130 Message-ID, delete the "original".
18132 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
18133 into a See-Also header.
18135 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
18137 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
18139 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
18140 should be listed as such and not as "K".
18142 generate font names dynamically.
18144 score file mode auto-alist.
18146 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
18147 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
18149 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
18150 absolutely all headers there is.
18152 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
18153 and pipe them to the process.
18155 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
18156 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
18157 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
18159 function for starting to edit a file to put into
18160 the current mail group.
18162 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
18164 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
18165 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
18167 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
18168 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
18170 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
18172 when replying to several process-marked articles,
18173 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
18175 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
18176 groups it has been mailed to.
18178 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
18180 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
18182 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
18184 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
18185 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
18187 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
18188 newlines) should be ignored.
18190 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
18191 groups in subtopics as well.
18193 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
18195 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
18198 add edit and forward secondary marks.
18200 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
18202 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
18204 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
18206 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
18208 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
18210 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
18211 or the formatted article.
18213 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
18215 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
18216 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
18218 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
18220 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
18222 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
18224 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
18225 even unread articles.
18227 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
18229 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
18231 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
18233 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
18235 canceling articles in foreign groups.
18237 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
18240 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
18241 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
18243 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
18244 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
18246 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
18248 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
18250 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
18251 from a particular server? Hm.
18253 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
18254 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
18256 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
18258 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
18259 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
18261 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
18262 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
18264 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
18265 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
18266 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
18269 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
18270 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
18272 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
18274 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
18276 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
18278 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
18281 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
18284 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
18285 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
18287 command to show and edit group scores
18289 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
18292 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
18294 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
18296 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
18297 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
18300 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
18301 that are of that length.
18303 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
18305 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
18307 asynchronous posting under nntp.
18309 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
18311 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
18313 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
18315 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
18316 a score lower than this number.
18318 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
18320 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
18322 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
18323 so that each copy can be edited separately.
18325 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
18327 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
18328 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
18330 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
18333 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
18334 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
18335 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
18336 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
18338 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
18341 command to remove all topic stuff.
18343 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
18344 and splitting the resulting digests.
18346 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
18348 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
18350 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
18351 matches an alist -- before saving.
18353 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
18355 variable to activate each group before entering them
18356 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
18358 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
18359 starting Gnus first if necessary.
18361 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
18362 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
18364 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
18366 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
18367 of several groups at once.
18369 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
18370 matches some regexp(s).
18372 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
18374 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
18376 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
18378 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
18380 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
18382 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
18384 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
18386 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
18387 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
18388 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
18389 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
18391 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
18392 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
18394 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
18396 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
18397 recently cited text.
18399 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
18401 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
18404 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
18405 server and just read the articles in the server
18407 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
18408 value of nnoo variables.
18410 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
18412 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
18413 listed in each group info.
18415 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
18418 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
18419 should only be applied to some groups.
18421 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
18422 mail-copies-to: never.
18424 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
18425 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
18427 the slave dribble files should auto-save to the slave file names.
18429 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
18432 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
18435 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
18437 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
18440 group user-defined meta-parameters.
18444 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
18446 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
18447 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
18448 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
18449 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
18450 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
18452 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
18453 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
18460 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
18461 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
18463 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
18464 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
18466 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
18467 "Return the date the group was last read."
18468 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
18473 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
18474 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
18475 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
18476 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
18480 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
18481 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
18483 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
18486 They could be used like this:
18490 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
18491 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
18492 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
18494 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
18496 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
18499 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
18502 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
18503 affect the summary line format.
18507 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
18509 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
18510 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
18512 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
18515 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
18517 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
18519 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
18521 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
18523 - For other files, just find them normally.
18525 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
18526 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
18529 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
18530 tell him what you are doing.
18533 Currently, I get prompted:
18537 decend into sci.something ?
18541 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
18542 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
18543 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
18544 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
18547 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
18548 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
18549 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
18550 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
18553 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
18554 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
18560 more than n blank lines
18562 more than m identical lines
18563 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
18565 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
18569 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
18570 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
18571 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
18572 "same" subject for threading purposes.
18575 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
18576 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
18577 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
18578 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
18581 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
18584 soup - bowl of soup
18585 score below - dim light bulb
18586 score over - bright light bulb
18589 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
18594 show-list-of-articles-in-group
18595 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
18596 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
18597 if (articles-selected)
18598 start-reading-selected-articles;
18599 junk-unread-articles;
18604 else if (key-pressed = '.')
18605 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
18606 select-thread-under-cursor;
18608 select-article-under-cursor;
18612 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
18613 if (more-pages-in-article)
18615 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
18622 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
18623 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
18624 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
18627 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
18628 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
18629 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
18630 the wildcard expression).
18633 It would be nice if it also handled
18635 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
18637 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
18642 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
18643 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
18644 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
18645 article versions) variable.
18647 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
18649 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
18650 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
18654 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
18657 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
18658 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
18659 (message-sent-hook).
18661 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
18664 * Enhancements to Gnus:
18668 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
18669 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
18672 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
18673 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
18674 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
18677 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
18678 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
18682 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
18685 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
18689 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
18690 the nnmail duplicate checking.
18693 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
18694 value of the signature file.
18697 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
18698 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
18701 (setq message-tab-alist
18702 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
18703 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
18705 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
18709 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
18712 a command to import a buffer into a group.
18715 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
18718 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
18719 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
18722 a command to process mark all unread articles.
18725 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
18726 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
18727 do more gathering by subject.
18730 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
18731 article numerical order.
18734 (gnus-thread-total-score
18735 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
18739 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
18742 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
18743 in the summary buffer.
18746 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
18747 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
18750 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
18751 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
18752 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
18753 and/or newsgroup name.
18756 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
18759 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
18762 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
18765 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
18766 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
18767 will automatically get the process mark.
18770 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
18771 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
18772 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
18775 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
18779 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
18780 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
18783 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
18784 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
18788 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
18789 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
18792 be able to post via DejaNews.
18795 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
18798 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
18799 allow them to be displayed separately.
18802 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
18803 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
18806 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
18807 articles that match a certain From header.
18810 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
18811 saving living summary buffers.
18814 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
18815 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
18818 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
18819 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
18822 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
18823 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
18826 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
18827 (goto-char (point-min))
18828 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
18829 (replace-match "`" t t))
18830 (goto-char (point-min))
18831 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
18832 (replace-match "'" t t))
18833 (goto-char (point-min))
18834 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
18835 (replace-match "\"" t t))
18836 (goto-char (point-min))
18837 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
18838 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
18843 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
18845 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
18846 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
18847 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
18848 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
18852 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
18855 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
18856 numbers and match on the age of the article.
18860 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
18861 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
18862 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
18864 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
18865 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
18867 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
18868 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
18873 all commands that react to the process mark should push
18874 the current process mark set onto the stack.
18877 gnus-article-hide-pgp
18878 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
18880 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
18882 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
18883 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
18886 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
18887 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
18890 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
18894 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
18895 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
18898 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
18901 nndraft-request-group should tally auto-save files.
18904 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
18907 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
18911 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
18917 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
18920 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
18924 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
18925 X characters in the body.
18928 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
18931 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
18934 format spec to "tab" to a position.
18937 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
18940 command to display all dormant articles.
18943 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
18946 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
18947 to something someone else has said.
18950 Read Netscape discussion groups:
18951 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
18954 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
18955 the displayed version.
18958 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
18962 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
18965 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
18966 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
18967 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
18971 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
18972 in the head or body.
18975 Allow breaking lengthy NNTP commands.
18978 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
18981 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
18982 in a special, unique buffer.
18985 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
18988 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
18989 is less than a certain number of days old.
18992 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
18995 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
18998 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
18999 file, for instance.
19002 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
19003 in any other dummy thread will make gnus highlight the
19004 dummy root instead of the first article.
19007 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
19008 topics for displaying.
19011 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
19012 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
19015 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
19018 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
19019 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
19020 summary buffer for each article.
19023 Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
19026 Group parameters and summary commands for un/subscribing to mailing
19030 Introduce nnmail-home-directory.
19033 gnus-fetch-group and friends should exit Gnus when the user
19037 The jingle is only played on the second invocation of Gnus.
19040 Bouncing articles should do MIME.
19043 Crossposted articles should "inherit" the % or @ mark from the other
19044 groups it has been crossposted to, or something. (Agent.)
19047 `S D r' should allow expansion of aliases.
19050 If point is on a group that appears multiple times in topics, and
19051 you press `l', point will move to the first instance of the group.
19054 Fetch by Message-ID from dejanews.
19056 <URL:http://search.dejanews.com/msgid.xp?MID=%3C62h9l9$hm4@@basement.replay.com%3E&fmt=raw>
19059 A spec for the group line format to display the number of
19060 agent-downloaded articles in the group.
19063 Some nntp servers never respond when posting, so there should be a
19064 timeout for all commands.
19067 When stading on a topic line and `t'-ing, point goes to the last line.
19068 It should go somewhere else.
19071 I'm having trouble accessing a newsgroup with a "+" in its name with
19072 Gnus. There is a new newsgroup on msnews.microsoft.com named
19073 "microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time" that I'm trying to
19075 "nntp+msnews.microsoft.com:microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time"
19076 but it gives an error that it cant access the group.
19078 Is the "+" character illegal in newsgroup names? Is there any way in
19079 Gnus to work around this? (gnus 5.6.45 - XEmacs 20.4)
19086 Subject: Answer to your mails 01.01.1999-01.05.1999
19087 --text follows this line--
19088 Sorry I killfiled you...
19090 Under the subject "foo", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
19092 Under the subject "foo1", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
19097 Allow "orphan" scores in the Agent scoring.
19101 - Edit article's summary line.
19103 - Sort lines in buffer by subject
19105 --> the old subject line appears in Summary buffer, not the one that was
19110 Solve the halting problem.
19119 @section The Manual
19123 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
19124 either @code{texi2dvi}
19126 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
19127 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
19129 to get what you hold in your hands now.
19131 The following conventions have been used:
19136 This is a @samp{string}
19139 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
19142 This is a @file{file}
19145 This is a @code{symbol}
19149 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
19153 (setq flargnoze "yes")
19156 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
19159 (setq flumphel 'yes)
19162 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
19163 ever get them confused.
19167 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
19168 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
19169 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
19170 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
19171 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
19172 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
19173 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
19181 @section Terminology
19183 @cindex terminology
19188 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
19189 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
19190 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
19191 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
19192 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
19196 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
19197 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
19198 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
19199 not posting, and replying is not following up.
19203 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
19207 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
19212 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
19213 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
19214 is all done by the backends.
19218 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
19219 default, way of getting news.
19223 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
19224 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
19229 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
19230 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
19234 A message that has been posted as news.
19237 @cindex mail message
19238 A message that has been mailed.
19242 A mail message or news article
19246 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
19251 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
19256 A line from the head of an article.
19260 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
19261 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
19265 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
19266 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
19267 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
19268 normal @sc{head} format.
19272 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
19273 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
19274 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
19275 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
19276 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
19277 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
19279 @item killed groups
19280 @cindex killed groups
19281 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
19282 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
19284 @item zombie groups
19285 @cindex zombie groups
19286 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
19289 @cindex active file
19290 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
19291 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
19292 is rather large, as you might surmise.
19295 @cindex bogus groups
19296 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
19297 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
19298 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
19301 @cindex activating groups
19302 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
19303 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
19304 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
19308 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
19310 @item select method
19311 @cindex select method
19312 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
19315 @item virtual server
19316 @cindex virtual server
19317 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
19318 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
19319 whole is a virtual server.
19323 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
19324 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
19327 @item ephemeral groups
19328 @cindex ephemeral groups
19329 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
19330 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
19331 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
19334 @cindex solid groups
19335 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
19336 group buffer are solid groups.
19338 @item sparse articles
19339 @cindex sparse articles
19340 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
19341 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
19345 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
19346 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
19350 @cindex thread root
19351 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
19352 articles in the thread.
19356 An article that has responses.
19360 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
19364 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
19365 specified by RFC1153.
19371 @node Customization
19372 @section Customization
19373 @cindex general customization
19375 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
19376 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
19377 for some quite common situations.
19380 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
19381 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
19382 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
19383 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
19387 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
19388 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
19390 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
19391 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
19392 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
19396 @item gnus-read-active-file
19397 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
19398 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
19399 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
19400 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
19401 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
19403 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
19404 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
19405 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
19406 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
19410 @node Slow Terminal Connection
19411 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
19413 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
19414 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
19415 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
19419 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
19420 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
19421 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
19422 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
19423 horizontal and vertical recentering.
19425 @item gnus-visible-headers
19426 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
19427 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
19428 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
19429 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
19431 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
19433 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
19434 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
19435 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
19438 @item gnus-use-full-window
19439 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
19440 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
19441 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
19442 want to read them anyway.
19444 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
19445 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
19448 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
19449 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
19450 lines, which might save some time.
19454 @node Little Disk Space
19455 @subsection Little Disk Space
19458 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
19459 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
19463 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
19464 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
19465 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
19466 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
19469 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
19470 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
19471 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
19472 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
19475 @item gnus-save-killed-list
19476 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
19477 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
19478 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
19479 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
19485 @subsection Slow Machine
19486 @cindex slow machine
19488 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
19489 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
19491 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
19492 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
19494 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
19495 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
19496 summary buffer faster.
19500 @node Troubleshooting
19501 @section Troubleshooting
19502 @cindex troubleshooting
19504 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
19512 Make sure your computer is switched on.
19515 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
19516 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
19520 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
19521 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
19522 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
19523 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
19526 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
19530 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
19531 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
19532 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
19533 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
19534 something like that.
19537 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
19540 @cindex reporting bugs
19542 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
19544 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
19545 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
19546 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
19547 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
19549 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
19550 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
19551 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
19552 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
19555 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
19556 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
19557 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
19558 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
19559 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
19560 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
19562 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
19563 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
19564 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
19567 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
19568 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
19570 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
19571 @cindex ding mailing list
19572 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
19573 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
19577 @node Gnus Reference Guide
19578 @section Gnus Reference Guide
19580 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
19581 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
19582 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
19583 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
19586 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
19587 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
19588 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
19589 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
19590 and general methods of operation.
19593 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
19594 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
19595 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
19596 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
19597 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
19598 * Group Info:: The group info format.
19599 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
19600 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
19601 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
19605 @node Gnus Utility Functions
19606 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
19607 @cindex Gnus utility functions
19608 @cindex utility functions
19610 @cindex internal variables
19612 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
19613 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
19614 Below is a list of the most common ones.
19618 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
19619 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
19620 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
19622 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
19623 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
19624 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
19626 @item gnus-group-real-name
19627 @findex gnus-group-real-name
19628 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
19631 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
19632 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
19633 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
19634 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
19636 @item gnus-get-info
19637 @findex gnus-get-info
19638 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
19640 @item gnus-group-unread
19641 @findex gnus-group-unread
19642 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
19646 @findex gnus-active
19647 The active entry for @var{group}.
19649 @item gnus-set-active
19650 @findex gnus-set-active
19651 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
19653 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
19654 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
19655 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
19658 @item gnus-continuum-version
19659 @findex gnus-continuum-version
19660 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
19661 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
19664 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
19665 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
19666 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
19668 @item gnus-news-group-p
19669 @findex gnus-news-group-p
19670 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
19672 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
19673 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
19674 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
19676 @item gnus-server-to-method
19677 @findex gnus-server-to-method
19678 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
19680 @item gnus-server-equal
19681 @findex gnus-server-equal
19682 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
19684 @item gnus-group-native-p
19685 @findex gnus-group-native-p
19686 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
19688 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
19689 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
19690 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
19692 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
19693 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
19694 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
19696 @item group-group-find-parameter
19697 @findex group-group-find-parameter
19698 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
19699 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
19701 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
19702 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
19703 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
19705 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
19706 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
19707 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
19709 @item gnus-check-backend-function
19710 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
19711 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
19712 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
19715 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
19719 @item gnus-read-method
19720 @findex gnus-read-method
19721 Prompts the user for a select method.
19726 @node Backend Interface
19727 @subsection Backend Interface
19729 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
19730 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
19731 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
19732 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
19733 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
19734 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
19736 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
19737 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
19738 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
19739 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
19740 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
19741 been opened, the function should fail.
19743 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
19744 name. Take this example:
19748 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
19749 (nntp-port-number 4324))
19752 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
19753 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
19755 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
19756 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
19757 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
19759 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
19760 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
19761 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
19763 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
19764 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
19765 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
19766 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
19767 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
19768 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
19771 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
19772 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
19773 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
19774 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
19777 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
19780 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
19783 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
19784 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
19785 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
19786 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
19787 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
19788 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
19792 @node Required Backend Functions
19793 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
19797 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
19799 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
19800 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
19801 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
19802 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
19804 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
19805 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
19806 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
19807 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
19809 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
19810 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
19811 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
19812 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
19813 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
19814 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
19815 number, do maximum fetches.
19817 Here's an example HEAD:
19820 221 1056 Article retrieved.
19821 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
19822 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
19823 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
19824 Subject: Re: Something very droll
19825 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
19826 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
19828 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
19829 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
19830 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
19834 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
19835 these in the data buffer.
19837 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
19841 head = error / valid-head
19842 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
19843 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
19844 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
19845 header = <text> eol
19848 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
19849 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
19853 nov-buffer = *nov-line
19854 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
19855 field = <text except TAB>
19858 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
19862 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
19864 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
19865 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
19867 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
19868 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
19869 server. In fact, it should do so.
19871 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
19872 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
19875 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
19877 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
19878 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
19881 There should be no data returned.
19884 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
19886 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
19887 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
19888 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
19889 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
19891 There should be no data returned.
19894 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
19896 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
19897 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
19898 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
19899 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
19901 There should be no data returned.
19904 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
19906 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
19908 There should be no data returned.
19911 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
19913 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
19914 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
19915 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
19916 it would be nice if that were possible.
19918 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
19919 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
19920 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
19921 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
19922 into its article buffer.
19924 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
19925 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
19926 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
19927 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
19928 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
19929 on successful article retrieval.
19932 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
19934 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
19935 making @var{group} the current group.
19937 If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
19940 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
19943 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
19946 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
19947 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
19948 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
19949 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
19950 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
19951 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
19952 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
19953 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
19956 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
19957 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
19958 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
19962 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
19964 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
19965 a no-op on most backends.
19967 There should be no data returned.
19970 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
19972 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
19975 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
19978 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
19979 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
19982 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
19983 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
19986 active-file = *active-line
19987 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
19989 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
19992 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
19993 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
19994 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
19997 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
19999 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
20000 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
20001 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
20002 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
20003 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
20004 clear if the posting could not be completed.
20006 There should be no result data from this function.
20011 @node Optional Backend Functions
20012 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
20016 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
20018 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
20019 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
20020 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
20022 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
20023 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
20024 former is in the same format as the data from
20025 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
20026 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
20029 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
20033 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
20035 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
20036 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
20037 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
20038 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
20039 should return the (altered) group info.
20041 There should be no result data from this function.
20044 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
20046 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
20047 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
20048 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
20049 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
20050 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
20051 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
20052 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
20053 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
20055 There should be no result data from this function.
20058 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
20060 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
20061 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
20062 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as IMAP) however carry all
20063 information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to propagate
20064 the mark information to the server.
20066 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
20069 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
20072 Range is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. Action is
20073 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
20074 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
20075 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
20076 mentioned) marks. Mark is a list of marks; where each mark is a
20077 symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
20078 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
20079 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
20080 not limit itself to theese.
20082 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
20083 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
20084 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
20085 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
20087 An example action list:
20090 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
20091 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
20092 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
20095 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
20096 mark on (currently not used for anything).
20098 There should be no result data from this function.
20100 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
20102 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
20103 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
20104 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
20105 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
20106 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
20108 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
20109 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
20110 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
20113 There should be no result data from this function.
20116 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
20118 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
20119 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
20120 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
20121 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
20122 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
20123 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
20124 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
20126 There should be no result data from this function.
20129 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
20131 The result data from this function should be a description of
20135 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
20137 description = <text>
20140 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
20142 The result data from this function should be the description of all
20143 groups available on the server.
20146 description-buffer = *description-line
20150 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
20152 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
20153 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
20154 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
20157 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
20159 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
20161 There should be no return data.
20164 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
20166 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
20167 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
20168 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
20169 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
20170 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
20173 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
20176 There should be no result data returned.
20179 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
20182 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
20183 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
20185 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
20186 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
20187 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
20188 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
20189 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
20190 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
20192 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
20193 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
20196 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
20197 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
20199 There should be no data returned.
20202 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
20204 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
20205 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
20206 this function in short order.
20208 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
20209 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
20211 There should be no data returned.
20214 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
20216 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
20217 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
20219 There should be no data returned.
20222 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
20224 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
20225 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
20226 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
20228 There should be no data returned.
20231 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
20233 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
20234 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
20236 There should be no data returned.
20241 @node Error Messaging
20242 @subsubsection Error Messaging
20244 @findex nnheader-report
20245 @findex nnheader-get-report
20246 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
20247 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
20248 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
20249 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
20250 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
20251 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
20254 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
20256 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
20259 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
20260 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
20261 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
20262 takes one argument---the server symbol.
20264 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
20265 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
20266 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
20269 @node Writing New Backends
20270 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
20272 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
20273 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
20274 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
20275 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
20276 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
20279 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
20280 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
20281 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
20283 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
20284 package called @code{nnoo}.
20286 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
20287 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
20293 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
20294 parameters. For instance:
20297 (nnoo-declare nndir
20301 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
20302 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
20305 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
20306 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
20307 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
20309 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
20310 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
20311 a function in those backends.
20314 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
20315 "Where nndir will look for groups."
20316 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
20319 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
20320 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
20321 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
20323 @item nnoo-define-basics
20324 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
20328 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
20332 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
20333 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
20334 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
20336 @item nnoo-map-functions
20337 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
20338 functions from the parent backends.
20341 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
20342 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
20343 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
20346 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
20347 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
20348 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
20349 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
20352 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
20353 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
20354 haven't already been defined.
20360 nnmh-request-newgroups)
20364 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
20365 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
20366 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
20371 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
20374 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
20375 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
20379 (require 'nnheader)
20383 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
20385 (nnoo-declare nndir
20388 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
20389 "Where nndir will look for groups."
20390 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
20392 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
20393 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
20396 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
20397 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
20398 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
20400 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
20401 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
20403 ;;; Interface functions.
20405 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
20407 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
20408 (setq nndir-directory
20409 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
20411 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
20412 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
20413 (push `(nndir-current-group
20414 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
20416 (push `(nndir-top-directory
20417 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
20419 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
20421 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
20422 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
20423 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
20424 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
20425 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
20429 nnmh-status-message
20431 nnmh-request-newgroups))
20437 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
20438 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
20440 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
20441 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
20442 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
20443 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
20445 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
20446 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
20451 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
20454 The abilities can be:
20458 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
20460 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
20462 This backend supports both mail and news.
20464 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
20467 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
20468 articles and groups.
20470 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
20471 true for almost all backends.
20472 @item prompt-address
20473 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
20474 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
20475 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
20479 @node Mail-like Backends
20480 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
20482 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
20483 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
20484 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
20485 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
20488 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
20489 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
20490 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
20493 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
20494 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
20497 This function takes four parameters.
20501 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
20504 @item exit-function
20505 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
20507 @item temp-directory
20508 Where the temporary files should be stored.
20511 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
20512 performed for one group only.
20515 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
20516 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
20517 find the article number assigned to this article.
20519 The function also uses the following variables:
20520 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
20521 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
20522 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
20523 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
20527 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
20528 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
20532 @node Score File Syntax
20533 @subsection Score File Syntax
20535 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
20536 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
20537 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
20539 Here's a typical score file:
20543 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
20550 BNF definition of a score file:
20553 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
20554 element = rule / atom
20555 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
20556 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
20557 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
20558 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
20560 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
20561 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
20562 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
20563 date-header = "date"
20564 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
20565 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
20566 score = "nil" / <integer>
20567 date = "nil" / <natural number>
20568 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
20569 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
20570 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
20571 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
20572 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
20573 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
20574 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
20575 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
20576 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
20577 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
20578 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
20579 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
20580 exclude-files / read-only / touched
20581 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
20582 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
20583 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
20584 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
20585 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
20586 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
20587 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
20588 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
20589 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
20590 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
20591 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
20592 eval = "eval" space <form>
20593 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
20596 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
20599 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
20600 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
20601 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
20602 one looong line, then that's ok.
20604 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
20605 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
20609 @subsection Headers
20611 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
20612 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
20613 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
20614 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
20616 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
20617 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
20618 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
20619 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
20620 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
20621 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
20622 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
20624 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
20625 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
20626 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
20627 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
20628 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
20630 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
20631 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
20637 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
20638 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
20640 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
20641 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
20642 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
20643 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
20645 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
20649 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
20652 is transformed into
20655 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
20658 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
20659 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
20662 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
20665 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
20666 is slightly tricky:
20669 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
20675 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
20678 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
20684 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
20691 and is equal to the previous range.
20693 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
20694 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
20695 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
20699 range = simple-range / normal-range
20700 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
20701 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
20702 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
20703 number *[ " " contents ]
20706 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
20707 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
20708 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
20709 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
20710 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
20715 @subsection Group Info
20717 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
20718 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
20719 describes the group.
20721 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
20722 second is a more complex one:
20725 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
20727 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
20728 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
20730 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
20733 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
20734 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
20735 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
20736 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
20737 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
20738 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
20739 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
20740 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
20741 this section is about.
20743 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
20744 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
20745 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
20747 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
20750 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
20751 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
20752 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
20753 group = quote <string> quote
20754 ralevel = rank / level
20755 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
20756 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
20757 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
20759 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
20760 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
20761 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
20762 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
20765 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
20766 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
20769 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
20770 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
20773 @item gnus-info-group
20774 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
20775 @findex gnus-info-group
20776 @findex gnus-info-set-group
20777 Get/set the group name.
20779 @item gnus-info-rank
20780 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
20781 @findex gnus-info-rank
20782 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
20783 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
20785 @item gnus-info-level
20786 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
20787 @findex gnus-info-level
20788 @findex gnus-info-set-level
20789 Get/set the group level.
20791 @item gnus-info-score
20792 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
20793 @findex gnus-info-score
20794 @findex gnus-info-set-score
20795 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
20797 @item gnus-info-read
20798 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
20799 @findex gnus-info-read
20800 @findex gnus-info-set-read
20801 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
20803 @item gnus-info-marks
20804 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
20805 @findex gnus-info-marks
20806 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
20807 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
20809 @item gnus-info-method
20810 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
20811 @findex gnus-info-method
20812 @findex gnus-info-set-method
20813 Get/set the group select method.
20815 @item gnus-info-params
20816 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
20817 @findex gnus-info-params
20818 @findex gnus-info-set-params
20819 Get/set the group parameters.
20822 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
20823 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
20825 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
20826 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
20827 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
20828 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
20831 @node Extended Interactive
20832 @subsection Extended Interactive
20833 @cindex interactive
20834 @findex gnus-interactive
20836 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
20837 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
20838 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
20841 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
20842 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
20847 The best thing to do would have been to implement
20848 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
20849 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
20850 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
20851 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
20852 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
20853 @code{interactive}.
20855 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
20860 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
20861 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
20865 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
20866 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
20867 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
20870 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
20874 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
20878 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
20884 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
20885 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
20889 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
20890 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
20891 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
20893 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
20894 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
20895 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
20896 Gnus, that's very useful.
20898 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
20899 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
20900 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
20901 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
20902 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
20903 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
20904 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
20905 following function:
20908 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
20912 (,function ,@@args))
20916 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
20917 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
20918 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
20921 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
20922 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
20923 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
20925 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
20926 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
20927 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
20930 @node Various File Formats
20931 @subsection Various File Formats
20934 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
20935 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
20939 @node Active File Format
20940 @subsubsection Active File Format
20942 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
20943 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
20946 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
20949 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
20950 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
20951 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
20952 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
20953 no.general 1000 900 y
20956 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
20959 active = *group-line
20960 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
20961 group = <non-white-space string>
20963 high-number = <non-negative integer>
20964 low-number = <positive integer>
20965 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
20968 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
20969 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
20972 @node Newsgroups File Format
20973 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
20975 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
20976 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
20977 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
20980 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
20981 Here's the definition:
20985 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
20986 group = <non-white-space string>
20988 description = <string>
20993 @node Emacs for Heathens
20994 @section Emacs for Heathens
20996 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
20997 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
20998 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
20999 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
21000 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
21001 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
21002 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
21006 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
21007 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
21012 @subsection Keystrokes
21016 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
21019 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
21022 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
21023 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
21024 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
21025 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
21026 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
21027 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
21029 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
21030 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
21031 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
21032 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
21033 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
21034 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
21035 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
21037 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
21038 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
21039 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
21040 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
21041 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
21042 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
21043 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
21045 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
21046 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
21047 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
21048 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
21049 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
21055 @subsection Emacs Lisp
21057 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
21058 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
21059 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
21060 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
21062 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
21063 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
21064 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
21065 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
21066 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
21067 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
21068 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
21071 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
21072 write the following:
21075 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
21078 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
21079 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
21080 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
21083 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
21084 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
21085 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
21086 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
21087 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
21089 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
21090 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
21091 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
21095 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
21099 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
21102 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
21103 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
21106 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
21109 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
21110 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
21113 @include gnus-faq.texi