4 @settitle T-gnus 6.15 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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281 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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290 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
291 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
294 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
295 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
296 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
297 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
298 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
299 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
300 License'' in the Emacs manual.
302 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
303 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
304 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
306 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
307 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
308 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
309 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
317 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
319 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
320 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
322 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
323 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
324 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
325 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
326 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
327 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
328 License'' in the Emacs manual.
330 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
331 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
332 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
334 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
335 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
336 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
337 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
343 @title T-gnus 6.15 Manual
345 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
348 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
349 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
350 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
352 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
353 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
354 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
355 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
356 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
357 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
358 License'' in the Emacs manual.
360 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
361 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
362 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
364 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
365 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
366 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
367 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
376 @top The gnus Newsreader
380 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
381 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
382 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
385 T-gnus provides MIME features based on SEMI API. So T-gnus supports
386 your right to read strange messages including big images or other
387 various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
388 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
389 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
390 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
392 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.15.
403 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
404 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
406 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
407 being accused of plagiarism:
409 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
410 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
411 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
412 can even read news with it!
414 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
415 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
416 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
417 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
418 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
424 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
425 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
426 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
427 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
428 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
429 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
430 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
431 * Various:: General purpose settings.
432 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
433 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
434 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
435 * Key Index:: Key Index.
438 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
442 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
443 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
444 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
445 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
446 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
447 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
448 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
449 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
450 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
451 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
452 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
456 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
457 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
458 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
462 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
463 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
464 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
465 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
466 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
467 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
468 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
469 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
470 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
471 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
472 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
473 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
474 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
475 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
476 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
477 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
478 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
482 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
483 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
484 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
488 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
489 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
490 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
491 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
492 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
496 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
497 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
498 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
499 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
500 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
504 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
505 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
506 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
507 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
508 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
510 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
511 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
512 * Threading:: How threads are made.
513 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
514 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
515 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
516 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
517 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
518 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
519 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
520 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
521 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
522 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
523 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
524 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
525 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
526 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
527 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
528 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
529 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
530 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
531 or reselecting the current group.
532 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
533 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
534 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
535 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
537 Summary Buffer Format
539 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
540 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
541 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
542 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
546 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
547 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
549 Reply, Followup and Post
551 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
552 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
553 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
554 * Canceling and Superseding::
558 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
559 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
560 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
562 * Generic Marking Commands::
563 * Setting Process Marks::
567 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
568 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
569 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
573 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
574 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
576 Customizing Threading
578 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
579 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
580 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
581 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
585 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
586 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
587 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
588 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
589 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
590 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
594 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
595 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
596 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
600 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
601 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
602 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
603 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
604 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
605 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
606 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
607 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
608 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
609 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
611 Alternative Approaches
613 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
614 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
616 Various Summary Stuff
618 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
619 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
620 * Summary Generation Commands::
621 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
625 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
626 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
627 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
628 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
629 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
633 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
634 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
635 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
636 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
637 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
638 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
639 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
640 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
644 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
645 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
646 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
647 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
648 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
649 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
650 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
651 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
655 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
656 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
657 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
658 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
659 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
660 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
661 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
665 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
666 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
670 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
671 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
672 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
676 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
677 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
678 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
679 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
680 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
681 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
682 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
683 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
684 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
685 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
686 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
687 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
688 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
692 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
693 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
694 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
696 Choosing a Mail Back End
698 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
699 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
700 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
701 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
702 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
703 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
708 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
709 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
710 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
711 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
712 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
713 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
717 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
718 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
719 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
723 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
724 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
725 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
726 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
727 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
731 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
735 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
736 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
737 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
741 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
742 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
746 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
747 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
748 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
749 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
750 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
751 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
752 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
753 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
754 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
755 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
759 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
760 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
761 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
765 * Group Agent Commands::
766 * Summary Agent Commands::
767 * Server Agent Commands::
771 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
772 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
773 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
774 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
775 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
776 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
777 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
778 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
779 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
780 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
781 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
782 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
783 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
784 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
785 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
786 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
787 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
791 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
792 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
793 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
794 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
798 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
799 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
800 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
804 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
805 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
806 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
807 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
808 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
809 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
810 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
811 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
812 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
813 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
814 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
815 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
816 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
817 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
818 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
819 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
820 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
821 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
822 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
826 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
827 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
828 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
829 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
830 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
831 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
832 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
833 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
837 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
838 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
839 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
840 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
841 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
845 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
846 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
847 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
848 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
849 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
853 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
854 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
855 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
856 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
857 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
858 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
859 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
860 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
861 * Frequently Asked Questions::
865 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
866 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
867 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
868 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
869 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
870 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
871 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
872 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
873 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
877 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
878 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
879 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
880 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
881 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
885 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
886 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
887 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
888 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
892 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
893 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
894 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
895 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
896 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
897 * Group Info:: The group info format.
898 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
899 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
900 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
904 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
905 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
906 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
907 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
908 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
909 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
913 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
914 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
918 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
919 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
925 @chapter Starting gnus
930 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
931 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
934 @findex gnus-other-frame
935 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
936 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
937 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
939 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
940 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
941 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
943 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
944 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
947 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
948 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
949 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
950 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
951 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
952 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
953 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
954 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
955 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
956 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
957 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
961 @node Finding the News
962 @section Finding the News
965 @vindex gnus-select-method
967 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
968 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
969 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
970 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
973 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
974 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
977 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
980 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
983 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
986 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
987 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
988 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
990 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
992 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
993 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
994 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
995 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
996 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
997 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
999 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1000 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1001 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1002 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1004 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1005 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1006 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1007 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1008 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
1009 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1010 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1011 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1012 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1015 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1017 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1018 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1019 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1020 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1021 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1022 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1024 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1026 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1027 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1028 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1029 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1030 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1031 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1034 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1035 you would typically set this variable to
1038 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1042 @node The First Time
1043 @section The First Time
1044 @cindex first time usage
1046 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1047 be subscribed by default.
1049 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1050 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1051 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1052 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1055 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1056 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1057 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1059 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1060 help you with most common problems.
1062 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1063 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1067 @node The Server is Down
1068 @section The Server is Down
1069 @cindex server errors
1071 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1072 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1073 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1075 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1076 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1077 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1078 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1079 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1080 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1081 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1083 @findex gnus-no-server
1084 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1086 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1087 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1088 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1089 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1090 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1091 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1092 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1096 @section Slave Gnusae
1099 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1100 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1101 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1102 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1104 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1105 @code{.newsrc} file.
1107 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1108 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1109 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1110 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1111 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1112 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1113 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1115 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1116 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1117 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1118 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1119 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1120 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1121 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1122 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1124 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1125 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1128 @node Fetching a Group
1129 @section Fetching a Group
1130 @cindex fetching a group
1132 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1133 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1134 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1135 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1136 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1137 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1143 @cindex subscription
1145 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1146 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1147 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1148 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1149 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1150 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1151 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1152 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1153 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1156 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1157 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1158 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1162 @node Checking New Groups
1163 @subsection Checking New Groups
1165 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1166 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1167 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1168 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1169 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1170 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1171 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1172 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1173 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1174 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1176 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1177 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1178 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1179 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1180 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1181 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1182 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1183 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1184 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1185 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1186 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1188 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1189 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1190 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1191 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1192 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1193 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1196 @node Subscription Methods
1197 @subsection Subscription Methods
1199 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1200 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1201 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1203 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1204 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1206 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1210 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1211 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1212 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1213 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1214 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1216 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1217 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1218 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1219 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1221 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1222 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1223 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1225 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1226 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1227 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1228 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1229 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1230 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1231 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1232 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1233 up. Or something like that.
1235 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1236 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1237 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1238 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1239 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1241 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1242 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1243 Kill all new groups.
1245 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1246 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1247 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1248 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1249 topic parameter that looks like
1255 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1258 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1263 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1264 A closely related variable is
1265 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1266 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1267 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1268 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1271 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1272 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1273 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1274 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1277 @node Filtering New Groups
1278 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1280 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1281 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1282 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1285 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1288 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1289 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1290 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1291 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1292 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1293 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1294 subscribing these groups.
1295 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1296 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1298 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1299 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1300 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1301 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1302 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1303 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1304 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1305 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1307 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1308 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1309 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1310 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1311 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1312 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1313 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1314 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1315 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1316 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1318 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1319 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1322 @node Changing Servers
1323 @section Changing Servers
1324 @cindex changing servers
1326 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1327 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1328 very flaky and you want to use another.
1330 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1331 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1335 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1336 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1337 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1338 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1341 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1342 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1343 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1344 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1346 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1347 @findex gnus-change-server
1348 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1349 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1350 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1351 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1352 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1354 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1355 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1356 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1357 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1358 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1360 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1361 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1362 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1363 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1364 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1365 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1367 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1368 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1369 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1370 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1372 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1373 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1374 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1375 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1376 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1377 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1378 cache for all groups).
1382 @section Startup Files
1383 @cindex startup files
1388 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1389 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1391 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1392 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1393 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1394 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1395 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1396 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1397 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1399 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1400 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1401 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1402 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1403 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1404 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1406 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1407 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1408 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1409 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1410 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1411 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1412 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1413 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1414 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1415 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1417 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1418 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1419 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1420 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1421 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1422 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1423 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1424 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1425 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1426 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1427 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1428 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1430 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1431 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1432 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1433 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1435 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1436 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1437 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1438 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1439 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1440 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1441 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1442 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1443 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1444 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1447 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1448 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1450 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1451 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1454 @vindex gnus-init-file
1455 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1456 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1457 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1458 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1459 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1460 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1461 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1462 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1463 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1469 @cindex dribble file
1472 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1473 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1474 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1475 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1476 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1479 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1480 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1483 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1484 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1485 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1487 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1488 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1489 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1490 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1491 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1492 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1494 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1495 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1496 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1499 @node The Active File
1500 @section The Active File
1502 @cindex ignored groups
1504 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1505 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1506 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1508 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1509 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1510 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1511 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1512 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1513 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1514 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1517 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1518 @c if you set it to anything else.
1520 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1522 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1523 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1524 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1526 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1527 you actually subscribe to.
1529 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1530 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1531 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1532 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1534 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1535 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1536 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1537 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1538 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1539 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1541 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1542 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1543 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1546 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1547 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1548 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1549 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1550 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1551 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1553 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1554 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1556 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1557 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1559 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1560 secondary select methods.
1563 @node Startup Variables
1564 @section Startup Variables
1568 @item gnus-load-hook
1569 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1570 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1571 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1572 times you start gnus.
1574 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1575 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1576 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1578 @item gnus-startup-hook
1579 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1580 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1582 @item gnus-started-hook
1583 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1584 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1587 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1588 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1589 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1590 generating the group buffer.
1592 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1593 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1594 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1595 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1596 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1597 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1598 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1599 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1601 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1602 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1603 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1604 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1605 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1606 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1608 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1609 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1610 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1612 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1613 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1614 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1616 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1617 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1618 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1619 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1625 @chapter Group Buffer
1626 @cindex group buffer
1628 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1630 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1631 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1632 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1633 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1634 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1635 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1636 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1637 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1638 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1639 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1640 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1641 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1642 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1643 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1644 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1645 @c human rights at 9...
1648 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1649 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1650 long as gnus is active.
1654 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1655 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1656 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1657 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1658 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1659 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1660 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1661 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1667 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1668 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1669 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1670 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1671 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1672 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1673 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1674 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1675 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1676 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1677 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1678 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1679 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1680 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1681 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1682 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1683 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1687 @node Group Buffer Format
1688 @section Group Buffer Format
1691 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1692 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1693 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1697 @node Group Line Specification
1698 @subsection Group Line Specification
1699 @cindex group buffer format
1701 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1702 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1704 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1707 25: news.announce.newusers
1708 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1713 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1714 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1715 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1716 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1718 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1719 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1720 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1721 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1722 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1723 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1725 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1727 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1728 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1729 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1730 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1731 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1733 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1734 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1735 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1737 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1742 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1745 Whether the group is subscribed.
1748 Level of subscribedness.
1751 Number of unread articles.
1754 Number of dormant articles.
1757 Number of ticked articles.
1760 Number of read articles.
1763 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1764 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1766 Gnus uses this estimation because the NNTP protocol provides efficient
1767 access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting the true
1768 unread message count is not possible efficiently. For hysterical
1769 raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of unread
1770 messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1771 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the
1772 back end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1773 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1776 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1779 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1788 Newsgroup description.
1791 @samp{m} if moderated.
1794 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1803 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1807 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1810 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1811 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1812 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1813 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1814 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1817 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1819 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1823 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1826 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1830 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1831 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1832 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1833 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1834 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1835 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1840 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1841 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1842 group, or a bogus native group.
1845 @node Group Modeline Specification
1846 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1847 @cindex group modeline
1849 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1850 The mode line can be changed by setting
1851 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1852 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1856 The native news server.
1858 The native select method.
1862 @node Group Highlighting
1863 @subsection Group Highlighting
1864 @cindex highlighting
1865 @cindex group highlighting
1867 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1868 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1869 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1870 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1871 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1873 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1877 (cond (window-system
1878 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1879 (defface my-group-face-1
1880 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1881 (defface my-group-face-2
1882 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1883 (defface my-group-face-3
1884 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1885 (defface my-group-face-4
1886 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1887 (defface my-group-face-5
1888 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1890 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1891 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1892 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1893 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1894 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1895 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1898 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1900 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1907 The number of unread articles in the group.
1911 Whether the group is a mail group.
1913 The level of the group.
1915 The score of the group.
1917 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1919 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1920 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1922 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1923 topic being inserted.
1926 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1927 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1928 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1930 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1931 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1932 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1933 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1934 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1937 @node Group Maneuvering
1938 @section Group Maneuvering
1939 @cindex group movement
1941 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1942 expected, hopefully.
1948 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1949 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1950 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1956 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1957 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1958 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1962 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1963 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1967 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1968 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1972 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1973 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1974 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1978 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1979 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1980 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1983 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1989 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1990 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1991 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1996 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1997 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1998 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2002 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2003 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2004 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2007 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2008 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2009 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2010 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2014 @node Selecting a Group
2015 @section Selecting a Group
2016 @cindex group selection
2021 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2022 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2023 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2024 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2025 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2026 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2027 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2028 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2029 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2030 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2032 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2033 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2034 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2036 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2037 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2042 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2043 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2044 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2045 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2046 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2050 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2051 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2052 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2053 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2054 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2055 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2056 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2057 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2058 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2059 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2062 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2063 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2064 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2065 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2066 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2069 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2070 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2071 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2072 doing any processing of its contents
2073 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2074 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2075 manner will have no permanent effects.
2079 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2080 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
2081 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2082 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2083 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2084 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2085 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2086 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2089 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2090 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2091 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2092 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2093 Which article this is is controlled by the
2094 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2100 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2103 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2106 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2108 @item unseen-or-unread
2109 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2110 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2114 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2118 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2119 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2121 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2122 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2123 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2124 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2128 @node Subscription Commands
2129 @section Subscription Commands
2130 @cindex subscription
2138 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2139 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2140 Toggle subscription to the current group
2141 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2147 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2148 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2149 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2150 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2156 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2157 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2158 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2164 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2165 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2168 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2169 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2170 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2171 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2172 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2178 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2179 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2183 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2184 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2187 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2188 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2189 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2190 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2191 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2192 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2193 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2194 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2195 @file{.newsrc} file.
2199 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2209 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2210 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2211 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2212 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2213 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2214 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2219 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2220 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2221 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2225 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2226 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2227 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2229 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2230 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2231 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2232 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2233 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2234 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2241 @section Group Levels
2245 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2246 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2247 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2248 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2249 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2251 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2257 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2258 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2259 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2260 prompted for a level.
2263 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2264 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2265 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2266 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2267 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2268 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2269 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2270 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2271 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2272 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2273 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2274 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2275 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2276 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2277 reasons of efficiency.
2279 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2280 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2282 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2283 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2284 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2285 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2286 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2287 groups are hidden, in a way.
2289 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2290 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2291 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2292 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2293 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2294 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2296 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2297 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2298 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2299 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2300 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2301 list of killed groups.)
2303 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2304 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2305 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2307 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2308 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2309 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2310 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2311 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2312 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2313 relevant valid ranges.
2315 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2316 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2317 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2318 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2319 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2320 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2323 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2324 one with the best level.
2326 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2327 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2328 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2331 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2332 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2333 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2334 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2337 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2338 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2339 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2340 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2342 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2343 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2344 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2345 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2346 to 5. The default is 6.
2350 @section Group Score
2355 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2356 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2357 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2360 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2361 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2362 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2363 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2364 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2365 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2366 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2367 least significant part.))
2369 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2370 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2371 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2372 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2373 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2374 action after each summary exit, you can add
2375 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2376 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2377 slow things down somewhat.
2380 @node Marking Groups
2381 @section Marking Groups
2382 @cindex marking groups
2384 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2385 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2386 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2387 bidding on those groups.
2389 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2390 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2391 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2399 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2400 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2406 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2407 Remove the mark from the current group
2408 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2412 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2413 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2417 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2418 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2422 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2423 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2427 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2428 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2429 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2432 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2434 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2435 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2436 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2437 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2438 the command to be executed.
2441 @node Foreign Groups
2442 @section Foreign Groups
2443 @cindex foreign groups
2445 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2446 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2447 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2448 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2455 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2456 @cindex making groups
2457 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2458 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2459 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2463 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2464 @cindex renaming groups
2465 Rename the current group to something else
2466 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2467 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2473 @findex gnus-group-customize
2474 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2478 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2479 @cindex renaming groups
2480 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2481 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2485 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2486 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2487 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2491 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2492 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2493 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2497 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2499 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2500 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2505 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2506 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2510 @cindex (ding) archive
2511 @cindex archive group
2512 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2513 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2514 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2515 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2516 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2517 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2518 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2522 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2524 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2525 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2526 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2527 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2531 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2533 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2534 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2535 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2539 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2540 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2542 Make a group based on some file or other
2543 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2544 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2545 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2546 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2547 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2548 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2549 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2550 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2551 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2555 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2556 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2557 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2558 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2562 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2567 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2568 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2569 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2570 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2571 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2572 @xref{Web Searches}.
2574 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2575 to a particular group by using a match string like
2576 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2579 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2580 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2581 This function will delete the current group
2582 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2583 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2584 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2585 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2586 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2590 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2591 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2592 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2596 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2597 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2598 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2601 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2604 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2605 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2606 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2607 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2608 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2609 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2613 @node Group Parameters
2614 @section Group Parameters
2615 @cindex group parameters
2617 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2618 Here's an example group parameter list:
2621 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2625 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2626 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2627 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2628 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2630 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2631 is an alist of regexps and values.
2633 The following group parameters can be used:
2638 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2641 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2644 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2645 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2646 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2647 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2648 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2650 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2651 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2652 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2653 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2654 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2655 list address instead.
2657 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2661 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2664 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2667 It is totally ignored
2668 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2669 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2671 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2672 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2673 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2674 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2675 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2677 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2678 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2679 sending the message.
2681 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2682 @cindex Mail List Groups
2683 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2684 entering summary buffer.
2686 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2690 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2691 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2692 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information
2693 will help it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To headers for your
2694 posts to these lists.
2696 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2697 directly uses this group parameter.
2701 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2702 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2703 of whether it has any unread articles.
2705 @item broken-reply-to
2706 @cindex broken-reply-to
2707 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2708 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2709 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2710 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2711 broken behavior. So there!
2715 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2716 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2720 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2721 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2722 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2727 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2728 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2729 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2730 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2731 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2732 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2733 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2737 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2738 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2739 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2741 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2744 @cindex total-expire
2745 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2746 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2747 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2748 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2751 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2755 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2756 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2757 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2758 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2759 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2760 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2763 @cindex score file group parameter
2764 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2765 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2766 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2769 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2770 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2771 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2772 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2775 @cindex admin-address
2776 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2777 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2778 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2779 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2783 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2784 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2788 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2791 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2792 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2795 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2799 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2801 Here are some examples:
2805 Display only read articles.
2808 Display everything except expirable articles.
2810 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2811 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2815 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2816 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2817 @code{read}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2818 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2819 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{seen} and @code{recent}.
2823 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2824 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2825 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2829 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2830 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2831 gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2836 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2837 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2838 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2840 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2842 @item ignored-charsets
2843 @cindex ignored-charset
2844 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2845 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2846 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2848 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2851 @cindex posting-style
2852 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2853 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2854 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2855 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2856 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2858 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2859 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2860 like this in the group parameters:
2865 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2870 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2871 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2875 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2876 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2877 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2878 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2879 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2883 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2884 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2885 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2886 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2888 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2889 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2890 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2891 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2894 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2895 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2899 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2902 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2903 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2904 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2905 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2906 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2907 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2908 @code{eval}ed there.
2910 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2911 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2912 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2913 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2914 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2918 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2919 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2920 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2921 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2922 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2924 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2925 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2929 (setq gnus-parameters
2931 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2932 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2933 (gnus-summary-line-format
2934 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2938 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2942 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2946 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2949 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2950 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2953 @node Listing Groups
2954 @section Listing Groups
2955 @cindex group listing
2957 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2965 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2966 List all groups that have unread articles
2967 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2968 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2969 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2970 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2977 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2978 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2979 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2980 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2981 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2982 unsubscribed groups).
2986 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2987 List all unread groups on a specific level
2988 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2989 with no unread articles.
2993 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2994 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2995 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2996 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3001 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3002 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3006 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3007 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3008 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3012 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3013 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3017 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3018 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3019 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3020 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3021 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3022 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3023 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3024 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3028 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3029 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3030 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3034 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3035 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3036 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3040 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3041 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3045 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3046 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3050 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3051 List groups limited within the current selection
3052 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3056 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3057 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3061 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3062 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3066 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3067 @cindex visible group parameter
3068 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3069 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3070 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3071 get the same effect.
3073 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3074 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3075 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3076 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3077 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3080 @node Sorting Groups
3081 @section Sorting Groups
3082 @cindex sorting groups
3084 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3085 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3086 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3087 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3088 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3089 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3094 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3095 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3096 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3098 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3099 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3100 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3102 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3103 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3104 Sort by group level.
3106 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3107 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3108 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3110 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3111 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3112 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3113 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3115 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3116 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3117 Sort by number of unread articles.
3119 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3120 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3121 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3123 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3124 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3125 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3130 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3131 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3135 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3136 some sorting criteria:
3140 @kindex G S a (Group)
3141 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3142 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3143 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3146 @kindex G S u (Group)
3147 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3148 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3149 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3152 @kindex G S l (Group)
3153 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3154 Sort the group buffer by group level
3155 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3158 @kindex G S v (Group)
3159 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3160 Sort the group buffer by group score
3161 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3164 @kindex G S r (Group)
3165 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3166 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3167 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3170 @kindex G S m (Group)
3171 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3172 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3173 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3177 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3178 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3180 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3181 commands will sort in reverse order.
3183 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3187 @kindex G P a (Group)
3188 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3189 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3190 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3193 @kindex G P u (Group)
3194 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3195 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3196 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3199 @kindex G P l (Group)
3200 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3201 Sort the groups by group level
3202 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3205 @kindex G P v (Group)
3206 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3207 Sort the groups by group score
3208 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3211 @kindex G P r (Group)
3212 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3213 Sort the groups by group rank
3214 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3217 @kindex G P m (Group)
3218 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3219 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3220 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3224 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3228 @node Group Maintenance
3229 @section Group Maintenance
3230 @cindex bogus groups
3235 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3236 Find bogus groups and delete them
3237 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3241 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3242 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3243 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3244 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3245 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3249 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3250 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3251 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3252 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3253 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3254 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3257 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3258 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3259 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3260 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3265 @node Browse Foreign Server
3266 @section Browse Foreign Server
3267 @cindex foreign servers
3268 @cindex browsing servers
3273 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3274 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3275 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3276 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3279 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3280 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3281 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3282 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3284 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3289 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3290 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3294 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3295 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3298 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3299 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3300 Enter the current group and display the first article
3301 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3304 @kindex RET (Browse)
3305 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3306 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3310 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3311 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3312 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3318 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3319 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3323 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3324 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3325 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3330 @section Exiting gnus
3331 @cindex exiting gnus
3333 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3338 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3339 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3340 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3341 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3345 @findex gnus-group-exit
3346 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3347 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3351 @findex gnus-group-quit
3352 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3353 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3356 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3357 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3358 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3359 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3360 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3365 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3366 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3367 trying to customize meta-variables.
3372 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3373 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3374 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3380 @section Group Topics
3383 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3384 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3385 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3386 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3387 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3388 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3392 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3393 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3404 2: alt.religion.emacs
3407 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3409 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3410 13: comp.sources.unix
3413 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3415 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3416 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3417 is a toggling command.)
3419 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3420 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3421 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3422 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3425 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3426 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3427 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3430 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3434 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3435 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3436 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3437 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3438 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3442 @node Topic Commands
3443 @subsection Topic Commands
3444 @cindex topic commands
3446 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3447 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3448 definitions slightly.
3450 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3451 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3452 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3453 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3454 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3455 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3457 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3464 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3465 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3466 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3470 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3472 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3473 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3474 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3475 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3478 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3479 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3480 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3481 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3485 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3486 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3487 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3488 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3494 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3495 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3496 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3500 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3501 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3502 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3505 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3506 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3507 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3508 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3509 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3511 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3512 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3516 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3517 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3524 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3526 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3527 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3528 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3529 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3530 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3531 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3535 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3541 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3542 Move the current group to some other topic
3543 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3544 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3548 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3549 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3553 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3554 Copy the current group to some other topic
3555 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3556 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3560 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3561 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3562 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3566 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3567 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3568 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3572 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3573 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3574 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3575 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3576 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3577 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3578 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3581 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3582 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3586 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3587 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3588 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3592 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3593 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3594 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3598 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3599 Toggle hiding empty topics
3600 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3604 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3605 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3606 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3609 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3610 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3611 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3612 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3615 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3616 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3617 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3618 expiry process (if any)
3619 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3623 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3624 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3627 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3628 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3629 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3633 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3634 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3635 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3638 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3639 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3640 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3643 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3644 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3645 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3649 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3650 @cindex group parameters
3651 @cindex topic parameters
3653 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3654 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3659 @node Topic Variables
3660 @subsection Topic Variables
3661 @cindex topic variables
3663 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3664 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3666 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3667 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3668 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3681 Number of groups in the topic.
3683 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3685 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3688 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3689 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3690 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3693 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3694 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3696 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3697 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3698 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3702 @subsection Topic Sorting
3703 @cindex topic sorting
3705 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3711 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3712 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3713 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3714 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3717 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3718 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3719 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3720 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3723 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3724 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3725 Sort the current topic by group level
3726 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3729 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3730 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3731 Sort the current topic by group score
3732 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3735 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3736 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3737 Sort the current topic by group rank
3738 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3741 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3742 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3743 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3744 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3747 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3748 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3749 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3750 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3754 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3757 @node Topic Topology
3758 @subsection Topic Topology
3759 @cindex topic topology
3762 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3768 2: alt.religion.emacs
3771 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3773 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3774 13: comp.sources.unix
3777 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3778 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3779 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3784 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3785 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3789 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3790 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3791 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3792 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3793 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3794 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3796 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3797 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3798 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3801 @node Topic Parameters
3802 @subsection Topic Parameters
3803 @cindex topic parameters
3805 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3806 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3807 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3809 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3814 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3815 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3816 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3819 @item subscribe-level
3820 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3821 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3822 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3826 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3827 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3828 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3829 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3835 2: alt.religion.emacs
3839 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3841 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3842 13: comp.sources.unix
3846 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3847 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3848 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3849 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3850 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3851 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3853 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3854 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3855 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3856 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3857 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3859 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3860 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3861 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3862 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3863 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3864 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3865 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3866 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3869 @node Misc Group Stuff
3870 @section Misc Group Stuff
3873 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3874 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3875 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3876 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3877 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3884 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3885 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3886 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3890 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3891 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3892 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3893 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3894 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3895 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3896 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3900 @findex gnus-group-mail
3901 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3902 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3903 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3904 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3908 @findex gnus-group-news
3909 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3910 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3911 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3913 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3914 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
3915 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3916 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
3917 for this to work though.
3921 Variables for the group buffer:
3925 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3926 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3927 is called after the group buffer has been
3930 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3931 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3932 is called after the group buffer is
3933 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3936 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3937 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3938 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3939 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3941 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3942 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3943 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3944 whether they are empty or not.
3946 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3947 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3948 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3949 non-ASCII group names.
3953 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3954 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3957 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3958 @cindex UTF-8 group names
3959 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3960 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
3961 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
3962 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
3966 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3967 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3972 @node Scanning New Messages
3973 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3974 @cindex new messages
3975 @cindex scanning new news
3981 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3982 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3983 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3984 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3985 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3986 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3991 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3992 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3993 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3994 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3995 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3996 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3997 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3999 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4000 @cindex activating groups
4002 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4003 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4008 @findex gnus-group-restart
4009 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4010 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4011 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
4015 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4016 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4018 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4019 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4023 @node Group Information
4024 @subsection Group Information
4025 @cindex group information
4026 @cindex information on groups
4033 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4034 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4037 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4038 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4039 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4040 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4041 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4042 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4043 for fetching the file.
4045 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
4046 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4050 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4052 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4053 @cindex describing groups
4054 @cindex group description
4055 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4056 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4057 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4061 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4062 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4063 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4070 @findex gnus-version
4071 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4075 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4076 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4079 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4082 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4083 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4087 @node Group Timestamp
4088 @subsection Group Timestamp
4090 @cindex group timestamps
4092 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
4093 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4094 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4097 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4100 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4102 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4103 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4106 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4107 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4110 This will result in lines looking like:
4113 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4114 0: custom 19961002T012713
4117 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4118 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4122 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4123 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4126 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4127 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4131 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4132 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4133 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4134 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4136 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4142 @subsection File Commands
4143 @cindex file commands
4149 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4150 @vindex gnus-init-file
4151 @cindex reading init file
4152 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4153 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4157 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4158 @cindex saving .newsrc
4159 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4160 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4161 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4164 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4165 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4166 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4171 @node Sieve Commands
4172 @subsection Sieve Commands
4173 @cindex group sieve commands
4175 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4176 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4177 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4178 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4179 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4181 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4182 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4183 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4184 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4185 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4186 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4187 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4188 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4189 regenerate the Sieve script.
4191 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4192 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4193 is generated. If it is non-nil (the default) articles is placed in
4194 all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article is only
4195 placed in the group with the first matching rule. For example, the
4196 group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4197 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4198 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is nil. (When
4199 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-nil, it looks the same except that
4200 the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4203 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4204 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4209 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4215 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4216 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4217 @cindex generating sieve script
4218 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4219 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4223 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4224 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4225 @cindex updating sieve script
4226 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4227 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4228 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4233 @node Summary Buffer
4234 @chapter Summary Buffer
4235 @cindex summary buffer
4237 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4238 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4240 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4241 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4243 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4246 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4247 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4248 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4249 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4250 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4251 * Delayed Articles::
4252 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4253 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4254 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4255 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4256 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4257 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4258 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4259 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4260 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4261 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4262 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4263 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4264 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4265 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4266 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4267 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4268 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4269 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4270 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4271 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4272 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4273 or reselecting the current group.
4274 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4275 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4276 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4277 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4281 @node Summary Buffer Format
4282 @section Summary Buffer Format
4283 @cindex summary buffer format
4287 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4288 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4289 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4295 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4296 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4297 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4298 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4301 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4302 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4303 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4304 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4305 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4306 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4307 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4308 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4309 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4310 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4311 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4312 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4313 other function instead:
4316 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4317 'mail-extract-address-components)
4320 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4321 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4322 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4323 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4326 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4327 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4329 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4330 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4331 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4332 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4333 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4335 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4336 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4337 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4338 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4339 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4340 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4342 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%) %s\n}.
4344 The following format specification characters and extended format
4345 specification(s) are understood:
4351 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4352 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4354 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4355 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4356 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4358 Full @code{From} header.
4360 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4362 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
4363 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
4365 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4366 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4367 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4368 may be more thorough.
4370 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4373 Number of lines in the article.
4375 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4376 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4378 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4380 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4383 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4384 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4386 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4387 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4389 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4390 for adopted articles.
4392 One space for each thread level.
4394 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4396 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4399 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4400 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4401 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4404 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4406 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4407 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4408 default level. If the difference between
4409 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4410 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4418 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4420 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4426 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4427 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4429 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4430 article has any children.
4436 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4437 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4439 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4440 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4441 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4442 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4443 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4444 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4447 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4448 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4449 There can only be one such area.
4451 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4452 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4453 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4454 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4455 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4456 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4458 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4459 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4461 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4464 @node To From Newsgroups
4465 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4469 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4470 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4471 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4472 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4473 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4477 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4478 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4479 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4483 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4484 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4487 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4488 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4491 @findex gnus-extra-header
4492 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4493 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4494 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4497 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4501 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4502 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4503 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4504 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4505 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4506 headers are used instead.
4510 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4511 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4512 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4513 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4516 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4517 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4518 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4519 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4521 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4525 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4527 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4528 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4529 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4530 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4534 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4537 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4538 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4545 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4546 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4549 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4550 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4552 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4553 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4554 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4555 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4557 Here are the elements you can play with:
4563 Unprefixed group name.
4565 Current article number.
4567 Current article score.
4571 Number of unread articles in this group.
4573 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4576 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4577 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4578 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4579 and no unselected ones.
4581 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4582 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4584 Subject of the current article.
4586 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4588 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4590 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4592 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4594 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4596 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4600 @node Summary Highlighting
4601 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4605 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4606 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4607 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4608 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4609 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4611 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4612 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4613 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4614 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4616 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4617 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4618 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4619 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4621 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4622 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4623 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4624 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4625 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4626 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4629 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4630 ((> score default) . bold))
4632 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4633 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4637 @node Summary Maneuvering
4638 @section Summary Maneuvering
4639 @cindex summary movement
4641 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4642 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4644 None of these commands select articles.
4649 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4650 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4651 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4652 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4653 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4657 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4658 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4659 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4660 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4661 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4664 @kindex G g (Summary)
4665 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4666 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4667 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4670 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4671 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4672 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4673 to the group buffer.
4675 Variables related to summary movement:
4679 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4680 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4681 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4682 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4683 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4684 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4685 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4686 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4687 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
4688 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4689 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4690 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4691 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4692 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4694 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4695 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4696 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4697 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4698 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4699 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4700 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4702 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4704 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4705 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4706 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4707 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4708 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4710 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4711 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4712 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4713 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4714 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4715 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4716 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4717 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4720 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4721 the given number of lines from the top.
4726 @node Choosing Articles
4727 @section Choosing Articles
4728 @cindex selecting articles
4731 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4732 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4736 @node Choosing Commands
4737 @subsection Choosing Commands
4739 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4740 and they all select and display an article.
4742 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4743 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4747 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4748 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4749 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4750 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4755 @kindex G n (Summary)
4756 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4757 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4758 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4763 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4764 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4765 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4770 @kindex G N (Summary)
4771 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4772 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4777 @kindex G P (Summary)
4778 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4779 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4782 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4783 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4784 Go to the next article with the same subject
4785 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4788 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4789 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4790 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4791 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4795 @kindex G f (Summary)
4797 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4798 Go to the first unread article
4799 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4803 @kindex G b (Summary)
4805 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4806 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4807 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4808 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4813 @kindex G l (Summary)
4814 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4815 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4818 @kindex G o (Summary)
4819 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4821 @cindex article history
4822 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4823 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4824 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4825 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4826 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4827 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4832 @kindex G j (Summary)
4833 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4834 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4835 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4840 @node Choosing Variables
4841 @subsection Choosing Variables
4843 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4846 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4847 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4848 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4849 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4850 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4851 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4853 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4854 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4855 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4856 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4858 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4859 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4860 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4861 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4862 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4863 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4864 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4865 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4866 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4867 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4868 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4869 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4870 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4871 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4876 @node Paging the Article
4877 @section Scrolling the Article
4878 @cindex article scrolling
4883 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4884 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4885 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4886 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4887 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4890 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4891 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4892 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4895 @kindex RET (Summary)
4896 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4897 Scroll the current article one line forward
4898 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4901 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4902 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4903 Scroll the current article one line backward
4904 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4908 @kindex A g (Summary)
4910 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4911 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4912 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4913 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4914 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4915 the way it came from the server.
4917 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4918 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4919 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4922 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4927 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4932 @kindex A < (Summary)
4933 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4934 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4935 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4940 @kindex A > (Summary)
4941 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4942 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4946 @kindex A s (Summary)
4948 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4949 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4950 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4954 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4955 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4960 @node Reply Followup and Post
4961 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4964 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4965 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4966 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4967 * Canceling and Superseding::
4971 @node Summary Mail Commands
4972 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4974 @cindex composing mail
4976 Commands for composing a mail message:
4982 @kindex S r (Summary)
4984 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4985 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4986 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4987 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4988 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4993 @kindex S R (Summary)
4994 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4995 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4996 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4997 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4998 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5001 @kindex S w (Summary)
5002 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5003 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5004 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5005 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5006 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5009 @kindex S W (Summary)
5010 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5011 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5012 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5013 the process/prefix convention.
5016 @kindex S v (Summary)
5017 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5018 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5019 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5020 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5021 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5022 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5026 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5027 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5028 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5029 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5030 Forward the current article to some other person
5031 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5032 headers of the forwarded article.
5037 @kindex S m (Summary)
5038 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5039 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5040 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5041 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5042 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5047 @kindex S i (Summary)
5048 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5049 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5050 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5051 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5053 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5054 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
5055 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5056 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5057 for this to work though.
5060 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5061 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5062 @cindex bouncing mail
5063 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5064 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5065 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5066 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5067 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5068 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
5069 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5070 very well fail, though.
5073 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5074 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5075 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5076 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5077 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5078 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5079 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5080 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5081 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5082 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5084 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5085 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5086 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5087 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5088 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
5090 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5091 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5094 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5095 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
5096 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5097 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
5098 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5101 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5102 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5103 @cindex crossposting
5104 @cindex excessive crossposting
5105 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5106 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5108 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5109 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5110 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5111 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5112 command understands the process/prefix convention
5113 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5117 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5118 Manual}, for more information.
5121 @node Summary Post Commands
5122 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5124 @cindex composing news
5126 Commands for posting a news article:
5132 @kindex S p (Summary)
5133 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5134 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5135 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5136 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5137 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5142 @kindex S f (Summary)
5143 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5144 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5145 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5149 @kindex S F (Summary)
5151 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5152 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5153 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5154 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5155 process/prefix convention.
5158 @kindex S n (Summary)
5159 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5160 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5161 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5164 @kindex S N (Summary)
5165 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5166 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5167 message through mail and include the original message
5168 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5169 the process/prefix convention.
5172 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5173 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5174 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5175 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5176 headers of the forwarded article.
5179 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5180 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
5182 @cindex making digests
5183 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5184 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5185 process/prefix convention.
5188 @kindex S u (Summary)
5189 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5190 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5191 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5192 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5195 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5196 Manual}, for more information.
5199 @node Summary Message Commands
5200 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5204 @kindex S y (Summary)
5205 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5206 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5207 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5208 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5209 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5214 @node Canceling and Superseding
5215 @subsection Canceling Articles
5216 @cindex canceling articles
5217 @cindex superseding articles
5219 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5220 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5222 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5224 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5226 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5227 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5228 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5229 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5230 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5231 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5233 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5234 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5237 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5238 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5239 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5241 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5242 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5243 your original article.
5245 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5247 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5248 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5249 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5252 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5253 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5254 have posted almost the same article twice.
5256 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5257 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5258 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5259 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5260 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5261 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5262 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5263 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5264 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5265 canceled/superseded.
5267 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5269 @node Delayed Articles
5270 @section Delayed Articles
5271 @cindex delayed sending
5272 @cindex send delayed
5274 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5275 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5276 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5277 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5280 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5283 @findex gnus-delay-article
5284 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5285 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5286 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5287 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5291 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5292 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5293 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5294 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5297 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5298 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5299 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5302 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5303 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5304 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5305 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5306 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5307 that means a time tomorrow.
5310 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5311 couple of variables:
5314 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5315 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5316 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5317 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5319 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5320 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5321 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5322 formats described above.
5324 @item gnus-delay-group
5325 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5326 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5327 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5328 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5330 @item gnus-delay-header
5331 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5332 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5333 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5334 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5337 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5338 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5339 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5340 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5341 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5343 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5344 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5345 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5346 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5347 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5348 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5351 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5352 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5353 By default, this function installs the @kbd{C-c C-j} key binding in
5354 Message mode and @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5355 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts two optional arguments,
5356 @code{no-keymap} and @code{no-check}. If @code{no-keymap} is non-nil,
5357 the @kbd{C-c C-j} binding is not intalled. If @code{no-check} is
5358 non-nil, @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed.
5360 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to change the
5361 keymap but not to change @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. Presumably, you
5362 want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles. Just don't
5363 forget to set that up :-)
5367 @node Marking Articles
5368 @section Marking Articles
5369 @cindex article marking
5370 @cindex article ticking
5373 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5375 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5376 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5377 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5379 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5382 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5383 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5384 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5388 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5392 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5393 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5394 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5398 @node Unread Articles
5399 @subsection Unread Articles
5401 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5406 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5407 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5409 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5410 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5411 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5412 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5413 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5414 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5415 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5418 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5419 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5421 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5422 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5423 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5424 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5428 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5429 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5431 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5436 @subsection Read Articles
5437 @cindex expirable mark
5439 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5444 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5445 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5446 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5449 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5450 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5453 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5454 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5455 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5458 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5459 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5462 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5463 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5466 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5467 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5470 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5471 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5474 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5475 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5478 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5479 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5482 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5483 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5487 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5488 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5489 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5493 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5494 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5496 One more special mark, though:
5500 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5501 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5503 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5504 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5505 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5506 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5512 @subsection Other Marks
5513 @cindex process mark
5516 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5522 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5523 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5524 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5525 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5526 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5529 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5530 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5531 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5532 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5534 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5535 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5536 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5538 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5539 Articles that are ``recently'' arrived in the group will be marked
5540 with an @samp{N} in the second column (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Most
5541 back end doesn't support the mark, in which case it's not shown.
5544 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5545 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5546 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5549 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5550 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5551 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5552 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5555 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5556 Articles that according to the back end haven't been seen by the user
5557 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5558 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all back ends support this
5559 mark, in which case it simply never appear.
5562 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5563 Articles that haven't been seen by the user before are marked with a
5564 @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5567 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5568 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5569 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5570 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5571 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5574 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5575 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5576 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5577 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5578 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5579 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5583 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5584 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5585 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5587 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5588 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5589 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5593 @subsection Setting Marks
5594 @cindex setting marks
5596 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5601 @kindex M c (Summary)
5602 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5603 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5604 @cindex mark as unread
5605 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5606 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5612 @kindex M t (Summary)
5613 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5614 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5615 @xref{Article Caching}.
5620 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5621 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5622 Mark the current article as dormant
5623 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5627 @kindex M d (Summary)
5629 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5630 Mark the current article as read
5631 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5635 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5636 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5637 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5642 @kindex M k (Summary)
5643 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5644 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5645 and then select the next unread article
5646 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5650 @kindex M K (Summary)
5651 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5652 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5653 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5654 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5657 @kindex M C (Summary)
5658 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5659 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5660 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5663 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5664 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5665 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5666 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5669 @kindex M H (Summary)
5670 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5671 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5672 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5675 @kindex M h (Summary)
5676 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5677 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5678 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5681 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5682 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5683 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5684 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5687 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5688 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5689 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5690 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5694 @kindex M e (Summary)
5696 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5697 Mark the current article as expirable
5698 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5701 @kindex M b (Summary)
5702 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5703 Set a bookmark in the current article
5704 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5707 @kindex M B (Summary)
5708 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5709 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5710 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5713 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5714 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5715 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5716 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5719 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5720 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5721 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5722 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5725 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5726 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5727 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5728 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5729 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5732 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5733 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5734 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5735 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5736 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5737 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5738 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5739 The default is @code{t}.
5742 @node Generic Marking Commands
5743 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5745 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5746 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5747 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5748 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5749 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5752 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5753 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5756 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5757 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5758 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5759 to list in this manual.
5761 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5762 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5763 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5764 article, you could say something like:
5767 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5768 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5769 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5775 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5776 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5780 @node Setting Process Marks
5781 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5782 @cindex setting process marks
5789 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5790 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5791 Mark the current article with the process mark
5792 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5793 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5797 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5798 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5799 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5800 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5803 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5804 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5805 Remove the process mark from all articles
5806 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5809 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5810 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5811 Invert the list of process marked articles
5812 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5815 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5816 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5817 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5818 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5821 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5822 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5823 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5824 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5827 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5828 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5829 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5832 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5833 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5834 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5835 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5838 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5839 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5840 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5841 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5844 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5845 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5846 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5847 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5850 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5851 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5852 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5855 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5856 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5857 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5858 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5861 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5862 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5863 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5866 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5867 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5868 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5869 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5872 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5873 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5874 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5875 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5878 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5879 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5880 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5881 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5884 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5885 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5886 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5887 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5891 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5892 set process marks based on article body contents.
5899 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5900 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5901 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5904 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5905 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5906 additional articles.
5912 @kindex / / (Summary)
5913 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5914 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5915 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
5919 @kindex / a (Summary)
5920 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5921 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5922 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
5926 @kindex / x (Summary)
5927 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5928 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5929 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5930 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
5935 @kindex / u (Summary)
5937 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5938 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5939 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5940 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5941 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5944 @kindex / m (Summary)
5945 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5946 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5947 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5950 @kindex / t (Summary)
5951 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5952 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5953 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5954 articles younger than that number of days.
5957 @kindex / n (Summary)
5958 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5959 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5960 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5961 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5964 @kindex / w (Summary)
5965 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5966 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5967 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5971 @kindex / v (Summary)
5972 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5973 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5974 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5977 @kindex / p (Summary)
5978 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter
5979 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
5980 group parameter predicate
5981 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter}). See @pxref{Group
5982 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
5986 @kindex M S (Summary)
5987 @kindex / E (Summary)
5988 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5989 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5990 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5993 @kindex / D (Summary)
5994 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5995 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5996 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5999 @kindex / * (Summary)
6000 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6001 Include all cached articles in the limit
6002 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6005 @kindex / d (Summary)
6006 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6007 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6008 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6011 @kindex / M (Summary)
6012 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6013 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6016 @kindex / T (Summary)
6017 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6018 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6021 @kindex / c (Summary)
6022 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6023 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
6024 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6027 @kindex / C (Summary)
6028 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6029 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6030 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6031 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6034 @kindex / N (Summary)
6035 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6036 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6037 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6040 @kindex / o (Summary)
6041 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6042 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6043 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6051 @cindex article threading
6053 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6054 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6055 hierarchical fashion.
6057 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6058 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6059 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6060 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6061 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6062 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6063 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6065 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6069 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6072 A tree-like article structure.
6075 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6078 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6079 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6080 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6081 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6082 called loose threads.
6084 @item thread gathering
6085 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6087 @item sparse threads
6088 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6089 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6095 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6096 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6100 @node Customizing Threading
6101 @subsection Customizing Threading
6102 @cindex customizing threading
6105 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6106 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6107 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6108 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6113 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6116 @cindex loose threads
6119 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6120 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6121 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6122 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6123 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6124 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6126 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
6127 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
6128 There are four possible values:
6132 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6133 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6134 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6135 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6136 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6141 @cindex adopting articles
6146 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6147 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6148 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6149 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6152 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6153 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6154 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6155 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6156 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6157 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6158 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6161 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6162 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6163 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6167 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6168 display them after one another.
6171 Don't gather loose threads.
6174 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6175 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6176 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6177 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
6178 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6179 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6180 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6181 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6182 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6183 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
6184 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6186 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6187 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
6188 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6191 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6192 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6193 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6194 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6195 simplification is used.
6197 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6198 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6199 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6200 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6202 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6204 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6210 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6211 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6212 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6213 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6218 (mapconcat 'identity
6219 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6221 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6224 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6227 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6228 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6229 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6230 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6231 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6232 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6234 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6237 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6238 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6239 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6241 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6242 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6245 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6246 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6247 Remove excessive whitespace.
6250 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6253 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6254 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6255 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6256 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6257 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6258 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6259 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6260 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6262 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6263 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6264 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6265 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6266 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6267 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6268 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6269 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6270 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6274 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6275 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6276 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6277 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6279 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6280 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6281 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6284 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6288 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6289 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6295 @node Filling In Threads
6296 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6299 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6300 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6301 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6302 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6303 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6304 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6305 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6306 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6307 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6308 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
6309 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
6310 expired by the server, there's not much gnus can do about that.
6312 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6313 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6314 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6316 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6317 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6318 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6319 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6320 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6321 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6322 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6323 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6324 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6325 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6326 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6327 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6328 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6329 @code{nil} by default.
6331 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6332 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6333 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6334 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6335 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6336 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6337 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6339 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6340 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6341 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6346 @node More Threading
6347 @subsubsection More Threading
6350 @item gnus-show-threads
6351 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6352 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6353 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6354 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6355 slower and more awkward.
6357 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6358 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6359 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6362 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6363 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6364 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6365 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6366 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6367 threads are expunged.
6369 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6370 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6371 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6374 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6375 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6376 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6377 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6378 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6379 result in a new thread.
6381 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6382 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6383 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6386 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6387 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6388 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6389 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6390 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6391 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6392 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6393 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6394 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6395 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6396 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6401 @node Low-Level Threading
6402 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6406 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6407 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6408 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6409 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6410 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6411 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6413 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6414 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6415 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6416 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6417 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6418 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6419 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6420 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6421 meaningful. Here's one example:
6424 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6426 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6427 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6429 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6431 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6438 @node Thread Commands
6439 @subsection Thread Commands
6440 @cindex thread commands
6446 @kindex T k (Summary)
6447 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6448 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6449 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6450 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6451 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6456 @kindex T l (Summary)
6457 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6458 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6459 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6460 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6463 @kindex T i (Summary)
6464 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6465 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6466 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6469 @kindex T # (Summary)
6470 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6471 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6472 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6475 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6476 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6477 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6478 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6481 @kindex T T (Summary)
6482 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6483 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6486 @kindex T s (Summary)
6487 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6488 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6489 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6492 @kindex T h (Summary)
6493 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6494 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6497 @kindex T S (Summary)
6498 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6499 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6502 @kindex T H (Summary)
6503 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6504 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6507 @kindex T t (Summary)
6508 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6509 Re-thread the current article's thread
6510 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6511 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6514 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6515 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6516 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6517 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6521 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6522 understand the numeric prefix.
6527 @kindex T n (Summary)
6529 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6531 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6532 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6533 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6536 @kindex T p (Summary)
6538 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6540 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6541 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6542 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6545 @kindex T d (Summary)
6546 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6547 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6550 @kindex T u (Summary)
6551 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6552 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6555 @kindex T o (Summary)
6556 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6557 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6560 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6561 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6562 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6563 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6564 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6565 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6566 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6567 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6568 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6569 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6570 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6571 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6575 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6576 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6578 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6579 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6580 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6581 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6582 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6583 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6584 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6585 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6586 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6587 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6588 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6589 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6591 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6592 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6593 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6594 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6595 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6596 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date} and
6597 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6599 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6600 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6601 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6603 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6604 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6605 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6606 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6607 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6608 ascending article order.
6610 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6611 by number, you could do something like:
6614 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6615 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6616 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6617 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6620 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6621 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6622 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6623 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6624 which the articles arrived.
6626 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6630 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6632 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6633 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6636 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6637 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6638 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6639 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6642 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6643 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6644 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6645 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6646 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6647 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6648 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6649 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6650 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6651 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6652 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6653 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6654 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6656 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6660 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6661 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6662 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6667 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6668 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6669 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6670 @cindex article pre-fetch
6673 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6674 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6675 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6676 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6677 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6679 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6680 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
6682 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6683 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6684 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6685 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6686 connection is blocked.
6688 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6689 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6690 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6691 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
6693 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6694 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6695 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6696 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6699 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6702 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6703 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6704 happen automatically.
6706 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6707 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6708 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6709 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6710 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6711 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6712 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6714 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6715 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6716 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6717 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6718 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6719 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6720 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6721 data structure as the only parameter.
6723 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6726 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6727 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6728 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6729 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6732 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6735 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6736 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
6737 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6739 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6740 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6741 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6742 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6746 Remove articles when they are read.
6749 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6752 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6754 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6755 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6756 @c from the next group.
6759 @node Article Caching
6760 @section Article Caching
6761 @cindex article caching
6764 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6765 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6766 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6767 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6768 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6770 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6772 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6773 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6774 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6775 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6776 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6777 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6778 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6779 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6781 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6782 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6783 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6784 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6785 as dormant, and don't worry.
6787 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6789 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6790 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6791 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6792 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6793 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6794 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6795 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6796 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6797 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6798 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6800 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6801 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6802 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6803 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6804 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6805 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6806 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6807 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6808 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6809 not then be downloaded by this command.
6811 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6812 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6813 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6814 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6815 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6816 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6818 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6819 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6820 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6821 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6822 variables, the group is not cached.
6824 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6825 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6826 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6827 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6828 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6829 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
6830 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6831 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6832 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6835 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
6836 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
6837 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
6838 where, isn't that cool?
6840 @node Persistent Articles
6841 @section Persistent Articles
6842 @cindex persistent articles
6844 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6845 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6846 useful in my opinion.
6848 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6849 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6850 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6851 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6852 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6853 the expiry going on at the news server.
6855 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6856 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6857 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6863 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6864 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6867 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6868 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6869 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6870 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6874 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6876 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6877 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6878 interested in persistent articles:
6881 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6885 @node Article Backlog
6886 @section Article Backlog
6888 @cindex article backlog
6890 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6891 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6892 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
6893 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6894 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6895 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6896 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
6897 increase memory usage some.
6899 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6900 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
6901 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6902 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
6903 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6904 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6905 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6907 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6910 @node Saving Articles
6911 @section Saving Articles
6912 @cindex saving articles
6914 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6915 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6916 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6917 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6918 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6920 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6921 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
6922 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6924 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6925 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6926 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6927 deleted before saving.
6933 @kindex O o (Summary)
6935 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6936 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6937 Save the current article using the default article saver
6938 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6941 @kindex O m (Summary)
6942 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6943 Save the current article in mail format
6944 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6947 @kindex O r (Summary)
6948 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6949 Save the current article in rmail format
6950 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6953 @kindex O f (Summary)
6954 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6955 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6956 Save the current article in plain file format
6957 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6960 @kindex O F (Summary)
6961 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6962 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6963 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6966 @kindex O b (Summary)
6967 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6968 Save the current article body in plain file format
6969 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6972 @kindex O h (Summary)
6973 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6974 Save the current article in mh folder format
6975 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6978 @kindex O v (Summary)
6979 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6980 Save the current article in a VM folder
6981 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6985 @kindex O p (Summary)
6987 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6988 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6989 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6992 @kindex O P (Summary)
6993 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
6994 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
6995 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
6996 external program Muttprint (see
6997 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
6998 options to use is controlled by the variable
6999 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7003 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7004 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7005 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7006 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7007 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7008 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7009 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7010 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7011 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7012 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7013 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7014 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7018 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7019 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7020 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7021 functions below, or you can create your own.
7025 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7026 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7027 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7028 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7029 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
7030 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7031 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7033 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7034 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7035 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7036 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7037 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7038 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7040 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7041 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7042 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7043 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7044 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7045 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7046 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7048 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7049 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7050 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7051 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7052 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7053 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7055 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7056 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7057 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7058 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7059 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7061 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7062 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7063 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7064 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7065 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7068 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7069 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7070 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7071 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7072 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7074 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7075 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7076 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7077 reader to use this setting.
7080 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7081 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7082 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7083 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7086 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7087 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7088 available functions that generate names:
7092 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7093 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7094 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7096 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7097 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7098 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7100 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7101 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7102 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7104 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7105 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7106 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7108 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7109 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7110 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7113 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7114 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7115 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7116 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7117 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7121 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7122 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7123 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7124 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7127 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7128 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7129 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7130 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7131 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7132 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7133 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7134 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7135 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7137 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7138 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7139 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7140 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7142 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7143 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7144 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7147 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7148 lots of mail groups called things like
7149 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7150 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7151 following will do just that:
7154 (defun my-save-name (group)
7155 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7156 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7158 (setq gnus-split-methods
7159 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7164 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7165 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7166 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7167 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7168 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7169 all the files in the top level directory
7170 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7171 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7172 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7173 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7175 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7176 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7177 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7178 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7179 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7182 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7186 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7187 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7188 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7191 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7192 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7193 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7194 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7197 @node Decoding Articles
7198 @section Decoding Articles
7199 @cindex decoding articles
7201 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7202 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7205 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7206 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7207 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7208 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7209 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7210 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7214 @cindex article series
7215 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7216 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7217 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7218 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7219 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7221 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7222 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7223 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7225 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
7226 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7227 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7229 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7230 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7231 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7234 @node Uuencoded Articles
7235 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7237 @cindex uuencoded articles
7242 @kindex X u (Summary)
7243 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7244 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7245 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7248 @kindex X U (Summary)
7249 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7250 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7251 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7254 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7255 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7256 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7259 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7260 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7261 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7262 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7266 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7267 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7268 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7269 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7270 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7272 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7273 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7274 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7275 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7278 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7279 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7280 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7281 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7282 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7283 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7287 @node Shell Archives
7288 @subsection Shell Archives
7290 @cindex shell archives
7291 @cindex shared articles
7293 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7294 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7295 some commands to deal with these:
7300 @kindex X s (Summary)
7301 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7302 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7305 @kindex X S (Summary)
7306 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7307 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7310 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7311 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7312 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7315 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7316 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7317 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7318 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7322 @node PostScript Files
7323 @subsection PostScript Files
7329 @kindex X p (Summary)
7330 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7331 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7334 @kindex X P (Summary)
7335 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7336 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7337 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7340 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7341 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7342 View the current PostScript series
7343 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7346 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7347 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7348 View and save the current PostScript series
7349 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7354 @subsection Other Files
7358 @kindex X o (Summary)
7359 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7360 Save the current series
7361 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7364 @kindex X b (Summary)
7365 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7366 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7367 doesn't really work yet.
7371 @node Decoding Variables
7372 @subsection Decoding Variables
7374 Adjective, not verb.
7377 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7378 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7379 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7383 @node Rule Variables
7384 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7385 @cindex rule variables
7387 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7388 variables are of the form
7391 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7398 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7399 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7401 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7402 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7405 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7406 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7409 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7410 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7411 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7412 user and default view rules.
7414 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7415 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7416 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7421 @node Other Decode Variables
7422 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7425 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7427 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7428 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7429 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7430 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7431 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7435 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7436 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7439 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7440 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7441 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7444 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7445 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7446 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7447 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7448 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7451 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7452 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7453 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7455 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7456 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7457 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7458 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7459 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7462 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7463 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7464 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7466 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7467 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7468 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7469 looking for files to display.
7471 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7472 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7473 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7476 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7477 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7478 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7481 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7482 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7483 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7486 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7487 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7488 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7491 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7492 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7493 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7494 decoded articles as unread.
7496 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7497 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7498 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7499 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7501 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7502 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7503 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7505 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7506 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7508 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7509 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7510 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7511 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7513 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7514 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7515 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7516 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7517 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7518 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7519 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7520 simply dropped them.
7525 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7526 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7530 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7531 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7532 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7533 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7534 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7535 for you when you post the article.
7537 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7538 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7539 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7540 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7542 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7543 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7544 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7545 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7546 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7547 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7548 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7550 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7551 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7552 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7553 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7554 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7555 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7556 Default is @code{t}.
7562 @subsection Viewing Files
7563 @cindex viewing files
7564 @cindex pseudo-articles
7566 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7567 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7568 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7569 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7570 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7571 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7572 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7574 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7575 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7576 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7577 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7579 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7580 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7581 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7583 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7584 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7585 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7586 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7587 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7589 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7590 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7591 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7592 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7593 a list of parameters to that command.
7595 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7596 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7597 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7599 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7600 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7601 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7604 @node Article Treatment
7605 @section Article Treatment
7607 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7608 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7609 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7610 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7611 these articles easier.
7614 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7615 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7616 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7617 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7618 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7619 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7620 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7621 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7622 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7623 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7627 @node Article Highlighting
7628 @subsection Article Highlighting
7629 @cindex highlighting
7631 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7632 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7637 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7638 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7639 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7640 Do much highlighting of the current article
7641 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7642 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7645 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7646 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7647 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7648 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7649 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7650 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7651 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7652 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7653 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7654 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7655 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7656 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7659 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7660 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7661 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7663 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7666 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7668 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7669 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7670 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7672 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7673 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7674 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7676 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7677 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7678 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7679 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7680 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7681 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7683 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7684 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7685 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7687 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7688 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7689 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7691 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7692 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7693 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7694 that it's a citation.
7696 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7697 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7698 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7700 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7701 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7702 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7704 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7705 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7706 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7707 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7713 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7714 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7715 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7716 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7717 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7718 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7719 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7720 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7725 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7728 @node Article Fontisizing
7729 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7731 @cindex article emphasis
7733 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7734 @kindex W e (Summary)
7735 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7736 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7737 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7738 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7740 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7741 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7742 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7743 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7744 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7745 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7746 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7747 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7751 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7752 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7753 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7762 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7763 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7764 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7765 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7766 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7767 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7768 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7769 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7770 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7771 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7772 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7773 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7774 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7776 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7777 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7778 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7782 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7785 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7787 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7788 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7789 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7790 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7792 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7795 @node Article Hiding
7796 @subsection Article Hiding
7797 @cindex article hiding
7799 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7800 too much cruft in most articles.
7805 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7806 @findex gnus-article-hide
7807 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7808 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7809 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7812 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7813 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7814 Toggle hiding of headers (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7818 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7819 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7820 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7821 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7824 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7825 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7826 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7830 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7831 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7832 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7833 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7834 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7835 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7836 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7837 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7841 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7842 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7843 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7844 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7849 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7850 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7851 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7852 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7853 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7854 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7855 articles that have signatures in them do:
7857 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7859 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7861 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7862 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7864 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7867 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7872 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7873 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7874 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7875 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7878 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7879 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7882 @cindex stripping advertisements
7883 @cindex advertisements
7884 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7885 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7886 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7887 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7888 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7889 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7890 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7891 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7892 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7893 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7897 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7898 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7899 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7900 customizing the hiding:
7904 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7905 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7906 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7907 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7908 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7909 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7910 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7915 Starting point of the hidden text.
7917 Ending point of the hidden text.
7919 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7921 Number of lines of hidden text.
7924 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7925 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7926 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7927 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7928 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7933 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7934 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7936 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7937 following two variables:
7940 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7941 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7942 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7943 50), hide the cited text.
7945 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7946 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7947 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7952 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7953 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7954 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7955 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7956 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7957 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7961 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7962 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7963 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7965 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7966 citation customization.
7968 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7972 @node Article Washing
7973 @subsection Article Washing
7975 @cindex article washing
7977 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7978 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7980 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7981 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7984 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
7985 articles by default.
7990 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
7991 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
7995 @kindex W l (Summary)
7996 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7997 Remove page breaks from the current article
7998 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8002 @kindex W r (Summary)
8003 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8004 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8005 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8006 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8007 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8008 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8010 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8011 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8012 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8013 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8017 @kindex W t (Summary)
8019 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
8020 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8021 (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}).
8024 @kindex W v (Summary)
8025 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
8026 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8027 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
8030 @kindex W m (Summary)
8031 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
8032 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
8033 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
8036 @kindex W o (Summary)
8037 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8038 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8041 @kindex W d (Summary)
8042 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8043 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8045 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8047 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8048 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8049 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8050 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8053 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8054 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8055 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8056 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8059 @kindex W w (Summary)
8060 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8061 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8063 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8067 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8068 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8069 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8072 @kindex W C (Summary)
8073 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8074 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8075 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8078 @kindex W c (Summary)
8079 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8080 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8081 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8082 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8083 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8086 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8087 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8088 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8089 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8090 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
8091 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8092 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8094 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8097 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8098 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8099 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8100 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8101 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8104 @kindex W h (Summary)
8105 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8106 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
8107 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
8108 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
8110 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8113 @kindex W b (Summary)
8114 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8115 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8116 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8119 @kindex W B (Summary)
8120 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8121 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8122 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8125 @kindex W p (Summary)
8126 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8127 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8128 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8129 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8130 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8131 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8132 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8135 @kindex W s (Summary)
8136 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8137 Verify a signed (PGP, PGP/MIME or S/MIME) message
8138 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8141 @kindex W W H (Summary)
8142 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
8143 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8144 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
8147 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8148 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8149 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8150 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8153 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8154 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8155 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8156 lines with a single empty line.
8157 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8160 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8161 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8162 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8163 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8166 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8167 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8168 Do all the three commands above
8169 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8172 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8173 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8174 Remove all blank lines
8175 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8178 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8179 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8180 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8181 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8184 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8185 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8186 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8187 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8191 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8194 @node Article Header
8195 @subsection Article Header
8197 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8202 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8203 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8204 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8207 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8208 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8209 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8210 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8213 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8214 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-header
8215 Fold all the message headers
8216 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8221 @node Article Buttons
8222 @subsection Article Buttons
8225 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8226 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8227 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8228 button on these references.
8230 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8231 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
8232 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
8237 @item gnus-button-alist
8238 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8239 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8242 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8248 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
8249 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
8250 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
8253 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8254 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8255 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8258 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8259 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8260 avoid false matches.
8263 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8266 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8267 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8271 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8274 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8277 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8278 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8279 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8280 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8281 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8284 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8287 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8289 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8290 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8291 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8292 default values of the variables above.
8294 @item gnus-article-button-face
8295 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8296 Face used on buttons.
8298 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8299 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8300 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8304 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8308 @subsection Article Date
8310 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8311 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8312 when the article was sent.
8317 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8318 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8319 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8320 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8323 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8324 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8326 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8327 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8330 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8331 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8332 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8335 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8336 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8337 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8338 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8341 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8342 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8343 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8344 @findex format-time-string
8345 Display the date using a user-defined format
8346 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8347 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8348 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8349 for a list of possible format specs.
8352 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8353 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8354 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8355 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8356 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8357 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8360 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8363 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8364 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8367 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8368 into wonderful absurdities.
8370 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8373 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8376 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8377 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8381 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8382 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8383 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8384 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8385 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8386 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8387 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8391 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8392 preferred format automatically.
8395 @node Article Display
8396 @subsection Article Display
8401 These commands add various frivolous display gimmics to the article
8402 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8404 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8405 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8407 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8408 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8410 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8411 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8413 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8418 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8419 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8420 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8421 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8424 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8425 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
8426 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8429 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8430 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8431 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8434 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8435 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8436 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8437 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8440 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8441 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8442 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8443 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8446 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8447 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8448 Remove all images from the article buffer
8449 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8455 @node Article Signature
8456 @subsection Article Signature
8458 @cindex article signature
8460 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8461 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8462 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8463 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8464 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8465 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8466 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8467 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8468 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8471 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8472 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8473 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8474 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8475 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8476 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8477 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8478 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8481 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8484 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8485 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8486 signature when displaying articles.
8490 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8493 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8496 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8497 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8499 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8500 in question is not a signature.
8503 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8504 listed above. Here's an example:
8507 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8508 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8511 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8512 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8513 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8514 signature after all.
8517 @node Article Miscellania
8518 @subsection Article Miscellania
8522 @kindex A t (Summary)
8523 @findex gnus-article-babel
8524 Translate the article from one language to another
8525 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8531 @section @sc{mime} Commands
8532 @cindex MIME decoding
8534 @cindex viewing attachments
8536 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8537 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8543 @kindex K v (Summary)
8544 View the @sc{mime} part.
8547 @kindex K o (Summary)
8548 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8551 @kindex K c (Summary)
8552 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8555 @kindex K e (Summary)
8556 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8559 @kindex K i (Summary)
8560 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8563 @kindex K | (Summary)
8564 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8567 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8572 @kindex K b (Summary)
8573 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8574 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8578 @kindex K m (Summary)
8579 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8580 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8581 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8582 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8583 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8586 @kindex X m (Summary)
8587 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8588 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8589 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8590 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8593 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8594 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
8595 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8596 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8599 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8600 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8601 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8604 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8605 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8606 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8608 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8609 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8610 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8611 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
8612 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
8613 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8616 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8617 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8618 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8625 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8626 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8627 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8628 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8631 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8634 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8638 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8639 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8640 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8641 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8642 displayed or this variable is overriden by
8643 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8646 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8647 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8648 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8649 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8650 displayed. This variable overrides
8651 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8653 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8654 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8655 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} to the default value.
8657 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8658 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8659 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8660 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8661 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8662 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8663 save all jpegs into some directory).
8665 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8668 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8669 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8671 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8672 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8673 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8674 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8675 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8678 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8679 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8680 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8682 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8683 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8684 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8685 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8687 Ready-made functions include@*
8688 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8689 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8690 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8691 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8692 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8693 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8694 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8695 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8696 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8697 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8698 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8699 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8701 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8702 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8704 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8705 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8706 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8709 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8710 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8711 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8712 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8716 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8725 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8726 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8727 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8728 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8729 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8730 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8731 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8733 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8734 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8735 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8736 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8738 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8739 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
8740 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8741 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8742 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
8743 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8744 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
8745 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
8747 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8748 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8749 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8750 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8751 quoted-printable header encoding.
8753 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8754 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8755 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8759 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8762 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8763 means encode all charsets),
8765 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8766 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8767 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8774 @cindex coding system aliases
8775 @cindex preferred charset
8777 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8779 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8780 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8783 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8784 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8787 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8788 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8790 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8793 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8796 This will almost do the right thing.
8798 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8802 (codepage-setup 1251)
8803 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8807 @node Article Commands
8808 @section Article Commands
8815 @kindex A P (Summary)
8816 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8817 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8818 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8819 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
8820 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
8821 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
8826 @node Summary Sorting
8827 @section Summary Sorting
8828 @cindex summary sorting
8830 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8831 can't really see why you'd want that.
8836 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8837 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8838 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8841 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8842 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8843 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8846 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8847 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8848 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8851 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8852 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8853 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8856 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8857 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8858 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8861 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8862 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8863 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8866 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8867 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8868 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8871 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
8872 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
8873 Sort using the default sorting method
8874 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
8877 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8878 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8879 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8880 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8881 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8885 @node Finding the Parent
8886 @section Finding the Parent
8887 @cindex parent articles
8888 @cindex referring articles
8893 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8894 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8895 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8896 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8897 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8898 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8899 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8900 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8901 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8903 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8904 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8905 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
8906 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8907 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8911 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8912 @kindex A R (Summary)
8913 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8914 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8917 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8918 @kindex A T (Summary)
8919 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8920 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8921 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8922 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8923 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8924 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8925 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8927 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8928 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8929 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8930 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8931 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8932 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8935 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8936 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8938 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8939 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8940 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8941 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8942 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8943 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8944 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8947 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8948 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8949 by giving this command a prefix.
8951 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8952 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
8953 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8954 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8955 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8956 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8959 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8960 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8961 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8964 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8965 then ask Deja if that fails:
8968 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8970 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8973 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
8974 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox}
8975 and @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8976 @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder} and @code{nnimap}1 are only able to locate
8977 articles that have been posted to the current group. (Anything else
8978 would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at
8982 @node Alternative Approaches
8983 @section Alternative Approaches
8985 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8986 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8989 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8990 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8995 @subsection Pick and Read
8996 @cindex pick and read
8998 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8999 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9000 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9001 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9003 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9004 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9005 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9006 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9007 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9008 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9010 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9015 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9016 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9017 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9018 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9019 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9020 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9021 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9022 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9025 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9026 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9027 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9028 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9032 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9033 Unpick the thread or article
9034 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9035 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9036 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9037 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9038 the thread or article at that line.
9042 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9043 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9044 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9045 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9046 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9047 will still be visible when you are reading.
9051 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9052 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9053 which is mapped to the same function
9054 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9056 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9059 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9062 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9063 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9065 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9066 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9067 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9069 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9070 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9071 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9072 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9073 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9074 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9075 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9079 @subsection Binary Groups
9080 @cindex binary groups
9082 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9083 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9084 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9085 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9086 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9087 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9088 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9091 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9092 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9093 command, when you have turned on this mode
9094 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9096 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9097 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9101 @section Tree Display
9104 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9105 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
9106 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9107 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9110 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9113 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9114 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9115 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9117 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9118 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9119 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9120 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9121 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9123 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9124 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9125 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9126 default is @code{modeline}.
9128 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9129 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9130 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9131 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9132 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9133 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9134 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9140 The name of the poster.
9142 The @code{From} header.
9144 The number of the article.
9146 The opening bracket.
9148 The closing bracket.
9153 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9155 Variables related to the display are:
9158 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9159 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9160 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9161 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9162 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9163 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9165 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9166 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9167 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9168 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9172 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9173 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9174 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
9175 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
9176 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9177 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9178 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9179 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9180 other windows displayed next to it.
9182 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9186 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9187 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9190 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9191 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9192 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9193 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9194 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9195 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9196 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9200 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9203 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9213 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9217 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9218 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9220 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9222 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9227 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9228 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9229 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9232 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9233 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9234 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9235 (gnus-add-configuration
9239 (summary 0.75 point)
9244 @xref{Window Layout}.
9247 @node Mail Group Commands
9248 @section Mail Group Commands
9249 @cindex mail group commands
9251 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9252 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9254 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9255 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9260 @kindex B e (Summary)
9261 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9262 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9263 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9264 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9265 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9268 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9269 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9270 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9271 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9272 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9273 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9276 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9277 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9278 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9279 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9280 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9281 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9284 @kindex B m (Summary)
9286 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9287 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9288 Move the article from one mail group to another
9289 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9290 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9293 @kindex B c (Summary)
9295 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9296 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9297 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9298 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9299 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9302 @kindex B B (Summary)
9303 @cindex crosspost mail
9304 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9305 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9306 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9307 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9308 be properly updated.
9311 @kindex B i (Summary)
9312 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9313 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9314 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9315 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9318 @kindex B r (Summary)
9319 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9320 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9321 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9322 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9323 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9324 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9325 (which is the default).
9329 @kindex B w (Summary)
9331 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9332 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9333 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9334 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9335 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9336 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9339 @kindex B q (Summary)
9340 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9341 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9342 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9343 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9346 @kindex B t (Summary)
9347 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9348 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9349 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9352 @kindex B p (Summary)
9353 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9354 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9355 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9356 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9357 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9358 article from your news server (or rather, from
9359 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9360 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9361 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9362 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9363 just not have arrived yet.
9367 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9368 @cindex moving articles
9369 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
9370 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9371 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9372 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9373 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9374 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9375 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9378 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9379 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9380 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9381 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9385 @node Various Summary Stuff
9386 @section Various Summary Stuff
9389 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9390 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9391 * Summary Generation Commands::
9392 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9396 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9397 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9398 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9400 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9401 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9402 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9403 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9404 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9405 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9408 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9409 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9410 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9411 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9412 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9414 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9415 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9416 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9419 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9420 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9421 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9422 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9423 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9424 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9425 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
9426 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9427 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9428 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9430 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9431 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9432 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9433 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9434 list of articles to be selected.
9436 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9437 the list in one particular group:
9440 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9441 (if (string= group "some.group")
9442 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9446 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9447 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9448 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9449 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9450 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9451 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9452 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9453 buffers. For example:
9456 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9457 '(message-use-followup-to
9458 (gnus-visible-headers .
9459 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9465 @node Summary Group Information
9466 @subsection Summary Group Information
9471 @kindex H f (Summary)
9472 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9473 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9474 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9475 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9476 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9477 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9478 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9479 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9480 be used for fetching the file.
9483 @kindex H d (Summary)
9484 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9485 Give a brief description of the current group
9486 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9487 rereading the description from the server.
9490 @kindex H h (Summary)
9491 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9492 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9493 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9496 @kindex H i (Summary)
9497 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9498 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9502 @node Searching for Articles
9503 @subsection Searching for Articles
9508 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9509 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9510 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9511 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9514 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9515 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9516 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9517 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9521 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9522 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9523 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9524 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9525 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9526 search backward instead.
9528 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9529 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9532 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9533 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9534 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9535 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9538 @node Summary Generation Commands
9539 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9544 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9545 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9546 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9549 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9550 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9551 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9552 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9557 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9558 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9564 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9565 @kindex A D (Summary)
9566 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9567 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9568 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9569 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9570 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9571 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9572 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9573 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9577 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9578 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9579 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9580 several documents into one biiig group
9581 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9582 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9583 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9584 command understands the process/prefix convention
9585 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9588 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9589 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9590 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9591 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9592 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9593 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9597 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9598 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9599 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9602 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
9603 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9604 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9605 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9608 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
9609 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9610 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9611 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9616 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9617 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9618 @cindex summary exit
9619 @cindex exiting groups
9621 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9622 group and return you to the group buffer.
9628 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9630 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9631 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9632 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9633 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9634 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9635 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9636 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9637 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9638 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9639 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9640 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9644 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9646 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9647 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9648 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9652 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9654 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9655 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9656 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9657 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9660 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9661 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9662 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9663 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9666 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9667 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9668 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9669 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9672 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9673 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9674 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9675 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9676 all articles, both read and unread.
9680 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9681 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9682 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9683 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9684 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9685 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9686 articles, both read and unread.
9689 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9690 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9691 Exit the group and go to the next group
9692 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9695 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9696 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9697 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9698 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9701 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9702 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9703 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9704 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9705 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9706 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9709 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9710 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9711 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9712 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9714 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9715 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9716 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9717 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9718 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9719 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9720 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9721 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9722 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9723 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9724 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9725 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9727 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9729 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9730 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9731 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9732 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9733 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9734 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9735 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9736 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9737 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9740 @node Crosspost Handling
9741 @section Crosspost Handling
9745 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9746 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9747 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9748 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9749 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9750 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9753 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9754 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9755 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9756 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9757 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9759 @cindex cross-posting
9762 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9763 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9764 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9765 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9766 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9767 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9768 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9769 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9770 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9771 the cross reference mechanism.
9773 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9774 @cindex overview.fmt
9775 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9776 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9777 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9778 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9779 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9780 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9783 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9784 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9785 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9790 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9793 @node Duplicate Suppression
9794 @section Duplicate Suppression
9796 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9797 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9798 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9799 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9804 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9805 is evil and not very common.
9808 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9809 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9812 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9813 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9816 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9819 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9820 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9822 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9823 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9824 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9825 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9826 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9827 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9828 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9831 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9832 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9833 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9834 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9835 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9839 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9840 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9841 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9843 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9844 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9845 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9846 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9847 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
9848 session are suppressed.
9850 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9851 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9852 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9853 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9855 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9856 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9857 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9858 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9861 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
9862 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9863 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9864 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9865 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
9866 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9867 to you to figure out, I think.
9872 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
9873 The formats that are supported are PGP, PGP/MIME and S/MIME, however
9874 you need some external programs to get things to work:
9878 To handle PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or gpg.el as
9879 well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG).
9882 To handle S/MIME message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
9883 or newer is recommended.
9887 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
9888 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
9891 @item mm-verify-option
9892 @vindex mm-verify-option
9893 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9894 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9895 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9897 @item mm-decrypt-option
9898 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9899 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9900 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
9901 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9906 @section Mailing List
9908 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
9909 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
9910 possibly using @kbd{A M} in the summary buffer, or say:
9913 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
9916 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
9921 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
9922 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
9923 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
9926 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
9927 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
9928 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
9931 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
9932 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
9933 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
9937 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
9938 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
9939 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
9942 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
9943 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9944 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
9947 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
9948 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9949 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
9953 @node Article Buffer
9954 @chapter Article Buffer
9955 @cindex article buffer
9957 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9958 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9959 tell gnus otherwise.
9962 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9963 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9964 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9965 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9966 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9970 @node Hiding Headers
9971 @section Hiding Headers
9972 @cindex hiding headers
9973 @cindex deleting headers
9975 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9976 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9978 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9979 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9980 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9981 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9982 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9983 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9984 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9985 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9986 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9988 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9992 @item gnus-visible-headers
9993 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9994 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9995 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9996 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9998 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9999 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10002 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10005 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10008 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10009 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10010 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10011 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10012 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10013 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10015 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
10016 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
10019 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10022 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10025 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10026 variable will have no effect.
10030 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10031 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10032 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10033 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10034 the headers are to be displayed.
10036 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10037 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10040 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10043 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10044 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10046 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10047 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10048 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10049 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10050 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10051 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10052 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10055 These conditions are:
10058 Remove all empty headers.
10060 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10061 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10063 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10064 @code{From} header.
10066 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10069 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10070 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10072 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10075 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10077 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10080 To include these three elements, you could say something like;
10083 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10084 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10087 This is also the default value for this variable.
10091 @section Using MIME
10094 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10095 while people stand around yawning.
10097 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10098 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10100 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10101 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10102 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10104 @vindex gnus-show-mime
10105 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
10106 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
10107 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
10108 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
10109 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
10110 calls the SEMI MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
10111 information on SEMI MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is not
10112 existed yet, sorry).
10114 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
10115 @sc{mime} all the time. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime} set, then
10116 you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article buffer.
10117 These can't be avoided.
10119 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
10120 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
10121 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
10122 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
10123 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
10124 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
10125 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
10126 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
10127 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
10130 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10132 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
10133 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
10134 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
10135 buffer when there are nobody else.
10137 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10140 @node Customizing Articles
10141 @section Customizing Articles
10142 @cindex article customization
10144 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10145 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10146 called automatically when you select the articles.
10148 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10149 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10150 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10151 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10153 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10154 for sensible values.
10158 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10161 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10164 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10167 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10170 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10174 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10175 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10176 regexps in the list.
10179 A list where the first element is not a string:
10181 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10182 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10183 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10187 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10191 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
10196 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10197 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10198 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10199 considered to contain just a single part.
10201 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10202 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10203 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10204 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10205 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10206 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10207 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10209 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10210 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10211 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10212 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10215 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10216 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10218 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10220 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10221 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10222 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10223 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10224 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10225 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10226 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10227 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10228 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10230 @xref{Article Washing}.
10232 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10233 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10234 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10235 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10236 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10237 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10238 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10240 @xref{Article Date}.
10242 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10243 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10244 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10248 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10250 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10252 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10253 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10254 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10258 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10262 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10263 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10264 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10265 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10266 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10267 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10268 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10269 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10271 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10273 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10274 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10275 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10277 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10279 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10280 @item gnus-treat-translate
10281 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10283 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10284 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10285 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10287 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset
10290 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10291 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10292 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10293 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10294 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10298 @node Article Keymap
10299 @section Article Keymap
10301 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10302 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10303 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10304 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10307 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10312 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10313 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10314 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10317 @kindex DEL (Article)
10318 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10319 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10322 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10323 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10324 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10325 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10326 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10329 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10330 @findex gnus-article-mail
10331 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10332 given a prefix, include the mail.
10335 @kindex s (Article)
10336 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10337 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10338 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10341 @kindex ? (Article)
10342 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10343 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10344 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10347 @kindex TAB (Article)
10348 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10349 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10350 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10353 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10354 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10355 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10358 @kindex R (Article)
10359 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
10360 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
10361 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
10362 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10366 @kindex F (Article)
10367 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
10368 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
10369 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
10370 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10378 @section Misc Article
10382 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10383 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10384 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10385 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10388 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10389 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10391 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10392 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10394 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10395 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10396 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10397 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10398 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10399 the contents of the article buffer.
10401 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10402 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10403 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10405 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10406 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10407 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10408 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10410 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10411 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10412 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10413 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10414 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10420 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10421 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10422 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10427 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10430 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10433 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10434 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10435 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10438 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10441 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10444 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10449 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10453 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10455 @item gnus-break-pages
10456 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10457 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10458 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10459 paging will not be done.
10461 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10462 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10463 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10468 @node Composing Messages
10469 @chapter Composing Messages
10470 @cindex composing messages
10473 @cindex sending mail
10478 @cindex using s/mime
10479 @cindex using smime
10481 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10482 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10483 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10484 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
10485 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10486 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10489 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10490 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
10491 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10492 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10493 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10494 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10495 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10496 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
10499 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10500 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10506 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10509 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10510 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10511 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10512 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
10514 @item gnus-add-to-list
10515 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10516 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10517 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10522 @node Posting Server
10523 @section Posting Server
10525 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10526 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10528 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10530 @vindex gnus-post-method
10532 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will post using the same
10533 select method as you're reading from (which might be convenient if
10534 you're reading lots of groups from different private servers).
10535 However. If the server you're reading from doesn't allow posting,
10536 just reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
10537 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
10538 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10541 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10544 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10545 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10546 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10547 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10549 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10550 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10552 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10553 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10556 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10557 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
10560 @node Mail and Post
10561 @section Mail and Post
10563 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10567 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10568 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10569 @cindex mailing lists
10571 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10572 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10573 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10574 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10575 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10576 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10577 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10578 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10579 still a pain, though.
10583 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10584 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10585 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10588 @findex ispell-message
10590 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10593 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10594 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10597 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10601 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10602 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10604 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10607 Modify to suit your needs.
10610 @node Archived Messages
10611 @section Archived Messages
10612 @cindex archived messages
10613 @cindex sent messages
10615 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10616 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10617 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10618 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10621 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10622 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
10623 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10626 (nnfolder "archive"
10627 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
10628 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
10629 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
10630 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
10633 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
10634 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
10635 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
10636 directory chosen, you could say something like:
10639 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
10640 '(nnfolder "archive"
10641 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
10642 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
10643 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
10646 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
10648 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
10649 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
10650 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
10652 This variable can be used to do the following:
10657 Messages will be saved in that group.
10659 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
10660 message will not be stored in the select method given by
10661 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
10662 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
10663 has the default value shown above. Then setting
10664 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
10665 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
10666 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
10670 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
10672 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
10673 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
10676 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
10681 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
10683 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
10686 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
10688 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
10691 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
10693 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10694 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
10695 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
10696 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
10699 More complex stuff:
10701 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10702 '((if (message-news-p)
10707 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
10708 messages in one file per month:
10711 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10712 '((if (message-news-p)
10714 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
10717 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
10718 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
10720 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
10721 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
10722 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
10723 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
10724 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
10725 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
10726 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
10727 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
10728 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
10729 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
10731 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
10732 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
10733 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
10734 this will disable archiving.
10737 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
10738 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
10739 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
10740 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
10741 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
10744 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
10745 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
10746 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
10749 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
10750 but the latter is the preferred method.
10752 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
10753 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
10754 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
10759 @node Posting Styles
10760 @section Posting Styles
10761 @cindex posting styles
10764 All them variables, they make my head swim.
10766 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
10767 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
10768 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
10771 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
10772 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
10773 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
10774 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
10775 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
10780 (signature "Peace and happiness")
10781 (organization "What me?"))
10783 (signature "Death to everybody"))
10784 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
10785 (organization "Emacs is it")))
10788 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
10789 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
10790 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
10791 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
10792 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
10793 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
10794 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
10795 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
10797 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
10798 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
10799 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header (the
10800 next element in the match) in the original article , and compare that to
10801 the last regexp in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function
10802 will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the
10803 variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be
10804 @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value,
10805 then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
10807 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
10808 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
10809 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
10810 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
10811 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
10812 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
10813 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
10814 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
10815 result is thrown away.
10817 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
10818 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
10819 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
10820 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
10821 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
10822 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
10824 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
10825 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
10826 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
10828 @findex message-mail-p
10829 @findex message-news-p
10831 So here's a new example:
10834 (setq gnus-posting-styles
10836 (signature-file "~/.signature")
10838 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
10839 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
10841 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
10842 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
10843 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
10845 (signature my-news-signature))
10846 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
10847 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
10848 ((posting-from-work-p)
10849 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
10850 (address "user@@bar.foo")
10851 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
10852 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
10854 (From (save-excursion
10855 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
10856 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
10858 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
10861 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
10862 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
10863 if you fill many roles.
10870 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
10871 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
10872 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
10873 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
10874 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
10876 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
10877 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
10878 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
10879 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
10880 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
10884 @vindex nndraft-directory
10885 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
10886 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
10887 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
10888 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
10889 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
10890 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
10892 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
10893 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
10896 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
10897 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
10898 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
10899 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
10900 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
10901 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
10902 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
10903 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
10904 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
10905 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
10906 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
10907 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
10908 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
10909 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
10911 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
10912 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
10913 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
10915 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
10916 @kindex D e (Draft)
10917 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
10918 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
10919 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
10921 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
10924 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
10925 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
10926 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
10927 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
10928 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
10929 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
10930 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
10933 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
10934 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
10935 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
10938 @node Rejected Articles
10939 @section Rejected Articles
10940 @cindex rejected articles
10942 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
10943 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
10944 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
10945 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
10947 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
10948 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
10949 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
10950 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
10951 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
10953 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
10954 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
10955 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
10957 @node Signing and encrypting
10958 @section Signing and encrypting
10960 @cindex using s/mime
10961 @cindex using smime
10963 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla PGP
10964 format or PGP/MIME or S/MIME. For decoding such messages, see the
10965 @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} options
10966 (@pxref{Security}).
10968 For PGP, Gnus supports two external libraries, @sc{gpg.el} and
10969 @sc{Mailcrypt}, you need to install at least one of them. The S/MIME
10970 support in Gnus requires the external program OpenSSL.
10972 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a MIME part is done
10973 using the @code{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @code{C-c C-m
10974 c} key map for encryption, as follows.
10979 @kindex C-c C-m s s
10980 @findex mml-secure-sign-smime
10982 Digitally sign current MIME part using S/MIME.
10985 @kindex C-c C-m s o
10986 @findex mml-secure-sign-pgp
10988 Digitally sign current MIME part using PGP.
10991 @kindex C-c C-m s p
10992 @findex mml-secure-sign-pgp
10994 Digitally sign current MIME part using PGP/MIME.
10997 @kindex C-c C-m c s
10998 @findex mml-secure-encrypt-smime
11000 Digitally encrypt current MIME part using S/MIME.
11003 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11004 @findex mml-secure-encrypt-pgp
11006 Digitally encrypt current MIME part using PGP.
11009 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11010 @findex mml-secure-encrypt-pgpmime
11012 Digitally encrypt current MIME part using PGP/MIME.
11016 Also @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}.
11018 @node Select Methods
11019 @chapter Select Methods
11020 @cindex foreign groups
11021 @cindex select methods
11023 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11024 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11025 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11026 personal mail group.
11028 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11029 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11030 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11031 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11032 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11033 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11035 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11036 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11038 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11041 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11042 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11043 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11044 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11045 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11047 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11050 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11051 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11052 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11053 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11054 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11055 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11056 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11057 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11061 @node Server Buffer
11062 @section Server Buffer
11064 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11065 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11066 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11067 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11068 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11069 back end represents a virtual server.
11071 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11072 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11073 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11074 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11076 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11077 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11078 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11079 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11080 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11081 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11082 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11084 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11085 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11088 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11089 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11090 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11091 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11092 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11093 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11094 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11097 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11098 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11101 @node Server Buffer Format
11102 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11103 @cindex server buffer format
11105 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11106 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11107 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11108 variable, with some simple extensions:
11113 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11116 The name of this server.
11119 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11122 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11125 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11126 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11127 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11128 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11138 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11141 @node Server Commands
11142 @subsection Server Commands
11143 @cindex server commands
11149 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11150 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11154 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11155 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11158 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11159 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11160 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11164 @findex gnus-server-exit
11165 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11169 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11170 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11174 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11175 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11179 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11180 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11184 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11185 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11189 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11190 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11191 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11196 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11197 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11198 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11199 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11204 @node Example Methods
11205 @subsection Example Methods
11207 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11210 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11213 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11219 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11220 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11223 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11224 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11226 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11227 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11231 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11234 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11235 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11237 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11238 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11239 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11243 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11246 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11249 Here's the method for a public spool:
11253 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11254 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11260 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11261 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11262 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11263 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11264 should probably look something like this:
11268 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11269 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11270 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11271 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11274 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11275 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11276 configuration to the example above:
11279 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11282 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11283 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11284 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11288 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11289 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11290 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11291 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11294 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11295 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11296 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11297 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11300 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11301 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11303 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11304 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11306 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11307 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11308 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11310 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11312 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11313 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11314 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11315 will contain the following:
11325 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11326 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11327 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11330 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11331 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11332 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11335 @node Server Variables
11336 @subsection Server Variables
11338 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11339 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11340 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11341 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11342 won't change the "derived" variables.
11344 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11345 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11346 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11347 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11348 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11349 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11350 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11351 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11352 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11356 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11357 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11358 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11362 @node Servers and Methods
11363 @subsection Servers and Methods
11365 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11366 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11367 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11368 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11372 @node Unavailable Servers
11373 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11375 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11376 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11377 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11378 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11379 actually the case or not.
11381 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11382 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11383 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11384 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11385 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11386 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11387 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11388 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11390 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11391 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11393 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11394 with the following commands:
11400 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11401 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11402 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11406 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11407 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11408 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11412 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11413 Mark the current server as unreachable
11414 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11417 @kindex M-o (Server)
11418 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11419 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11420 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11423 @kindex M-c (Server)
11424 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11425 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11426 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11430 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11431 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11432 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11438 @section Getting News
11439 @cindex reading news
11440 @cindex news back ends
11442 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11443 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11444 or it can read from a local spool.
11447 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11448 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11453 @subsection @sc{nntp}
11456 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11457 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11458 server as the, uhm, address.
11460 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11461 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11462 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11463 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11465 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11466 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11467 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11469 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11474 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11475 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11476 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11478 @cindex authentification
11479 @cindex nntp authentification
11480 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11481 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11482 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11483 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11484 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11485 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11486 present in this hook.
11488 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11489 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11490 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11491 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11492 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11493 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11494 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11495 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11496 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11497 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11498 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11499 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11503 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11506 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11508 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11509 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11510 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11511 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11512 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11513 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11514 @samp{force} is explained below.
11518 Here's an example file:
11521 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11522 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11525 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11526 have to be first, for instance.
11528 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
11529 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
11530 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
11531 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
11532 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
11533 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
11534 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
11536 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
11537 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
11543 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
11544 previously mentioned.
11546 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11548 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11549 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11550 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11551 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11552 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
11555 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
11556 '(("innd" (ding))))
11559 You probably don't want to do that, though.
11561 The default value is
11564 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
11565 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
11566 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
11569 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
11570 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
11572 @item nntp-maximum-request
11573 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
11574 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
11575 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
11576 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
11577 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
11578 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
11579 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
11581 @item nntp-connection-timeout
11582 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
11583 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
11584 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
11585 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
11586 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
11587 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
11588 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
11589 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
11590 no timeouts are done.
11592 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
11593 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
11594 @c @cindex PPP connections
11595 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
11596 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
11597 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
11598 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
11599 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
11600 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
11601 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
11602 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
11603 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
11604 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
11606 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
11607 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
11608 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
11609 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
11610 @c described above.
11612 @item nntp-server-hook
11613 @vindex nntp-server-hook
11614 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
11617 @item nntp-buggy-select
11618 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
11619 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
11621 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
11622 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
11623 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
11624 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
11627 @item nntp-xover-commands
11628 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
11631 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
11632 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
11636 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
11637 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
11638 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
11639 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
11640 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
11641 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
11642 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
11643 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
11644 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
11645 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
11646 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
11648 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
11649 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
11650 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
11652 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11653 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11654 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
11655 server closes connection.
11657 @item nntp-record-commands
11658 @vindex nntp-record-commands
11659 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
11660 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
11661 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
11662 that doesn't seem to work.
11664 @item nntp-open-connection-function
11665 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
11666 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
11667 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
11668 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
11669 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
11670 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
11671 indirect ones (two pre-made).
11673 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
11674 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
11675 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
11676 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
11677 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
11678 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
11679 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
11682 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
11685 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
11686 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
11688 @item nntp-list-options
11689 @vindex nntp-list-options
11690 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
11691 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
11692 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
11693 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
11694 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
11698 (setq gnus-select-method
11699 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11700 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
11703 @item nntp-options-subscribe
11704 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
11705 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
11706 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
11707 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
11708 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
11709 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
11712 (setq gnus-select-method
11713 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11714 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
11717 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
11718 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
11719 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
11720 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
11721 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
11722 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
11723 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
11726 (setq gnus-select-method
11727 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11728 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
11733 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
11734 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
11735 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
11739 @node Direct Functions
11740 @subsubsection Direct Functions
11741 @cindex direct connection functions
11743 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
11744 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
11745 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
11746 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11749 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
11750 @item nntp-open-network-stream
11751 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
11754 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
11755 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
11756 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
11757 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
11758 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
11759 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
11760 define a server as follows:
11763 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
11765 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
11767 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
11768 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
11769 (nntp-port-number "snews")
11770 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
11773 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
11774 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
11775 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
11776 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
11777 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
11778 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
11779 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
11780 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
11784 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11785 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
11786 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
11789 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
11790 session, which is not a good idea.
11794 @node Indirect Functions
11795 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
11796 @cindex indirect connection functions
11798 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
11799 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
11800 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
11801 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
11802 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
11803 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11806 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11807 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11808 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
11809 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
11810 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
11812 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11815 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
11816 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
11817 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
11818 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
11821 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11822 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11823 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
11824 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
11826 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11829 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
11830 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
11831 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
11834 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
11835 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
11836 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
11837 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
11839 @item nntp-via-user-password
11840 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
11841 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
11843 @item nntp-via-envuser
11844 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
11845 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
11846 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
11847 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
11849 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
11850 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
11851 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
11852 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
11859 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
11864 @item nntp-via-user-name
11865 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
11866 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
11868 @item nntp-via-address
11869 @vindex nntp-via-address
11870 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
11875 @node Common Variables
11876 @subsubsection Common Variables
11878 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
11879 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
11884 @item nntp-pre-command
11885 @vindex nntp-pre-command
11886 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
11887 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
11888 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
11889 wrapper for instance.
11892 @vindex nntp-address
11893 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
11895 @item nntp-port-number
11896 @vindex nntp-port-number
11897 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
11899 @item nntp-end-of-line
11900 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
11901 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
11902 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
11903 using a non native connection function.
11905 @item nntp-telnet-command
11906 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
11907 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
11908 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
11909 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
11911 @item nntp-telnet-switches
11912 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
11913 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
11920 @subsection News Spool
11924 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
11925 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
11926 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
11929 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
11930 anything else) as the address.
11932 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
11933 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
11934 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
11935 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
11939 @item nnspool-inews-program
11940 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
11941 Program used to post an article.
11943 @item nnspool-inews-switches
11944 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
11945 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
11947 @item nnspool-spool-directory
11948 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
11949 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
11950 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
11952 @item nnspool-nov-directory
11953 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
11954 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
11955 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
11957 @item nnspool-lib-dir
11958 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
11959 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
11961 @item nnspool-active-file
11962 @vindex nnspool-active-file
11963 The path to the active file.
11965 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
11966 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
11967 The path to the group descriptions file.
11969 @item nnspool-history-file
11970 @vindex nnspool-history-file
11971 The path to the news history file.
11973 @item nnspool-active-times-file
11974 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
11975 The path to the active date file.
11977 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
11978 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
11979 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
11982 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11983 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11985 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
11986 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
11987 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
11993 @section Getting Mail
11994 @cindex reading mail
11997 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12001 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12002 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12003 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12004 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12005 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12006 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12007 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12008 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12009 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12010 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12011 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12012 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12013 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12017 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12018 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12020 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12021 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12022 of a culture shock.
12024 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12025 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12027 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12028 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12029 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12030 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12032 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12034 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12035 deleted? How awful!
12037 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12038 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12039 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12040 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12043 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12044 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12045 they want to treat a message.
12047 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12048 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12049 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12050 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12051 archived somewhere else.
12053 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12054 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12055 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12056 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12057 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12059 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12060 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12061 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12063 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12064 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12067 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12068 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12069 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12070 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12071 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12073 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12074 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12075 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12076 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12077 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12078 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12082 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12083 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12085 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12086 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12087 and things will happen automatically.
12089 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
12090 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
12093 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12096 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12097 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12098 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12099 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12100 like any other group.
12102 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12105 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12106 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12107 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12111 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12112 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12113 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12116 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12117 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12118 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12121 @node Splitting Mail
12122 @subsection Splitting Mail
12123 @cindex splitting mail
12124 @cindex mail splitting
12126 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12127 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12128 to be split into groups.
12131 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12132 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12133 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12134 ("mail.other" "")))
12137 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12138 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12139 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12140 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12141 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12142 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12143 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12146 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12149 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12150 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12151 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12152 mail belongs in that group.
12154 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12155 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
12156 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12157 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12158 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
12159 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
12161 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12162 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12163 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12164 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12165 thinks should carry this mail message.
12167 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12168 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12169 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12170 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12172 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12173 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12174 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12175 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12176 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
12178 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12181 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12182 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12183 links. If that's the case for you, set
12184 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12185 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12187 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12188 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12189 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12190 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12191 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12192 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12195 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12196 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12197 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12198 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12199 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12200 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12201 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12202 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12203 month's rent money.
12207 @subsection Mail Sources
12209 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12210 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12214 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12215 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12216 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12220 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12221 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12223 @cindex mail server
12226 @cindex mail source
12228 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12229 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12234 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12237 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12238 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12239 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12242 The following mail source types are available:
12246 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12252 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12253 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
12256 An example file mail source:
12259 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12262 Or using the default path:
12268 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12269 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12270 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12273 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12277 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12280 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12284 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12287 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12289 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12292 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12296 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
12297 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
12298 That is, mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in the
12299 group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12300 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12301 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus
12302 to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you
12303 want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12309 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12313 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12317 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12318 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12319 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12320 predicate are considered.
12324 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12328 An example directory mail source:
12331 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12336 Get mail from a POP server.
12342 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12343 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12346 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12347 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12348 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12349 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12350 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12353 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12357 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12361 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12362 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12365 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12368 The valid format specifier characters are:
12372 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12373 included in this string.
12376 The name of the server.
12379 The port number of the server.
12382 The user name to use.
12385 The password to use.
12388 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12389 corresponding keywords.
12392 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12393 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12396 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12397 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12400 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12401 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12404 @item :authentication
12405 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12406 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12411 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12412 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12414 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12415 default user name, and default fetcher:
12421 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12424 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12425 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12428 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12431 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12435 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12436 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12437 contains exactly one mail.
12443 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12444 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12447 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12448 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12450 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12451 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12452 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12455 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12456 from locking problems).
12460 Two example maildir mail sources:
12463 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12464 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12468 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12473 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12474 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12475 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12476 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12479 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
12480 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
12486 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12487 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12490 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12491 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
12494 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12498 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12502 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12503 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12504 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
12505 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
12507 @item :authentication
12508 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
12509 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
12510 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
12511 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
12514 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
12515 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
12516 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
12522 The valid format specifier characters are:
12526 The name of the server.
12529 User name from `imap-default-user'.
12532 The port number of the server.
12535 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12536 corresponding keywords.
12539 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
12540 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
12543 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
12544 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
12545 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
12546 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
12547 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
12548 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
12551 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
12552 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
12553 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
12554 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
12557 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
12558 after finishing the fetch.
12562 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
12565 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
12567 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
12571 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
12572 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
12574 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
12577 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
12578 required for url "4.0pre.46".
12580 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
12586 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
12587 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
12590 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
12594 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
12598 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
12599 folder after finishing the fetch.
12603 An example webmail source:
12606 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
12608 :password "secret")
12613 @item Common Keywords
12614 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
12620 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
12621 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
12625 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
12630 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
12631 useful when you use local mail and news.
12636 @subsubsection Function Interface
12638 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
12639 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
12640 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
12641 consider the following mail-source setting:
12644 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
12645 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
12648 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
12649 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
12650 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
12651 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
12652 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
12654 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
12657 @node Mail Source Customization
12658 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
12660 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
12661 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
12665 @item mail-source-crash-box
12666 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
12667 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
12668 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
12670 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
12671 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
12672 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
12674 @item mail-source-directory
12675 @vindex mail-source-directory
12676 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
12677 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
12678 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
12681 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12682 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12683 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
12684 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
12685 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
12686 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
12688 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
12689 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
12690 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
12692 @item mail-source-movemail-program
12693 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
12694 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
12695 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
12700 @node Fetching Mail
12701 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
12703 @vindex mail-sources
12704 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
12705 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
12706 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
12707 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
12709 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
12710 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
12713 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
12714 mail server, you'd say something like:
12719 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12720 :password "secret")))
12723 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
12727 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
12728 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12731 :password "secret")))
12735 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
12736 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
12737 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
12738 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
12739 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
12740 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
12744 @node Mail Back End Variables
12745 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
12747 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
12751 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12752 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12753 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
12754 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
12756 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
12757 @item nnmail-split-hook
12758 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
12759 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
12760 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
12761 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
12762 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
12763 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
12764 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
12765 in the buffer will show up in any files.
12766 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
12769 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12770 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12771 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12772 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12773 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
12774 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
12775 starting to handle the new mail) and
12776 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
12777 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
12778 default file modes the new mail files get:
12781 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12782 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
12784 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12785 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
12788 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
12789 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
12790 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
12791 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
12792 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
12793 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
12794 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
12796 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
12797 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
12798 @findex delete-file
12799 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
12801 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12802 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12803 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
12804 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
12805 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
12810 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
12811 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
12812 @cindex mail splitting
12813 @cindex fancy mail splitting
12815 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
12816 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
12817 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
12818 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
12819 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
12820 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
12822 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
12825 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
12826 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
12827 ;; from real errors.
12828 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
12830 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
12831 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
12832 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
12833 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
12834 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
12835 ;; Other mailing lists...
12836 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
12837 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
12838 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
12839 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
12840 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
12841 ;; message was really cross-posted.
12842 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
12843 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
12845 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
12846 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
12850 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
12851 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
12852 the five possible split syntaxes:
12857 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
12858 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
12862 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
12863 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
12864 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
12865 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
12866 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
12867 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
12868 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
12869 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
12872 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12873 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
12874 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
12875 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
12878 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12879 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
12882 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
12883 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
12886 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
12887 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
12888 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
12889 function should return a @var{split}.
12892 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
12893 body of the messages:
12896 (defun split-on-body ()
12898 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
12899 (goto-char (point-min))
12900 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
12904 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
12905 when the @code{:} function is run.
12908 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12909 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
12910 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
12914 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
12918 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
12919 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
12920 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
12921 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
12922 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
12924 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
12925 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
12926 are expanded as specified by the variable
12927 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
12928 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
12931 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
12932 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
12933 when all this splitting is performed.
12935 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
12936 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
12937 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
12940 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
12943 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
12944 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
12946 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
12947 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
12948 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
12949 groupings 1 through 9.
12951 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
12952 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
12953 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
12954 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
12955 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
12956 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
12957 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
12958 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
12959 it once per thread.
12961 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
12962 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
12963 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
12966 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12967 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
12968 ;; other splits go here
12972 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
12973 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
12974 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
12975 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
12976 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
12977 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
12978 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
12979 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
12980 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
12981 unless the group name matches the regexp
12982 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
12983 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
12984 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
12985 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
12986 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12987 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
12988 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
12989 messages goes into the new group.
12992 @node Group Mail Splitting
12993 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
12994 @cindex mail splitting
12995 @cindex group mail splitting
12997 @findex gnus-group-split
12998 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
12999 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13000 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13001 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13002 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13003 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13004 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13005 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13007 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13008 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13009 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13010 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13012 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13013 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13014 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
13015 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
13016 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
13017 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
13018 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
13020 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
13021 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
13022 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
13023 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
13024 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
13025 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
13026 @code{gnus-group-split}.
13028 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
13029 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
13030 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
13031 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
13032 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
13033 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
13034 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
13035 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
13036 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
13037 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
13038 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
13039 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
13040 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
13042 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13047 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13048 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13050 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13051 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13052 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13053 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13055 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13058 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13059 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13060 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13063 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13064 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13065 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13069 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13070 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13071 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13075 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13078 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13079 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13080 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13081 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13082 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13083 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13084 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13085 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13086 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13088 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13089 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13090 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13091 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13092 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13093 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13094 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13095 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13096 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13098 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13099 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13100 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13101 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13102 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13103 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
13106 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13109 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13110 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13111 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13112 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13113 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13116 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13117 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13118 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13119 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13121 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13122 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13123 @cindex incorporating old mail
13124 @cindex import old mail
13126 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13127 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13128 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13131 Doing so can be quite easy.
13133 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13134 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13135 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13136 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13137 your @code{nnml} groups.
13143 Go to the group buffer.
13146 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13147 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13150 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
13153 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13154 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13157 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13158 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13161 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13162 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13163 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13164 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13165 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13167 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13168 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13169 using the new mail back end.
13172 @node Expiring Mail
13173 @subsection Expiring Mail
13174 @cindex article expiry
13176 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13177 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13178 different approach to mail reading.
13180 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13181 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13182 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13183 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13184 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13185 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13188 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13189 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
13190 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13191 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13192 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13193 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13194 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13195 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13197 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13198 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
13199 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
13200 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
13201 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
13202 column in the summary buffer.
13204 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13205 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13206 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13207 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13210 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13212 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13213 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13214 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13217 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13218 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13219 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13220 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13221 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13223 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13224 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13227 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13228 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13231 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13232 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13234 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13235 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13236 don't really mix very well.
13238 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13239 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13240 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13241 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13244 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13245 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13246 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13247 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13250 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13252 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13254 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13256 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13258 ((string= group "important")
13264 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13265 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13267 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13268 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13269 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13272 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13273 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13275 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13276 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13277 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
13278 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
13279 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
13280 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
13281 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
13282 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
13283 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
13284 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
13285 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
13286 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
13287 name or @code{delete}.
13289 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13291 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13294 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13295 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13296 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
13297 expire mail to groups according to the variable
13298 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
13301 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13302 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13303 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
13304 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
13305 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
13308 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
13309 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
13310 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
13311 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
13312 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
13313 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
13315 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
13316 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
13317 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
13318 easier for procmail users.
13320 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
13321 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
13322 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
13323 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
13324 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
13325 caution. Even more dangerous is the
13326 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
13327 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
13328 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
13329 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
13330 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
13331 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
13332 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
13335 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
13337 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
13338 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
13339 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
13340 auto-expire turned on.
13344 @subsection Washing Mail
13345 @cindex mail washing
13346 @cindex list server brain damage
13347 @cindex incoming mail treatment
13349 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
13350 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
13351 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
13352 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
13353 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
13354 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
13356 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
13357 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
13358 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
13361 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
13362 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
13363 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
13364 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
13367 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13368 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13369 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
13370 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
13371 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
13374 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13375 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13376 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
13377 Emacs running on MS machines.
13381 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13382 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13383 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
13384 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13387 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13388 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13389 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13390 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13392 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13393 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13394 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13395 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13396 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13397 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13398 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13401 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13402 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13405 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13406 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13409 This can also be done non-destructively with
13410 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13412 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13413 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13414 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13416 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13417 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13419 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13420 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13421 @code{References} headers.
13425 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13426 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13427 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13431 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13432 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13433 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13440 @subsection Duplicates
13442 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13443 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13444 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13445 @cindex duplicate mails
13446 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
13447 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
13448 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
13449 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
13450 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
13451 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
13452 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
13453 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
13454 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
13455 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
13456 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
13457 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
13458 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
13460 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
13461 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
13462 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
13463 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
13465 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
13468 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
13469 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
13473 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13474 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
13475 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
13476 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
13477 (any mail "mail.misc")
13484 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13485 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
13490 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
13491 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
13492 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
13493 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
13494 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
13497 @node Not Reading Mail
13498 @subsection Not Reading Mail
13500 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
13501 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
13502 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
13504 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
13505 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
13506 mail, which should help.
13508 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13509 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13510 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13511 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13512 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13513 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
13514 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
13515 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
13516 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
13517 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
13518 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
13520 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
13521 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
13525 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
13526 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
13528 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
13529 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
13530 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
13532 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
13533 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
13534 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
13535 Spool}). You might notice that only five back ends are listed below;
13536 @code{nnmaildir}'s documentation has not yet been completely
13537 incorporated into this manual. Until it is, you can find it at
13538 @uref{http://multivac.cwru.edu./nnmaildir/}.
13541 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
13542 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
13543 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
13544 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
13545 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
13546 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
13550 @node Unix Mail Box
13551 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
13553 @cindex unix mail box
13555 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13556 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13557 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
13558 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
13559 which group it belongs in.
13561 Virtual server settings:
13564 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
13565 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13566 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
13569 @item nnmbox-active-file
13570 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13571 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
13572 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
13574 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
13575 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13576 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
13577 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
13582 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
13586 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13587 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13588 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
13589 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
13590 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
13592 Virtual server settings:
13595 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
13596 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13597 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
13599 @item nnbabyl-active-file
13600 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13601 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
13602 @file{~/.rmail-active}
13604 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13605 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13606 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
13612 @subsubsection Mail Spool
13614 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
13616 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
13617 format. It should be used with some caution.
13619 @vindex nnml-directory
13620 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
13621 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
13622 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
13623 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
13625 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
13628 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
13629 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
13630 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
13631 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
13632 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
13633 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
13634 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
13635 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
13637 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
13638 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
13639 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
13640 back end when it comes to reading mail.
13642 @cindex self contained nnml servers
13643 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
13644 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13645 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13646 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
13647 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
13648 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
13649 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
13650 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
13653 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
13654 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
13655 them next time it starts.
13657 Virtual server settings:
13660 @item nnml-directory
13661 @vindex nnml-directory
13662 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
13663 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
13666 @item nnml-active-file
13667 @vindex nnml-active-file
13668 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
13669 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
13671 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
13672 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
13673 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13674 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
13676 @item nnml-get-new-mail
13677 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13678 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
13681 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
13682 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
13683 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13684 default is @code{nil}.
13686 @item nnml-nov-file-name
13687 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
13688 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
13690 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13691 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13692 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
13694 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
13695 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
13696 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13697 default is @code{nil}.
13699 @item nnml-marks-file-name
13700 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
13701 The name of the @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
13705 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
13706 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
13707 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
13708 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
13709 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
13710 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
13711 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
13716 @subsubsection MH Spool
13718 @cindex mh-e mail spool
13720 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
13721 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
13722 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
13723 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
13725 Virtual server settings:
13728 @item nnmh-directory
13729 @vindex nnmh-directory
13730 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
13731 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13734 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
13735 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13736 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
13740 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
13741 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
13742 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
13743 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
13744 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
13745 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
13746 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
13751 @subsubsection Mail Folders
13753 @cindex mbox folders
13754 @cindex mail folders
13756 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
13757 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
13758 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
13761 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
13762 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
13763 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13764 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13765 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
13766 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
13767 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
13768 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
13769 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
13770 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
13771 @code{nnfolder} directory).
13773 Virtual server settings:
13776 @item nnfolder-directory
13777 @vindex nnfolder-directory
13778 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
13779 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13782 @item nnfolder-active-file
13783 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
13784 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
13786 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13787 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13788 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13789 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
13791 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
13792 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13793 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
13796 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13797 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13798 @cindex backup files
13799 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
13800 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
13801 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
13802 your @file{.emacs} file:
13805 (defun turn-off-backup ()
13806 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
13808 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
13811 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13812 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13813 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
13814 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
13815 extract some information from it before removing it.
13817 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13818 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13819 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13820 default is @code{nil}.
13822 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13823 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13824 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
13826 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
13827 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
13828 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
13829 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13831 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13832 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13833 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13834 default is @code{nil}.
13836 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13837 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13838 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
13840 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
13841 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
13842 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
13843 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13848 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
13849 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
13850 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
13851 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
13852 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
13853 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
13856 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
13857 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
13859 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
13860 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
13861 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
13862 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
13863 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
13865 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
13866 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
13867 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
13868 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
13869 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
13870 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
13871 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
13872 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
13875 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
13876 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
13877 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
13878 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
13883 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
13884 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
13885 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
13886 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
13887 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
13888 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
13889 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
13890 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
13891 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
13892 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
13893 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
13894 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
13895 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
13900 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
13901 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
13902 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
13903 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
13904 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
13905 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
13906 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
13907 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
13908 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
13909 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
13910 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
13911 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
13912 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
13913 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
13915 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
13916 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
13921 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
13922 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
13923 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
13924 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
13925 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
13926 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
13927 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
13928 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
13929 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
13930 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
13931 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
13932 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
13933 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
13934 provided by the active file and overviews.
13936 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
13937 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
13938 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
13939 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
13940 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
13943 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
13944 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
13949 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
13950 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
13951 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
13952 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
13953 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
13954 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
13955 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
13959 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
13960 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
13961 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
13962 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
13963 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
13964 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
13965 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
13966 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
13967 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
13969 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
13970 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
13971 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
13972 friendly mail back end all over.
13976 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
13977 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
13978 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
13979 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
13980 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
13981 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
13982 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to ReiserFS
13983 (@uref{http://www.namesys.com/}) or another non-block-structured
13986 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
13987 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
13988 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
13989 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
13990 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
13991 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
13992 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
13993 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
13994 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
13995 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will undergo
13996 treatment such as duplicate checking.
13998 An article will not necessarily keep the same number across Gnus
13999 sessions; articles are renumbered starting from 1 for each Gnus session
14000 (more precisely, each time you open the @code{nnmaildir} server). This
14001 way, you don't get gaps in your article number ranges, and when entering
14002 large groups, Gnus is likely to give a more accurate article count. The
14003 price is that @code{nnmaildir} doesn't work with the cache or agent.
14004 This will probably be changed in the future.
14006 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
14007 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
14008 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
14009 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
14010 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
14013 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses group
14014 parameters slightly different from those of other mail backends.
14016 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
14017 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
14018 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
14019 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
14020 parameter to somthing small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
14021 would) to make it use less memory.
14023 Startup and shutdown are likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than
14024 with other backends. Everything in between is likely to be faster,
14025 depending in part on your filesystem.
14027 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
14028 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived backend.
14033 @node Browsing the Web
14034 @section Browsing the Web
14036 @cindex browsing the web
14040 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
14041 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
14042 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
14043 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
14044 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
14045 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
14046 even know what a news group is.
14048 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
14049 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
14050 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
14051 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
14052 you mad in the end.
14054 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
14057 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
14058 interfaces to these sources.
14062 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
14063 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
14064 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
14065 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
14066 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
14067 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
14070 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
14072 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
14073 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
14074 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
14075 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
14076 though, you should be ok.
14078 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
14079 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
14080 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
14081 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
14082 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
14084 @node Archiving Mail
14085 @subsection Archiving Mail
14086 @cindex archiving mail
14087 @cindex backup of mail
14089 Some of the back ends, notably nnml and nnfolder, now actually store
14090 the article marks with each group. For these servers, archiving and
14091 restoring a group while preserving marks is fairly simple.
14093 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
14094 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @code{.newsrc.eld} deity
14097 To archive an entire @code{nnml} or @code{nnfolder} server, take a
14098 recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need to shut down
14099 Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or similar. You
14100 restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and adding a server
14101 definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The @ref{Article
14102 Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things might interfer
14103 with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus before you
14106 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml} or
14107 @code{nnfolder} groups, while preserving marks. For @code{nnml}, you
14108 copy all files in the group's directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need
14109 to copy both the base folder file itself (@code{FOO}, say), and the
14110 marks file (@code{FOO.mrk} in this example). Restoring the group is
14111 done with @kbd{G m} from the Group buffer. The last step makes Gnus
14112 notice the new directory.
14115 @subsection Web Searches
14119 @cindex InReference
14120 @cindex Usenet searches
14121 @cindex searching the Usenet
14123 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
14124 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
14125 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
14126 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
14127 searches without having to use a browser.
14129 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
14130 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
14131 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
14132 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
14133 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
14135 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
14136 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
14137 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
14138 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
14139 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
14140 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
14141 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
14142 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
14143 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
14144 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
14147 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
14148 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
14149 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
14150 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
14151 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
14152 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
14154 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
14155 to use @code{nnweb}.
14157 Virtual server variables:
14162 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
14163 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
14167 @vindex nnweb-search
14168 The search string to feed to the search engine.
14170 @item nnweb-max-hits
14171 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
14172 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
14175 @item nnweb-type-definition
14176 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
14177 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
14178 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
14183 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
14187 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
14190 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
14193 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
14197 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
14204 @subsection Slashdot
14208 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
14209 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
14210 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
14212 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
14213 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
14216 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14217 '((nnslashdot "")))
14220 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
14221 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
14222 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
14223 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
14224 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
14227 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
14228 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14230 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
14231 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
14232 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
14233 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
14234 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
14235 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
14238 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
14241 @item nnslashdot-threaded
14242 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
14243 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
14244 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
14245 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
14246 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
14247 but much, much slower than untreaded.
14249 @item nnslashdot-login-name
14250 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
14251 The login name to use when posting.
14253 @item nnslashdot-password
14254 @vindex nnslashdot-password
14255 The password to use when posting.
14257 @item nnslashdot-directory
14258 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
14259 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
14260 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
14262 @item nnslashdot-active-url
14263 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
14264 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
14265 news articles and comments. The default is
14266 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
14268 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
14269 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
14270 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
14272 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
14274 @item nnslashdot-article-url
14275 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
14276 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
14278 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
14280 @item nnslashdot-threshold
14281 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
14282 The score threshold. The default is -1.
14284 @item nnslashdot-group-number
14285 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
14286 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
14287 updated. The default is 0.
14294 @subsection Ultimate
14296 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
14298 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
14299 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
14300 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
14301 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
14303 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
14304 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
14305 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
14306 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
14307 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
14308 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
14309 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
14311 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
14314 @item nnultimate-directory
14315 @vindex nnultimate-directory
14316 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
14317 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
14322 @subsection Web Archive
14324 @cindex Web Archive
14326 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
14327 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
14328 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
14329 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14332 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
14333 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
14334 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
14335 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
14336 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
14337 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
14338 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
14340 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
14343 @item nnwarchive-directory
14344 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
14345 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
14346 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
14348 @item nnwarchive-login
14349 @vindex nnwarchive-login
14350 The account name on the web server.
14352 @item nnwarchive-passwd
14353 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
14354 The password for your account on the web server.
14362 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
14363 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
14364 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14367 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
14368 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
14371 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
14374 @item nnrss-directory
14375 @vindex nnrss-directory
14376 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
14377 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
14381 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
14382 the summary buffer.
14385 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
14386 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
14388 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
14390 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
14391 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
14394 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
14397 (require 'browse-url)
14399 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
14401 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
14404 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
14405 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
14407 (browse-url (cdr url))
14408 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
14410 (eval-after-load "gnus"
14411 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
14412 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
14413 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
14416 @node Customizing w3
14417 @subsection Customizing w3
14423 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
14424 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
14425 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
14427 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
14428 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
14429 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
14432 (eval-after-load "w3"
14434 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
14435 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
14436 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
14437 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
14439 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
14442 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
14443 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
14452 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14453 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14454 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14455 specify the network address of the server.
14457 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14458 POP can, it can hence be viewed as a POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14459 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14460 protocol -- however, @sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp}
14461 because news is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
14463 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a POP++, use an imap entry in
14464 @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the
14465 @sc{imap} server and store them on the local disk. This is not the
14466 usage described in this section--@xref{Mail Sources}.
14468 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14469 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
14470 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14471 usage explained in this section.
14473 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14474 might look something like the following. (Note that for SSL/TLS, you
14475 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
14478 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14479 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14480 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14482 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14483 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14484 ; a UW server running on localhost
14486 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14487 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14488 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14489 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14490 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14491 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14492 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
14493 (nnimap-stream network))
14494 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
14496 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
14497 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
14498 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
14501 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
14506 @item nnimap-address
14507 @vindex nnimap-address
14509 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
14510 server name if not specified.
14512 @item nnimap-server-port
14513 @vindex nnimap-server-port
14514 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
14516 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
14519 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14520 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
14523 @item nnimap-list-pattern
14524 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
14525 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
14526 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
14527 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
14528 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
14529 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
14531 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
14532 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
14533 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14536 Example server specification:
14539 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14540 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14541 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14544 @item nnimap-stream
14545 @vindex nnimap-stream
14546 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14547 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14548 of SSL/TLS. (IMAP over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
14549 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
14551 Example server specification:
14554 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14555 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14558 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14562 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
14563 @samp{imtest} program.
14565 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
14567 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14568 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14571 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
14572 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
14573 library @samp{ssl.el}.
14575 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14577 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14580 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14581 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
14582 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
14583 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
14584 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
14585 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
14586 restrictions on IMAP commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
14587 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
14588 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14591 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14592 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14593 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14594 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
14595 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14596 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14597 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14598 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
14599 distribution, for instance).
14601 @vindex imap-shell-program
14602 @vindex imap-shell-host
14603 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14604 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14606 @item nnimap-authenticator
14607 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14609 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14610 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14612 Example server specification:
14615 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14616 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14619 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14623 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
14624 external program @code{imtest}.
14626 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
14629 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
14630 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14632 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14634 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14636 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14639 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14641 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14642 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14643 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14644 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14645 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14646 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14649 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14650 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14651 running in circles yet?
14653 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14654 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14657 The possible options are:
14662 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14665 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14666 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14667 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14668 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14670 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14675 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
14676 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
14678 If non-nil, marks dormant articles as ticked (as well), for other IMAP
14679 clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will naturally still (only) be
14680 marked as ticked. This is to make dormant articles stand out, just
14681 like ticked articles, in other IMAP clients. (In other words, Gnus has
14682 two ``Tick'' marks and IMAP has only one.)
14684 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
14685 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
14688 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
14689 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14690 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
14691 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14694 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
14695 as ticked for other users.
14697 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
14699 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
14701 This variable contain the IMAP search command sent to server when
14702 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
14703 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
14704 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
14706 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
14707 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
14708 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
14709 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
14711 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14712 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14714 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14715 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14716 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14722 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14723 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14724 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14729 @node Splitting in IMAP
14730 @subsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
14731 @cindex splitting imap mail
14733 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14734 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14735 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14736 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14737 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14741 Here are the variables of interest:
14745 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14746 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14748 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14750 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14751 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14753 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14755 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14756 @cindex splitting, inbox
14758 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14760 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14761 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14765 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14766 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14769 No nnmail equivalent.
14771 @item nnimap-split-rule
14772 @cindex Splitting, rules
14773 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14775 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14778 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14779 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14780 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14781 Neither did I, we need examples.
14784 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14786 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14787 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14788 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14791 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14792 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14793 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
14795 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14796 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14800 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14803 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14804 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14805 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14806 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14808 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14809 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14810 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14811 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
14812 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14813 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14815 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14816 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14817 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14819 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14820 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14821 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14823 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
14825 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14826 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14827 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14830 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14831 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14832 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14833 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14834 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14835 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14838 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14839 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14840 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14841 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14842 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14843 group/function elements.
14845 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14847 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14849 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14851 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14852 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14854 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14855 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14856 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14859 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14860 @cindex splitting, fancy
14861 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14862 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14864 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14865 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14866 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14868 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14869 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14870 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14871 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14876 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14877 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14880 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14884 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14885 @subsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14886 @cindex editing imap acls
14887 @cindex Access Control Lists
14888 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14890 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14892 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14893 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14894 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14897 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14898 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14899 editing window with detailed instructions.
14901 Some possible uses:
14905 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
14906 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
14907 follow the list without subscribing to it.
14909 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
14910 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
14911 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
14915 @node Expunging mailboxes
14916 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
14920 @cindex Manual expunging
14922 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
14924 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
14925 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
14926 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
14928 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
14933 @node Other Sources
14934 @section Other Sources
14936 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
14937 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
14941 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
14942 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
14943 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
14944 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
14945 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
14949 @node Directory Groups
14950 @subsection Directory Groups
14952 @cindex directory groups
14954 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
14955 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
14958 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
14959 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
14960 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
14961 back end to read directories. Big deal.
14963 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
14964 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
14965 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
14966 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
14967 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
14969 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
14971 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
14972 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
14973 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
14974 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
14977 @node Anything Groups
14978 @subsection Anything Groups
14981 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
14982 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
14983 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
14986 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
14987 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
14988 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
14989 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
14990 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
14991 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
14992 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
14993 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
14994 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
14995 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
14998 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
14999 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
15000 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
15001 in the article buffer, just as usual.
15003 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
15004 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
15005 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
15006 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
15008 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
15009 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
15010 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
15011 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
15012 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
15013 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
15014 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
15015 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
15020 @item nneething-map-file-directory
15021 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
15022 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
15023 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
15025 @item nneething-exclude-files
15026 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
15027 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
15028 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
15030 @item nneething-include-files
15031 @vindex nneething-include-files
15032 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
15033 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
15035 @item nneething-map-file
15036 @vindex nneething-map-file
15037 Name of the map files.
15041 @node Document Groups
15042 @subsection Document Groups
15044 @cindex documentation group
15047 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
15048 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
15055 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
15060 The standard Unix mbox file.
15062 @cindex MMDF mail box
15064 The MMDF mail box format.
15067 Several news articles appended into a file.
15070 @cindex rnews batch files
15071 The rnews batch transport format.
15072 @cindex forwarded messages
15075 Forwarded articles.
15078 Netscape mail boxes.
15081 MIME multipart messages.
15083 @item standard-digest
15084 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
15087 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
15090 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
15091 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
15092 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
15095 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
15096 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
15097 group. And that's it.
15099 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
15100 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
15101 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
15102 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
15103 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
15104 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
15105 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
15106 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
15107 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
15108 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
15110 Virtual server variables:
15113 @item nndoc-article-type
15114 @vindex nndoc-article-type
15115 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
15116 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
15117 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
15118 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail},
15119 @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman} or @code{guess}.
15121 @item nndoc-post-type
15122 @vindex nndoc-post-type
15123 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
15124 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
15129 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
15133 @node Document Server Internals
15134 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
15136 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
15137 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
15138 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
15139 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
15141 First, here's an example document type definition:
15145 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
15146 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
15149 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
15150 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
15151 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
15152 types can be defined with very few settings:
15155 @item first-article
15156 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
15157 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
15160 @item article-begin
15161 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
15162 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
15164 @item head-begin-function
15165 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
15168 @item nndoc-head-begin
15169 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
15172 @item nndoc-head-end
15173 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
15174 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
15176 @item body-begin-function
15177 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
15181 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
15184 @item body-end-function
15185 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
15189 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
15192 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
15193 regexp will be totally ignored.
15197 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
15198 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
15199 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
15200 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
15201 something that's palatable for Gnus:
15204 @item prepare-body-function
15205 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
15206 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
15207 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
15209 @item article-transform-function
15210 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
15211 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
15212 body of the article.
15214 @item generate-head-function
15215 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
15216 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
15217 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
15218 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
15222 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
15227 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15228 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15229 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
15230 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
15231 (head-end . "^ ?$")
15232 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
15233 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
15234 (subtype digest guess))
15237 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
15238 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
15239 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
15240 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
15241 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
15243 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
15244 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
15245 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
15246 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
15247 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
15248 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
15249 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
15250 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
15251 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
15252 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
15260 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
15261 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
15262 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
15264 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
15265 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
15266 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
15269 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
15270 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
15271 that interested in doing things properly.
15273 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
15274 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
15277 First some terminology:
15282 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
15283 get news and/or mail from.
15286 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
15287 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
15290 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
15294 @item message packets
15295 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
15296 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
15297 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15299 @item response packets
15300 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
15301 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
15302 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15312 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
15313 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
15314 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
15315 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
15318 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
15321 You put the packet in your home directory.
15324 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
15325 the native or secondary server.
15328 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
15329 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
15332 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
15336 You transfer this packet to the server.
15339 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
15342 You then repeat until you die.
15346 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
15347 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
15350 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
15351 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
15352 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
15356 @node SOUP Commands
15357 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
15359 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
15363 @kindex G s b (Group)
15364 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
15365 Pack all unread articles in the current group
15366 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
15367 process/prefix convention.
15370 @kindex G s w (Group)
15371 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
15372 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
15375 @kindex G s s (Group)
15376 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
15377 Send all replies from the replies packet
15378 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
15381 @kindex G s p (Group)
15382 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
15383 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
15386 @kindex G s r (Group)
15387 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
15388 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
15391 @kindex O s (Summary)
15392 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
15393 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
15394 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
15395 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15400 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
15405 @item gnus-soup-directory
15406 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
15407 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
15408 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
15410 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
15411 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
15412 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
15413 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
15415 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
15416 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
15417 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
15418 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
15420 @item gnus-soup-packer
15421 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
15422 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15423 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
15425 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
15426 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
15427 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15428 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15430 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
15431 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
15432 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
15434 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15435 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15436 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
15437 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
15443 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
15446 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
15447 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
15448 you can read them at leisure.
15450 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
15454 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
15455 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
15456 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
15457 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
15459 @item nnsoup-directory
15460 @vindex nnsoup-directory
15461 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
15462 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
15464 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
15465 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
15466 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
15467 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
15469 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
15470 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
15471 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
15472 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
15473 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
15475 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
15476 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
15477 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
15478 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
15480 @item nnsoup-active-file
15481 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
15482 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
15483 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
15484 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
15485 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
15487 @item nnsoup-packer
15488 @vindex nnsoup-packer
15489 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
15490 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
15492 @item nnsoup-unpacker
15493 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
15494 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
15495 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15497 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
15498 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
15499 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
15502 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
15503 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
15504 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
15507 @item nnsoup-always-save
15508 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
15509 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
15515 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
15517 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
15518 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
15519 more for that to happen.
15521 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
15522 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
15523 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
15526 In specific, this is what it does:
15529 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
15530 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
15533 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
15534 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
15535 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
15538 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
15539 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
15540 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
15543 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
15544 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
15545 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
15547 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
15553 @item nngateway-address
15554 @vindex nngateway-address
15555 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
15557 @item nngateway-header-transformation
15558 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
15559 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
15560 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
15561 transformation should be called, and defaults to
15562 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
15563 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
15566 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
15567 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
15568 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
15571 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
15574 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
15577 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
15580 The following pre-defined functions exist:
15582 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15585 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15586 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15587 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
15589 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15591 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15592 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15593 @code{nngateway-address}.
15598 (setq gnus-post-method
15600 "mail2news@@replay.com"
15601 (nngateway-header-transformation
15602 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
15610 So, to use this, simply say something like:
15613 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
15618 @node Combined Groups
15619 @section Combined Groups
15621 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
15625 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
15626 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
15630 @node Virtual Groups
15631 @subsection Virtual Groups
15633 @cindex virtual groups
15634 @cindex merging groups
15636 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
15639 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
15640 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
15641 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
15643 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
15644 regexp to match component groups.
15646 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
15647 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
15648 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
15649 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
15650 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
15651 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
15652 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
15653 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
15655 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
15656 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
15659 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
15662 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
15663 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
15665 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
15666 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
15667 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
15668 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
15671 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
15674 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
15675 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
15676 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
15678 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
15679 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
15680 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
15681 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
15682 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
15684 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
15685 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
15686 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
15688 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
15689 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
15690 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
15691 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15692 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
15693 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
15694 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
15695 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
15696 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
15697 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
15698 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
15700 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
15701 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
15702 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
15703 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
15704 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
15705 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
15706 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
15708 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
15709 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
15711 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
15712 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
15716 @node Kibozed Groups
15717 @subsection Kibozed Groups
15721 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
15722 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
15723 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
15724 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
15726 @kindex G k (Group)
15727 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
15730 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
15731 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
15732 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
15733 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
15735 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
15736 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
15737 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
15739 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
15740 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
15741 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
15742 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
15743 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
15744 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
15745 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
15746 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
15748 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
15749 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
15750 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
15751 Stranger things have happened.
15753 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
15754 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
15756 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
15757 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
15758 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
15759 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
15760 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
15761 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
15763 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
15764 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
15767 @node Gnus Unplugged
15768 @section Gnus Unplugged
15773 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
15775 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
15776 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
15777 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
15778 read news. Believe it or not.
15780 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
15781 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
15782 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
15783 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
15784 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
15786 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
15787 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
15788 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
15789 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
15790 reading news on a machine.
15792 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
15796 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
15797 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
15801 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
15802 @file{.gnus.el} file:
15809 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
15811 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
15814 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
15815 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
15816 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
15817 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
15818 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
15819 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
15820 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
15821 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
15822 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
15823 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
15828 @subsection Agent Basics
15830 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
15832 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
15833 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
15834 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
15835 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
15837 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
15838 connected to the net continuously.
15840 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
15841 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
15843 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
15848 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
15849 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
15850 already fetched while in this mode.
15853 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
15854 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
15855 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
15856 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
15857 Source Specifiers}).
15860 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
15861 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
15862 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
15863 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
15864 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
15867 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
15868 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
15869 then you read the news offline.
15872 And then you go to step 2.
15875 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
15881 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
15882 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
15883 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
15884 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
15885 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
15886 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
15889 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
15896 @node Agent Categories
15897 @subsection Agent Categories
15899 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
15900 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
15901 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
15902 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
15903 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
15904 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
15905 you're interested in the articles anyway.
15907 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
15908 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
15909 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
15910 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
15911 managing categories.
15914 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
15915 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
15916 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
15920 @node Category Syntax
15921 @subsubsection Category Syntax
15923 A category consists of two things.
15927 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
15928 are eligible for downloading; and
15931 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
15932 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
15933 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
15936 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
15937 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
15938 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
15939 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
15941 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
15942 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
15943 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
15945 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
15946 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
15947 operators sprinkled in between.
15949 Perhaps some examples are in order.
15951 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
15952 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
15958 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
15959 short (for some value of ``short'').
15961 Here's a more complex predicate:
15970 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
15971 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
15974 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
15975 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
15976 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
15978 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
15979 you want to do, you can write your own.
15983 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
15984 lines; default 100.
15987 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
15988 lines; default 200.
15991 True iff the article has a download score less than
15992 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
15995 True iff the article has a download score greater than
15996 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
15999 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
16000 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
16001 checksum and sees whether articles match.
16010 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
16011 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
16012 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
16015 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
16016 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
16017 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
16018 something along the lines of the following:
16021 (defun my-article-old-p ()
16022 "Say whether an article is old."
16023 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
16024 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
16027 with the predicate then defined as:
16030 (not my-article-old-p)
16033 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
16034 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
16035 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
16036 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
16039 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
16040 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
16041 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
16044 and simply specify your predicate as:
16050 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
16051 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
16052 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
16053 just don't give a damn.
16055 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
16056 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
16057 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
16058 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
16059 parameters like so:
16062 (agent-predicate . short)
16065 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
16066 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
16067 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
16069 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
16072 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
16075 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
16076 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
16077 predicate is assumed to be a list.
16080 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
16081 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
16082 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
16083 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
16084 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
16085 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
16087 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
16088 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
16089 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
16090 if it's to be specific to that group.
16092 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
16099 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
16100 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
16106 Category specification
16110 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16116 Group Parameter specification
16119 (agent-score ("from"
16120 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16125 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
16131 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
16138 Category specification
16141 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
16147 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
16151 Group Parameter specification
16154 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
16157 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
16162 Use @code{normal} score files
16164 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
16165 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
16166 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
16167 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
16169 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
16170 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
16171 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
16172 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
16176 Category Specification
16183 Group Parameter specification
16186 (agent-score . file)
16191 @node Category Buffer
16192 @subsubsection Category Buffer
16194 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
16195 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
16196 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
16198 The following commands are available in this buffer:
16202 @kindex q (Category)
16203 @findex gnus-category-exit
16204 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
16207 @kindex k (Category)
16208 @findex gnus-category-kill
16209 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
16212 @kindex c (Category)
16213 @findex gnus-category-copy
16214 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
16217 @kindex a (Category)
16218 @findex gnus-category-add
16219 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
16222 @kindex p (Category)
16223 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
16224 Edit the predicate of the current category
16225 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
16228 @kindex g (Category)
16229 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
16230 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
16231 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
16234 @kindex s (Category)
16235 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
16236 Edit the download score rule of the current category
16237 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
16240 @kindex l (Category)
16241 @findex gnus-category-list
16242 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
16246 @node Category Variables
16247 @subsubsection Category Variables
16250 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
16251 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
16252 Hook run in category buffers.
16254 @item gnus-category-line-format
16255 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
16256 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
16257 Variables}). Valid elements are:
16261 The name of the category.
16264 The number of groups in the category.
16267 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
16268 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
16269 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
16271 @item gnus-agent-short-article
16272 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
16273 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
16275 @item gnus-agent-long-article
16276 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
16277 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
16279 @item gnus-agent-low-score
16280 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
16281 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
16284 @item gnus-agent-high-score
16285 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
16286 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
16292 @node Agent Commands
16293 @subsection Agent Commands
16295 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
16296 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
16297 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
16301 * Group Agent Commands::
16302 * Summary Agent Commands::
16303 * Server Agent Commands::
16306 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
16307 following incantation:
16309 @cindex gnus-agent-batch
16311 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch
16316 @node Group Agent Commands
16317 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
16321 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
16322 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
16323 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
16324 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
16327 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
16328 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
16329 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
16332 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
16333 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
16334 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
16335 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
16338 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
16339 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
16340 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
16341 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
16344 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
16345 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
16346 Add the current group to an Agent category
16347 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
16348 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16351 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
16352 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
16353 Remove the current group from its category, if any
16354 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
16355 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16358 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
16359 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16360 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
16366 @node Summary Agent Commands
16367 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
16371 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
16372 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
16373 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
16376 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
16377 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
16378 Remove the downloading mark from the article
16379 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
16382 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
16383 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
16384 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
16387 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
16388 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
16389 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
16392 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
16393 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
16394 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
16395 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
16400 @node Server Agent Commands
16401 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
16405 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
16406 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
16407 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
16408 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
16411 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
16412 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
16413 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
16414 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
16420 @subsection Agent Expiry
16422 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
16423 @findex gnus-agent-expire
16424 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
16425 @cindex Agent expiry
16426 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
16429 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
16430 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
16431 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
16432 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
16433 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
16434 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
16436 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} can also be a list of regexp/day pairs.
16437 The regexps will be matched against group names to allow differing
16438 expiry in different groups.
16441 (setq gnus-agent-expire-days
16447 If you use the list form, the last element must always be the default
16448 method---it must always match all groups.
16450 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
16451 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
16452 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
16453 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
16454 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
16457 @node Agent and IMAP
16458 @subsection Agent and IMAP
16460 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
16461 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
16462 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
16463 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
16465 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
16466 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
16467 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
16468 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
16470 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
16471 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
16472 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
16473 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
16474 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
16476 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16477 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
16478 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
16479 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
16480 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
16481 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
16483 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
16484 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
16485 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
16486 in the group buffer by default.
16488 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
16489 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
16494 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
16497 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
16501 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
16502 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
16503 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
16504 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
16505 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
16506 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
16507 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
16508 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
16511 @node Outgoing Messages
16512 @subsection Outgoing Messages
16514 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
16515 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
16516 after posting, and edit them at will.
16518 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
16519 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
16520 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
16521 messages in the draft group.
16525 @node Agent Variables
16526 @subsection Agent Variables
16529 @item gnus-agent-directory
16530 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
16531 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
16532 @file{~/News/agent/}.
16534 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
16535 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
16536 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
16537 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
16538 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
16541 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16542 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16543 Hook run when connecting to the network.
16545 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16546 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16547 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
16549 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
16550 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
16551 Hook run when after finishing fetching articles.
16553 @item gnus-agent-cache
16554 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
16555 Variable to control whether use the locally stored NOV and articles when
16558 @item gnus-agent-go-online
16559 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
16560 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
16561 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
16562 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
16563 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
16564 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
16570 @node Example Setup
16571 @subsection Example Setup
16573 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
16574 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
16575 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
16578 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
16579 ;;; from your ISP's server.
16580 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
16582 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
16583 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
16584 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
16586 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
16587 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
16589 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
16593 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
16594 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
16597 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
16598 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
16599 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
16600 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
16601 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
16604 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
16605 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
16606 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
16607 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
16608 back all the killed groups.)
16610 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
16611 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
16612 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
16615 @node Batching Agents
16616 @subsection Batching Agents
16618 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
16619 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
16620 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
16624 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
16628 @node Agent Caveats
16629 @subsection Agent Caveats
16631 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
16632 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
16636 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
16640 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
16642 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is `nil'.
16646 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
16647 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP and also uses the
16648 locally stored articles.
16655 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
16656 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
16657 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
16660 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
16661 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
16662 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
16663 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
16664 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
16666 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
16667 before generating the summary buffer.
16669 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
16670 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
16671 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
16673 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
16674 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
16675 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
16676 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
16679 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
16680 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
16681 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
16682 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
16683 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
16684 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
16685 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
16686 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
16687 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
16688 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
16689 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
16690 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
16691 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
16692 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
16693 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
16694 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
16695 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
16699 @node Summary Score Commands
16700 @section Summary Score Commands
16701 @cindex score commands
16703 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
16704 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
16705 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
16706 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
16707 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
16709 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
16710 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
16711 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
16712 score file the current one.
16714 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
16719 @kindex V s (Summary)
16720 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
16721 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
16724 @kindex V S (Summary)
16725 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
16726 Display the score of the current article
16727 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
16730 @kindex V t (Summary)
16731 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
16732 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
16733 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
16736 @kindex V R (Summary)
16737 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
16738 Run the current summary through the scoring process
16739 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
16740 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
16741 effect you're having.
16744 @kindex V c (Summary)
16745 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
16746 Make a different score file the current
16747 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
16750 @kindex V e (Summary)
16751 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
16752 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
16753 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
16757 @kindex V f (Summary)
16758 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
16759 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
16760 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
16763 @kindex V F (Summary)
16764 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16765 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
16766 after editing score files.
16769 @kindex V C (Summary)
16770 @findex gnus-score-customize
16771 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
16772 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
16776 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
16781 @kindex V m (Summary)
16782 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
16783 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
16784 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
16787 @kindex V x (Summary)
16788 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
16789 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
16790 expunge all articles below this score
16791 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
16794 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
16795 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
16798 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
16799 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
16803 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
16804 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
16806 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
16807 keys are available:
16811 Score on the author name.
16814 Score on the subject line.
16817 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
16820 Score on the @code{References} line.
16826 Score on the number of lines.
16829 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
16832 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
16833 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
16834 @file{ADAPT} files.)
16843 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
16849 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
16850 what headers you are scoring on.
16862 Substring matching.
16865 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
16894 Greater than number.
16899 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
16900 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
16901 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
16905 Temporary score entry.
16908 Permanent score entry.
16911 Immediately scoring.
16916 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
16917 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
16918 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
16919 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
16921 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
16922 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
16923 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
16924 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
16925 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
16927 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
16928 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
16929 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
16930 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
16931 current score file.
16933 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
16934 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
16935 pretend they are keymaps or not.
16938 @node Group Score Commands
16939 @section Group Score Commands
16940 @cindex group score commands
16942 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
16947 @kindex W f (Group)
16948 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16949 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
16950 all the time. This command will flush the cache
16951 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
16955 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
16957 @findex gnus-batch-score
16958 @cindex batch scoring
16960 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
16964 @node Score Variables
16965 @section Score Variables
16966 @cindex score variables
16970 @item gnus-use-scoring
16971 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
16972 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
16973 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
16975 @item gnus-kill-killed
16976 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
16977 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
16978 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
16979 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
16980 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
16981 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
16982 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
16984 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
16985 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
16986 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
16987 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
16988 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
16990 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
16991 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
16992 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
16993 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
16995 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16996 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16997 @cindex score cache
16998 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
16999 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
17000 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
17001 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
17002 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
17003 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
17006 @item gnus-save-score
17007 @vindex gnus-save-score
17008 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
17009 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
17010 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17012 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
17013 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
17014 across group visits.
17016 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17017 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17018 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
17019 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
17020 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
17021 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
17022 manually entered data.
17024 @item gnus-summary-default-score
17025 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
17026 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
17028 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
17029 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
17030 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
17031 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
17032 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
17033 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
17035 @item gnus-score-over-mark
17036 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
17037 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
17038 default. Default is @samp{+}.
17040 @item gnus-score-below-mark
17041 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
17042 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
17043 default. Default is @samp{-}.
17045 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17046 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17047 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
17048 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
17050 Predefined functions available are:
17053 @item gnus-score-find-single
17054 @findex gnus-score-find-single
17055 Only apply the group's own score file.
17057 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
17058 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
17059 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
17060 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
17061 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
17062 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
17063 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
17064 then a regexp match is done.
17066 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
17067 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
17069 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
17070 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
17071 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
17072 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
17074 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17075 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17076 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
17077 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
17078 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
17082 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
17083 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
17084 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
17085 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
17086 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
17087 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
17088 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
17091 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
17092 overall score file, you could use the value
17094 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
17095 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
17098 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
17099 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
17100 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
17101 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
17102 are expired. It's 7 by default.
17104 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17105 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17106 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
17107 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
17108 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
17109 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
17110 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
17111 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
17113 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17114 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17115 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
17117 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
17118 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
17119 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
17120 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
17121 threading---according to the current value of
17122 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
17123 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
17124 simplified in this manner.
17129 @node Score File Format
17130 @section Score File Format
17131 @cindex score file format
17133 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
17134 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
17135 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
17137 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
17141 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
17143 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
17145 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
17147 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
17152 (mark-and-expunge -10)
17156 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
17157 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
17158 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
17159 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
17163 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
17164 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
17166 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
17167 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
17168 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
17170 Six keys are supported by this alist:
17175 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
17176 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
17177 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
17178 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
17179 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
17180 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
17181 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
17182 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
17183 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
17184 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
17185 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
17186 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
17187 to articles that matches these score entries.
17189 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
17190 score entry has one to four elements.
17194 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
17195 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
17199 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
17200 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
17201 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
17202 is successful. If this element is not present, the
17203 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
17204 instead. This is 1000 by default.
17207 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
17208 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
17209 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
17210 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
17211 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
17214 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
17215 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
17216 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
17217 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
17220 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
17221 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
17222 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
17223 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
17224 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
17225 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
17226 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
17227 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
17228 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
17229 instead, if you feel like.
17232 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
17233 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
17235 These predicates are true if
17238 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
17241 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
17242 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
17249 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
17250 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
17251 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
17252 it's not. I think.)
17254 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
17255 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
17256 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
17257 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
17260 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
17261 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
17262 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
17263 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
17264 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
17265 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
17266 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
17270 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
17271 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
17272 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
17273 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
17274 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
17275 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
17276 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
17277 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
17280 @item Head, Body, All
17281 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
17285 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
17286 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
17287 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
17288 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
17289 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
17290 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
17291 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
17295 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
17296 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
17297 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
17298 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
17299 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
17300 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
17301 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
17302 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
17303 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
17304 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
17305 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
17309 @cindex Score File Atoms
17311 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17312 lower than this number will be marked as read.
17315 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17316 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
17318 @item mark-and-expunge
17319 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17320 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
17323 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
17324 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
17325 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
17326 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
17327 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
17330 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
17331 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
17334 @item exclude-files
17335 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
17336 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
17340 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
17341 ignored when handling global score files.
17344 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
17345 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
17346 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
17347 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
17350 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
17351 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
17352 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
17353 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
17355 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
17359 (mark-and-expunge -100)
17362 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
17363 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
17364 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
17365 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
17366 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
17368 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
17369 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
17370 scoring rules exist.
17373 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
17374 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
17375 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
17376 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
17377 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
17378 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
17379 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17380 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
17381 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
17382 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
17383 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
17387 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
17388 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
17389 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
17390 file for a number of groups.
17393 @cindex local variables
17394 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
17395 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
17396 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
17397 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
17398 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
17402 @node Score File Editing
17403 @section Score File Editing
17405 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
17406 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
17407 with a mode for that.
17409 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
17410 additional commands:
17415 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
17416 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
17417 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
17418 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
17421 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
17422 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
17423 Insert the current date in numerical format
17424 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
17425 you were wondering.
17428 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
17429 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
17430 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
17431 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
17432 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
17437 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
17439 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
17440 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
17442 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
17443 e} to begin editing score files.
17446 @node Adaptive Scoring
17447 @section Adaptive Scoring
17448 @cindex adaptive scoring
17450 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
17451 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
17452 stupidity, to be precise.
17454 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
17455 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
17456 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
17457 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
17458 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17459 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
17460 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
17461 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
17462 variable to @code{(word line)}.
17464 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17465 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
17466 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
17467 might look something like this:
17470 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17471 '((gnus-unread-mark)
17472 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
17473 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
17474 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
17475 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
17476 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
17477 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
17478 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
17479 (gnus-ancient-mark)
17480 (gnus-low-score-mark)
17481 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
17484 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
17485 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
17486 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
17487 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
17488 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
17489 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
17492 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
17493 will be applied to each article.
17495 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
17496 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
17497 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
17498 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
17500 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
17501 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
17502 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
17503 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
17505 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
17506 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
17507 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
17508 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
17510 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
17511 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
17512 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
17513 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
17514 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
17515 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
17517 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
17518 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
17519 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
17520 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
17521 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
17522 aspirins afterwards.)
17524 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
17525 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
17526 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
17528 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
17529 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
17530 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
17532 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
17533 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
17534 let you use different rules in different groups.
17536 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
17537 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
17538 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
17541 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
17542 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
17543 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
17544 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
17545 the length of the match is less than
17546 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
17547 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
17550 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17551 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
17552 headers. If you adapt on words, the
17553 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
17554 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
17557 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17558 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
17559 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
17560 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
17561 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
17564 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
17565 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
17566 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
17567 score with 30 points.
17569 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
17570 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
17571 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
17572 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
17573 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
17575 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
17576 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
17577 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
17578 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
17579 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
17581 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
17582 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
17583 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
17584 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
17586 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
17587 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
17588 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
17589 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
17591 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
17592 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
17593 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
17594 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
17595 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
17597 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
17598 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
17599 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
17601 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
17602 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
17603 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
17604 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
17607 @node Home Score File
17608 @section Home Score File
17610 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
17611 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
17612 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
17613 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
17615 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
17616 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
17617 could perhaps use the same home score file.
17619 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
17620 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
17625 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
17629 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
17630 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
17634 A list. The elements in this list can be:
17638 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
17639 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
17642 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
17643 the home score file.
17646 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
17649 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
17654 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
17657 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17658 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
17661 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
17662 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
17664 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
17666 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17667 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
17670 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
17671 Other functions include
17674 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
17675 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
17676 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
17677 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
17681 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
17682 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
17683 their own home score files:
17686 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17687 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
17688 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
17689 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
17690 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
17693 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
17694 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
17695 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
17696 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
17697 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
17699 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
17700 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
17701 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
17702 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
17703 precedence over this variable.
17706 @node Followups To Yourself
17707 @section Followups To Yourself
17709 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
17710 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
17711 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
17712 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
17713 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
17714 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
17718 @item gnus-score-followup-article
17719 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
17720 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
17723 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
17724 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
17725 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
17729 @vindex message-sent-hook
17730 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
17731 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
17733 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
17737 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
17738 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
17742 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17743 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17746 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
17747 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
17752 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
17756 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
17757 is system-dependent.
17760 @node Scoring On Other Headers
17761 @section Scoring On Other Headers
17762 @cindex scoring on other headers
17764 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
17765 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
17766 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
17767 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
17768 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
17770 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
17771 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
17772 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
17773 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
17774 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
17776 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
17779 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
17780 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
17783 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
17784 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
17785 time if you have much mail.
17787 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
17788 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
17794 @section Scoring Tips
17795 @cindex scoring tips
17801 @cindex scoring crossposts
17802 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
17803 the @code{Xref} header.
17805 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
17808 @item Multiple crossposts
17809 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
17810 more than, say, 3 groups:
17813 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
17817 @item Matching on the body
17818 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
17819 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
17820 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
17821 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
17822 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
17823 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
17824 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
17827 @item Marking as read
17828 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
17829 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
17830 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
17834 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
17836 @item Negated character classes
17837 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
17838 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
17839 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
17843 @node Reverse Scoring
17844 @section Reverse Scoring
17845 @cindex reverse scoring
17847 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
17848 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
17849 like this in your score file:
17853 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
17858 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
17859 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
17862 @node Global Score Files
17863 @section Global Score Files
17864 @cindex global score files
17866 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
17867 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
17868 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
17870 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
17871 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
17872 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
17874 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
17875 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
17876 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
17877 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
17878 files are applicable to which group.
17880 To use the score file
17881 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
17882 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
17886 (setq gnus-global-score-files
17887 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
17888 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
17891 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
17893 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
17894 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
17895 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
17896 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
17898 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
17899 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
17901 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
17902 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
17903 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
17904 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
17905 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
17906 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
17908 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
17914 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
17916 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
17918 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
17920 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
17921 lowered out of existence.
17923 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
17924 articles completely.
17927 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
17928 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
17929 old articles for a long time.
17932 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
17933 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
17934 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
17935 holding our breath yet?
17939 @section Kill Files
17942 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
17943 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
17944 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
17946 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
17947 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
17948 files into score files.
17950 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
17951 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
17952 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
17953 that isn't a very good idea.
17955 Normal kill files look like this:
17958 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17959 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
17963 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
17964 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
17966 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
17967 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
17970 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
17975 @kindex M-k (Summary)
17976 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
17977 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
17980 @kindex M-K (Summary)
17981 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
17982 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
17985 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
17990 @kindex M-k (Group)
17991 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
17992 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
17995 @kindex M-K (Group)
17996 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
17997 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
18000 Kill file variables:
18003 @item gnus-kill-file-name
18004 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
18005 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
18006 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
18007 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
18008 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
18009 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
18011 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18012 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18013 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
18014 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
18017 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
18018 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
18019 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
18020 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
18021 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
18022 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
18023 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
18024 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
18025 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
18027 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18028 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18029 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
18034 @node Converting Kill Files
18035 @section Converting Kill Files
18037 @cindex converting kill files
18039 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
18040 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
18041 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
18044 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
18045 You can fetch it from
18046 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
18048 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
18049 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
18050 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
18058 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
18059 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
18060 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
18061 news articles generated every day.
18063 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
18064 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
18065 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
18066 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
18067 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
18068 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
18069 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
18070 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
18073 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
18074 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
18077 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
18078 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
18079 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
18080 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
18084 @node Using GroupLens
18085 @subsection Using GroupLens
18087 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
18089 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
18090 better bit in town at the moment.
18092 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
18096 @item gnus-use-grouplens
18097 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
18098 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
18099 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
18101 @item grouplens-pseudonym
18102 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
18103 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
18104 with the Better Bit Bureau.
18106 @item grouplens-newsgroups
18107 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
18108 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
18112 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
18113 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
18114 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
18115 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
18116 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
18117 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
18120 @node Rating Articles
18121 @subsection Rating Articles
18123 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
18124 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
18125 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
18126 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
18129 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
18134 @kindex r (GroupLens)
18135 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
18136 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
18139 @kindex k (GroupLens)
18140 @findex grouplens-score-thread
18141 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
18142 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
18143 threads in rec.humor.
18147 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
18148 the score of the article you're reading.
18153 @kindex n (GroupLens)
18154 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
18155 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
18158 @kindex , (GroupLens)
18159 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
18160 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
18164 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
18165 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
18168 @node Displaying Predictions
18169 @subsection Displaying Predictions
18171 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
18172 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
18173 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
18174 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
18175 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
18177 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
18178 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
18179 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
18180 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
18181 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
18182 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
18183 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
18184 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
18185 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
18186 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
18187 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
18188 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
18189 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
18191 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
18192 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
18193 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
18194 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
18196 The following are valid values for that variable.
18199 @item prediction-spot
18200 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
18203 @item confidence-interval
18204 A numeric confidence interval.
18206 @item prediction-bar
18207 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
18209 @item confidence-bar
18210 Numerical confidence.
18212 @item confidence-spot
18213 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
18215 @item prediction-num
18216 Plain-old numeric value.
18218 @item confidence-plus-minus
18219 Prediction +/- confidence.
18224 @node GroupLens Variables
18225 @subsection GroupLens Variables
18229 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
18230 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
18231 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
18232 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
18235 @item grouplens-bbb-host
18236 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
18239 @item grouplens-bbb-port
18240 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
18242 @item grouplens-score-offset
18243 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
18244 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
18247 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
18248 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
18249 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
18254 @node Advanced Scoring
18255 @section Advanced Scoring
18257 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
18258 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
18259 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
18260 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
18261 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
18263 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
18267 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
18268 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
18269 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
18273 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
18274 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
18276 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
18277 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
18278 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
18279 non-@code{nil} value.
18281 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
18282 operator, and various match operators.
18289 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18290 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
18291 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
18296 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18297 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
18298 then this operator will return @code{false}.
18303 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
18304 logical negation of the value of its argument.
18308 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
18309 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
18310 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
18311 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
18312 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
18313 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
18314 the ancestry you want to go.
18316 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
18317 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
18318 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
18319 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
18320 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
18323 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
18324 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
18326 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
18327 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
18330 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
18331 when he's talking about Gnus:
18335 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18336 ("subject" "Gnus"))
18342 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
18346 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18353 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
18354 really don't want to read what he's written:
18358 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18359 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
18363 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
18364 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
18365 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
18372 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
18373 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
18374 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
18375 ("body" "white.*socks"))
18379 The possibilities are endless.
18382 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
18383 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
18385 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
18386 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
18387 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
18388 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
18389 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
18390 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
18391 @samp{subject}) first.
18393 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
18394 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
18405 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
18406 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
18412 ("subject" "Gnus")))
18419 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
18420 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
18425 @section Score Decays
18426 @cindex score decays
18429 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
18430 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
18431 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
18432 use them in any sensible way.
18434 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
18435 @findex gnus-decay-score
18436 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
18437 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
18438 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
18439 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
18440 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
18441 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
18442 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
18443 definition of that function:
18446 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
18448 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
18449 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
18452 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
18454 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
18456 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
18459 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
18460 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
18461 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
18462 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
18466 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
18469 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
18472 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
18476 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
18477 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
18478 the new score, which should be an integer.
18480 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
18481 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
18486 @include message.texi
18487 @chapter Emacs MIME
18488 @include emacs-mime.texi
18490 @include sieve.texi
18498 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
18499 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
18500 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
18501 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
18502 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
18503 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
18504 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
18505 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
18506 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
18507 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
18508 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
18509 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
18510 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
18511 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
18512 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
18513 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
18514 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
18515 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
18516 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
18520 @node Process/Prefix
18521 @section Process/Prefix
18522 @cindex process/prefix convention
18524 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
18525 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
18527 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
18528 command to be performed on.
18532 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
18533 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
18534 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
18535 with the current one.
18537 @vindex transient-mark-mode
18538 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
18539 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
18541 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
18542 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
18545 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
18546 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
18548 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
18551 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
18552 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
18553 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
18554 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
18556 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
18557 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
18558 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
18559 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
18560 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
18561 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
18562 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
18563 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
18565 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
18566 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
18567 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
18568 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
18569 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
18573 @section Interactive
18574 @cindex interaction
18578 @item gnus-novice-user
18579 @vindex gnus-novice-user
18580 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
18581 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
18582 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
18583 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
18586 @item gnus-expert-user
18587 @vindex gnus-expert-user
18588 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
18589 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
18590 matter how strange.
18592 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
18593 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
18594 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
18595 is @code{t} by default.
18597 @item gnus-interactive-exit
18598 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
18599 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18604 @node Symbolic Prefixes
18605 @section Symbolic Prefixes
18606 @cindex symbolic prefixes
18608 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
18609 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
18610 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
18611 rule of 900 to the current article.
18613 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
18614 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
18615 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
18616 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
18617 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
18618 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
18619 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
18621 @kindex M-i (Summary)
18622 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
18623 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
18624 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
18625 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
18626 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
18627 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
18628 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
18629 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
18631 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
18632 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
18633 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
18635 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
18639 @node Formatting Variables
18640 @section Formatting Variables
18641 @cindex formatting variables
18643 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
18644 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
18645 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
18646 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
18647 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
18650 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
18651 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
18652 lots of percentages everywhere.
18655 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
18656 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
18657 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
18658 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
18659 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
18660 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
18661 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
18662 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
18665 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
18666 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
18667 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
18668 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
18669 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
18670 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
18671 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
18672 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
18674 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
18675 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
18677 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
18678 @findex gnus-update-format
18679 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
18680 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
18681 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
18682 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
18686 @node Formatting Basics
18687 @subsection Formatting Basics
18689 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
18690 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
18691 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
18693 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
18694 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
18695 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
18696 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
18697 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
18700 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
18701 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
18702 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
18703 less than 4 characters wide.
18705 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
18706 @samp{%&user-date;}.
18709 @node Mode Line Formatting
18710 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
18712 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
18713 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
18714 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
18715 with the following two differences:
18720 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
18723 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
18724 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
18725 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
18726 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
18727 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
18728 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
18729 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
18734 @node Advanced Formatting
18735 @subsection Advanced Formatting
18737 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
18738 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
18739 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
18740 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
18742 These are the valid modifiers:
18747 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
18751 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
18756 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
18759 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
18764 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
18767 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
18770 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
18773 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
18779 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
18784 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
18785 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
18786 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
18787 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
18788 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
18789 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
18790 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
18792 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
18793 last operation, padding.
18795 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
18796 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
18797 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
18798 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
18799 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
18800 the look of your lines.
18801 @xref{Compilation}.
18804 @node User-Defined Specs
18805 @subsection User-Defined Specs
18807 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
18808 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
18809 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
18810 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
18811 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
18812 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
18813 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
18814 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
18815 should protect against that.
18817 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
18818 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
18820 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
18821 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
18822 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
18823 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
18827 @node Formatting Fonts
18828 @subsection Formatting Fonts
18830 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
18831 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
18832 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
18833 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
18836 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
18837 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
18838 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
18839 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
18840 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
18841 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
18843 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
18844 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
18845 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
18846 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
18847 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
18848 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
18849 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
18850 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
18852 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
18855 ;; Create three face types.
18856 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
18857 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
18859 ;; We want the article count to be in
18860 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
18861 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
18862 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
18864 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
18865 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
18867 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
18868 (setq gnus-group-line-format
18869 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
18872 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
18873 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
18875 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
18876 mode-line variables.
18878 @node Positioning Point
18879 @subsection Positioning Point
18881 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
18882 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
18883 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
18885 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
18887 @findex gnus-goto-colon
18888 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
18889 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
18891 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
18892 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
18893 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
18898 @subsection Tabulation
18900 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
18901 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
18902 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
18903 about lining up the following text afterwards.
18905 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
18906 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
18908 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18909 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
18910 This is the soft tabulator.
18912 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18913 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
18914 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
18917 @node Wide Characters
18918 @subsection Wide Characters
18920 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
18921 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
18922 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
18924 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
18925 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
18926 these coutries, that's not true.
18928 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
18929 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
18930 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
18931 prettieer. The default value is @code{t}.
18935 @node Window Layout
18936 @section Window Layout
18937 @cindex window layout
18939 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
18941 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
18942 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
18943 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
18944 @code{t} by default.
18946 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
18947 glitches. Use at your own peril.
18949 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
18950 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
18951 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
18954 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
18955 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
18956 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18960 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
18961 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
18962 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
18963 possible names is listed below.
18965 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
18966 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
18969 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18973 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
18974 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
18975 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
18976 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
18977 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
18978 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
18979 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
18980 size spec per split.
18982 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
18983 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
18984 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
18985 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
18986 present) gets focus.
18988 Here's a more complicated example:
18991 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
18992 (summary 0.25 point)
18993 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
18997 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
18998 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
18999 occupy, not a percentage.
19001 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
19002 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
19003 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
19004 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
19005 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
19008 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
19011 (article (horizontal 1.0
19016 (summary 0.25 point)
19021 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
19022 @code{horizontal} thingie?
19024 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
19025 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
19026 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
19027 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
19028 the screen is to be given to this strip.
19030 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
19031 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
19032 lines from the splits.
19034 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
19038 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
19039 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
19040 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
19041 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
19042 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
19043 size = number | frame-params
19044 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
19047 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
19048 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
19049 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
19050 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
19052 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
19053 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
19054 @cindex window height
19055 @cindex window width
19056 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
19057 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
19058 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
19059 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
19060 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
19061 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
19063 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
19064 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
19065 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
19066 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
19068 @findex gnus-configure-frame
19069 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
19070 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
19071 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
19072 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
19073 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
19074 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
19075 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
19076 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
19077 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
19078 configuration list.
19081 (gnus-configure-frame
19085 (article 0.3 point))
19093 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
19094 @code{frame} split:
19097 (gnus-configure-frame
19100 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
19102 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
19103 (user-position . t)
19104 (left . -1) (top . 1))
19109 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
19110 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
19111 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
19112 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
19113 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
19114 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
19115 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
19116 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
19118 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
19119 be found in its default value.
19121 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
19122 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
19123 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
19127 (message (horizontal 1.0
19128 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
19130 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
19135 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
19136 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
19137 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
19142 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
19143 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
19144 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
19145 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
19146 (name . "Message"))
19147 (message 1.0 point))))
19150 @findex gnus-add-configuration
19151 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
19152 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
19153 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
19154 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
19157 (gnus-add-configuration
19158 '(article (vertical 1.0
19160 (summary .25 point)
19164 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
19165 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
19166 Gnus has been loaded.
19168 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
19169 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
19170 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
19171 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
19172 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
19174 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
19175 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
19176 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
19179 @subsection Example Window Configurations
19183 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
19184 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
19199 (gnus-add-configuration
19202 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19204 (summary 0.16 point)
19207 (gnus-add-configuration
19210 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19211 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
19217 @node Faces and Fonts
19218 @section Faces and Fonts
19223 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
19224 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
19225 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
19230 @section Compilation
19231 @cindex compilation
19232 @cindex byte-compilation
19234 @findex gnus-compile
19236 Remember all those line format specification variables?
19237 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
19238 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
19239 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
19240 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
19241 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
19242 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
19243 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
19246 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
19247 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
19248 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
19249 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
19250 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
19253 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
19254 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
19255 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
19256 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
19257 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
19262 @section Mode Lines
19265 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
19266 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
19267 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
19268 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
19269 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
19270 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
19271 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
19274 @cindex display-time
19276 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
19277 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
19278 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
19279 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
19280 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
19281 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
19282 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
19283 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
19286 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
19288 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
19289 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
19291 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
19292 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
19293 (length display-time-string)))))
19296 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
19297 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
19298 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
19299 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
19300 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
19303 @node Highlighting and Menus
19304 @section Highlighting and Menus
19306 @cindex highlighting
19309 @vindex gnus-visual
19310 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
19311 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
19312 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
19315 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
19316 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
19319 @item group-highlight
19320 Do highlights in the group buffer.
19321 @item summary-highlight
19322 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
19323 @item article-highlight
19324 Do highlights in the article buffer.
19326 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
19328 Create menus in the group buffer.
19330 Create menus in the summary buffers.
19332 Create menus in the article buffer.
19334 Create menus in the browse buffer.
19336 Create menus in the server buffer.
19338 Create menus in the score buffers.
19340 Create menus in all buffers.
19343 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
19344 buffers, you could say something like:
19347 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
19350 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
19353 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
19356 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
19357 in all Gnus buffers.
19359 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
19362 @item gnus-mouse-face
19363 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
19364 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
19365 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
19369 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
19373 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
19374 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
19375 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
19377 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
19378 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
19379 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
19381 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
19382 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
19383 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
19385 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
19386 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
19387 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
19389 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
19390 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
19391 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
19393 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
19394 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
19395 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
19406 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
19407 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
19408 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
19409 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
19410 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
19414 @vindex gnus-carpal
19415 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
19416 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
19417 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
19422 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19423 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19424 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
19426 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
19427 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
19428 Face used on buttons.
19430 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
19431 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
19432 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
19434 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19435 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19436 Buttons in the group buffer.
19438 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19439 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19440 Buttons in the summary buffer.
19442 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19443 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19444 Buttons in the server buffer.
19446 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19447 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19448 Buttons in the browse buffer.
19451 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
19452 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
19453 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
19461 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
19462 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
19463 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
19464 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
19465 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
19467 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
19468 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
19469 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
19471 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
19472 been idle for thirty minutes:
19475 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
19478 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
19482 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
19485 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
19486 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
19487 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19489 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
19490 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
19491 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
19492 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19494 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
19495 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
19496 @var{idle} minutes.
19498 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
19499 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
19502 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
19503 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
19504 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
19506 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
19507 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
19508 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
19509 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
19511 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
19512 your @file{.gnus} file:
19514 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
19516 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
19519 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
19520 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
19521 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
19522 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
19523 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
19524 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
19525 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
19526 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
19527 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
19528 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
19529 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
19531 @findex gnus-demon-init
19532 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
19533 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
19534 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
19535 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
19536 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
19538 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
19539 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
19540 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
19549 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
19550 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
19552 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
19553 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
19554 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
19555 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
19558 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
19559 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
19560 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
19561 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
19563 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
19564 this will make spam disappear.
19566 There are some variables to customize, of course:
19569 @item gnus-use-nocem
19570 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
19571 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
19574 @item gnus-nocem-groups
19575 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
19576 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
19577 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
19578 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
19580 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
19581 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
19582 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
19583 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
19584 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
19585 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
19587 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
19588 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
19590 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
19591 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
19592 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
19593 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
19594 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
19595 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
19596 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
19597 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
19598 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
19599 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
19601 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
19602 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
19605 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
19608 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
19609 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
19612 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
19615 The specs are applied left-to-right.
19618 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
19619 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
19621 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
19622 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
19623 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
19624 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
19626 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
19627 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
19630 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
19632 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
19640 This might be dangerous, though.
19642 @item gnus-nocem-directory
19643 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
19644 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
19645 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
19647 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19648 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19649 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
19650 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
19651 might then see old spam.
19653 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
19654 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
19655 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
19656 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
19657 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
19660 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19661 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19662 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
19663 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
19667 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
19668 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
19669 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
19670 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
19677 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
19678 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
19679 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
19681 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
19682 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
19683 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
19684 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
19685 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
19686 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
19687 @code{undo} function.
19689 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
19690 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
19691 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
19692 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
19693 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
19694 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
19695 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
19696 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
19697 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
19698 never be totally undoable.
19700 @findex gnus-undo-mode
19701 @vindex gnus-use-undo
19703 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
19704 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
19705 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
19706 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
19710 @node Predicate Specifiers
19711 @section Predicate Specifiers
19712 @cindex predicate specifiers
19714 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
19715 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
19716 to type all that much.
19718 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
19723 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
19724 gnus-article-unread-p)
19727 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
19728 functions all take one parameter.
19730 @findex gnus-make-predicate
19731 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
19732 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
19733 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
19738 @section Moderation
19741 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
19742 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
19743 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
19746 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
19750 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
19753 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
19755 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
19760 You split your incoming mail by matching on
19761 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
19762 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
19765 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
19766 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
19769 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
19770 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
19774 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
19777 (setq gnus-moderated-list
19778 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
19782 @node Image Enhancements
19783 @section Image Enhancements
19785 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
19786 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
19789 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
19790 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
19791 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
19792 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
19793 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
19806 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
19807 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
19808 over your shoulder as you read news.
19811 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
19812 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
19813 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
19814 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
19815 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
19820 @subsubsection Picon Basics
19822 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
19831 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
19832 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
19833 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
19834 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
19835 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
19836 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
19837 @code{GIF} formats.
19840 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19841 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
19842 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
19843 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
19844 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
19846 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19847 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
19848 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
19849 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
19850 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
19851 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19853 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
19854 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
19857 @node Picon Requirements
19858 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
19860 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
19861 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
19862 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
19863 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
19865 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19866 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
19867 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
19868 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
19869 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
19870 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
19873 @subsubsection Easy Picons
19875 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
19876 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
19879 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
19880 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
19883 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
19884 containing the Picons databases.
19886 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
19889 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19890 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
19895 @subsubsection Hard Picons
19903 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
19904 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
19905 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
19906 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
19907 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
19912 @item gnus-picons-database
19913 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19914 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
19915 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
19916 subdirectories. This is only useful if
19917 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
19918 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
19920 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19921 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19922 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
19923 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
19924 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
19925 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
19926 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19928 @item gnus-picons-display-where
19929 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19930 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
19931 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
19932 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
19933 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
19934 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
19935 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
19937 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19938 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19939 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
19944 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
19945 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
19947 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
19948 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
19951 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19953 @item gnus-article-display-picons
19954 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
19955 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
19956 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
19958 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
19959 @findex gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
19960 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
19961 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the function name, not @code{xface})
19967 @node Picon Useless Configuration
19968 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
19976 The following variables offer further control over how things are
19977 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
19978 don't need to worry about.
19982 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
19983 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
19984 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19985 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
19987 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
19988 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
19989 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
19990 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
19992 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
19993 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
19994 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19995 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
19996 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
19998 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19999 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20000 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
20001 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
20002 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
20003 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
20004 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
20005 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20007 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20008 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20009 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
20010 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
20011 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20013 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20014 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20015 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
20016 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
20017 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
20018 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
20019 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
20021 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20022 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20023 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
20024 Defaults to @code{nil}.
20026 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
20027 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
20028 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
20029 Defaults to @code{t}.
20031 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20032 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20033 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
20034 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
20036 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
20037 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
20038 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
20040 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20041 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20042 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
20043 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
20045 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
20046 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
20048 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20049 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20050 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
20051 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
20052 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
20053 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
20054 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
20055 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
20066 @subsection Smileys
20071 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
20076 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
20077 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
20079 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
20080 @file{.gnus.el} file:
20083 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
20086 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
20087 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
20088 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
20089 text and maps that to file names.
20091 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
20092 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
20093 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
20094 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
20095 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
20096 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
20098 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
20099 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
20101 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
20102 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
20103 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
20105 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
20106 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
20110 @item smiley-data-directory
20111 @vindex smiley-data-directory
20112 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
20114 @item smiley-flesh-color
20115 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
20116 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
20118 @item smiley-features-color
20119 @vindex smiley-features-color
20120 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20122 @item smiley-tongue-color
20123 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
20124 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
20126 @item smiley-circle-color
20127 @vindex smiley-circle-color
20128 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20130 @item smiley-mouse-face
20131 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
20132 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
20141 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
20142 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
20143 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
20147 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
20148 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
20149 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
20150 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
20158 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
20159 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
20160 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
20161 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
20163 The variable that controls this is the
20164 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
20165 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
20166 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
20167 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
20168 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
20170 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
20171 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
20172 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
20173 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
20176 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
20177 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
20178 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
20179 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
20180 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
20181 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
20182 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
20183 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
20185 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
20188 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
20189 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
20191 @findex gnus-random-x-face
20192 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files
20193 in @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
20194 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
20195 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
20196 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big.
20198 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a file as the parameter, and then
20199 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
20200 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
20202 Here's how you would typically use the former function. Put something
20203 like the folllowing in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20206 (setq message-required-news-headers
20207 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20208 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
20211 Using the latter function would be something like this:
20214 (setq message-required-news-headers
20215 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20216 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
20217 (gnus-x-face-from-file
20218 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
20223 @subsection Toolbar
20233 @item gnus-use-toolbar
20234 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
20235 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
20236 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
20237 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
20239 @item gnus-group-toolbar
20240 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
20241 The toolbar in the group buffer.
20243 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
20244 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
20245 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
20247 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20248 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20249 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
20255 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
20258 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20259 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20260 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
20261 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
20262 unusual directory structure.
20264 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20265 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20266 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
20267 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
20269 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20270 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20271 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
20272 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
20273 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
20274 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
20276 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20277 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20278 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
20292 @node Fuzzy Matching
20293 @section Fuzzy Matching
20294 @cindex fuzzy matching
20296 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
20297 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
20299 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
20300 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
20301 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
20303 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
20304 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
20305 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
20306 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
20307 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
20310 @node Thwarting Email Spam
20311 @section Thwarting Email Spam
20315 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
20317 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
20318 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
20319 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
20320 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
20321 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
20322 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
20323 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
20324 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
20327 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
20328 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
20329 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
20330 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
20331 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
20332 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
20336 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
20337 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
20339 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
20340 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
20341 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
20342 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
20343 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
20344 part of the mail address.)
20347 (setq message-default-news-headers
20348 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
20351 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
20352 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
20357 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
20358 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
20359 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
20365 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
20366 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
20367 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
20368 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
20370 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
20371 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
20372 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
20373 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
20374 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
20375 your fancy split rule in this way:
20380 (to "larsi" "misc")
20384 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
20385 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
20386 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
20387 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
20388 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
20390 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
20391 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
20392 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
20393 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
20394 cosmic balance somewhat.
20396 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
20397 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
20398 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
20399 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
20402 @node Various Various
20403 @section Various Various
20409 @item gnus-home-directory
20410 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
20411 defaults to @file{~/}.
20413 @item gnus-directory
20414 @vindex gnus-directory
20415 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
20416 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
20417 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
20419 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
20420 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
20421 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
20422 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
20424 @item gnus-default-directory
20425 @vindex gnus-default-directory
20426 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
20427 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
20428 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
20429 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
20430 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
20431 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
20434 @vindex gnus-verbose
20435 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
20436 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
20437 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
20438 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
20439 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
20441 @item gnus-verbose-backends
20442 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
20443 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
20444 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
20446 @item nnheader-max-head-length
20447 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
20448 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
20449 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
20450 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
20451 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
20452 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
20453 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
20454 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
20455 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
20457 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
20458 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
20459 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
20460 read when doing the operation described above.
20462 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20463 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20465 @cindex invalid characters in file names
20466 @cindex characters in file names
20467 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
20468 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
20469 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
20472 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20476 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
20477 Windows (phooey) systems.
20479 @item gnus-hidden-properties
20480 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
20481 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
20482 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
20483 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
20485 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
20486 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
20487 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
20488 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
20489 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
20491 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
20492 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
20493 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
20495 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
20496 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
20498 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
20499 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
20500 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
20501 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
20504 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
20512 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
20513 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
20515 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
20517 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
20523 Not because of victories @*
20526 but for the common sunshine,@*
20528 the largess of the spring.
20532 but for the day's work done@*
20533 as well as I was able;@*
20534 not for a seat upon the dais@*
20535 but at the common table.@*
20540 @chapter Appendices
20543 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
20544 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
20545 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
20546 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
20547 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
20548 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
20549 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
20550 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
20551 * Frequently Asked Questions::
20558 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
20560 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
20561 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
20562 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
20563 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
20564 @samp{xemacs-base}, and @samp{fsf-compat}.
20571 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
20572 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
20574 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
20575 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
20576 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
20577 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
20578 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
20580 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
20581 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
20582 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
20583 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
20584 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
20585 appropriate name, don't you think?)
20587 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
20588 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
20589 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
20590 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
20593 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
20594 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
20595 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
20596 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
20597 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
20598 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
20599 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
20600 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
20601 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
20605 @node Gnus Versions
20606 @subsection Gnus Versions
20608 @cindex September Gnus
20610 @cindex Quassia Gnus
20611 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
20615 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
20616 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
20617 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
20619 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
20620 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
20622 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
20623 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
20625 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
20626 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
20628 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
20629 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
20632 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
20634 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
20635 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
20636 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
20637 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
20638 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
20639 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
20642 @node Other Gnus Versions
20643 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
20646 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
20647 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
20648 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
20649 @sc{mime} capabilities.
20651 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
20652 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
20653 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
20654 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
20661 What's the point of Gnus?
20663 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
20664 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
20665 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
20666 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
20667 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
20668 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
20669 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
20670 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
20671 keep track of millions of people who post?
20673 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
20674 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
20675 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
20676 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
20677 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
20678 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
20679 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
20680 every one of you to explore and invent.
20682 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
20683 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
20686 @node Compatibility
20687 @subsection Compatibility
20689 @cindex compatibility
20690 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
20691 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
20692 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
20697 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
20701 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
20704 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
20707 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
20708 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
20709 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
20710 important variables have their values copied into their global
20711 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
20712 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
20714 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
20715 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
20716 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
20717 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
20718 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
20722 @cindex highlighting
20723 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
20724 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
20725 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
20726 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
20727 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
20728 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
20731 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
20732 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
20733 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
20734 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
20736 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
20737 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
20738 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
20739 to stop doing it the old way.
20741 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
20743 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
20745 @cindex reporting bugs
20747 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
20748 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
20749 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
20751 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
20752 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
20753 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
20754 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
20759 @subsection Conformity
20761 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
20762 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
20770 There are no known breaches of this standard.
20774 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
20776 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
20777 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
20778 We do have some breaches to this one.
20784 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
20785 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
20786 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
20787 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
20788 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
20793 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
20794 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
20795 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
20796 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
20798 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
20800 All the various MIME RFCs are supported.
20802 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
20803 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
20805 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
20808 RFC 1991 is the original PGP message specification, published as a
20809 Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now called Open PGP, and
20810 put on the Standards Track. Both document a non-MIME aware PGP
20811 format. Gnus supports both encoding (signing and encryption) and
20812 decoding (verification and decryption).
20814 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
20815 RFC 2015 (superceded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
20816 1991) describes the MIME-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
20817 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
20819 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
20820 RFC 2633 describes the S/MIME format.
20822 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
20823 RFC 1730 is IMAP version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060 (IMAP 4
20824 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5 authentication for IMAP. RFC
20825 2086 describes access control lists (ACLs) for IMAP. RFC 2359
20826 describes a IMAP protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper
20827 TLS integration (STARTTLS) with IMAP. RFC 1731 describes the
20828 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for IMAP.
20832 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
20833 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
20838 @subsection Emacsen
20844 Gnus should work on :
20852 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
20856 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
20857 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
20858 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
20859 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
20860 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
20862 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
20863 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
20864 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
20868 @node Gnus Development
20869 @subsection Gnus Development
20871 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
20872 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
20873 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
20874 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
20875 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
20876 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
20877 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
20878 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
20880 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
20881 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
20882 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
20883 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
20884 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
20887 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
20888 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
20889 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
20890 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
20891 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
20893 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
20894 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
20895 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
20896 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
20897 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
20898 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
20899 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
20900 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
20901 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
20902 can't be assumed to do so.
20907 @subsection Contributors
20908 @cindex contributors
20910 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
20911 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
20912 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
20913 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
20914 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
20915 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
20916 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
20917 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
20918 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
20919 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
20921 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
20927 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
20930 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
20931 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
20932 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
20933 functionality and stuff.
20936 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
20937 well as numerous other things).
20940 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
20943 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
20946 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
20949 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
20952 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
20953 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
20956 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
20959 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
20960 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20963 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
20966 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
20969 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
20972 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
20975 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
20976 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
20979 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
20982 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
20985 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
20988 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
20992 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
20995 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
20998 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
21001 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
21002 well as autoconf support.
21006 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
21007 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
21009 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
21018 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
21022 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
21032 Alexei V. Barantsev,
21047 Massimo Campostrini,
21052 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
21053 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
21057 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
21060 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
21066 Michael Welsh Duggan,
21071 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
21075 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
21083 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
21085 Michelangelo Grigni,
21089 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
21091 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
21093 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
21100 François Felix Ingrand,
21101 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
21102 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
21104 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
21115 Peter Skov Knudsen,
21116 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
21118 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
21119 Thor Kristoffersen,
21122 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
21140 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
21141 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
21148 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
21153 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
21157 John McClary Prevost,
21163 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
21168 Christian von Roques,
21171 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
21178 Philippe Schnoebelen,
21180 Randal L. Schwartz,
21194 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
21199 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
21215 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
21220 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
21221 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
21222 (550kB and counting).
21224 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
21227 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
21228 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
21232 @subsection New Features
21233 @cindex new features
21236 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
21237 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
21238 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
21239 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
21240 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
21243 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
21244 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
21245 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
21248 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
21250 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
21255 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
21256 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
21259 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
21260 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
21263 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
21266 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
21267 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
21268 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
21271 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
21272 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
21273 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
21274 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
21277 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
21278 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21281 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
21282 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
21283 (@pxref{The Active File}).
21286 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
21287 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
21290 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
21291 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
21292 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21295 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
21296 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
21297 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
21300 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
21301 the @file{.emacs} file.
21304 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
21305 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
21308 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
21309 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
21312 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
21313 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21316 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
21317 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
21320 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
21321 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
21324 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
21327 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
21328 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
21331 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
21332 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
21335 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
21336 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
21339 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
21342 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
21343 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
21346 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
21350 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
21354 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
21355 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
21358 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
21364 @node September Gnus
21365 @subsubsection September Gnus
21369 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
21373 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
21378 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
21379 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
21383 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
21384 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
21388 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
21392 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
21393 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
21396 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
21400 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
21403 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
21406 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
21409 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
21413 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
21414 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
21417 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
21421 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
21425 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
21429 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
21433 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
21436 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
21437 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
21440 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
21444 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
21445 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
21448 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
21451 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
21452 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
21453 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
21456 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
21460 The Gnus cache is much faster.
21463 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
21467 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
21468 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
21471 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
21472 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
21475 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
21476 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
21479 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
21480 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
21481 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
21484 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
21485 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
21488 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
21491 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
21494 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
21497 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
21500 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
21501 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
21504 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
21508 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
21511 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
21516 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
21519 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
21523 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21526 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
21530 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
21533 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
21536 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
21537 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
21540 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
21541 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
21545 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
21546 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
21549 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
21553 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
21554 buffer to allow easier treatment.
21557 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
21560 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
21564 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
21568 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
21569 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
21572 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
21576 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
21577 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
21580 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
21581 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21584 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
21588 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21591 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
21594 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
21600 @subsubsection Red Gnus
21602 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
21606 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
21613 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
21616 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
21617 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
21620 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
21621 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
21625 Article washing status can be displayed in the
21626 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
21629 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
21632 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
21633 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
21636 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
21640 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
21641 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
21645 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
21646 Server Internals}).
21649 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
21653 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
21656 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
21657 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
21660 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
21661 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
21662 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
21665 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
21666 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21669 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
21670 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
21673 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
21677 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
21678 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21681 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
21682 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21685 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
21689 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
21692 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
21696 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
21697 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21700 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
21701 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21704 A new command for reading collections of documents
21705 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
21706 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
21709 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
21713 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
21714 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
21717 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
21718 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
21719 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
21722 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
21723 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
21727 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
21731 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
21735 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
21740 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
21744 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
21748 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
21749 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
21752 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
21758 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
21760 New features in Gnus 5.6:
21765 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
21766 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
21767 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
21770 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
21771 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
21772 group, which is created automatically.
21775 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
21779 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
21782 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
21783 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
21786 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
21790 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
21793 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
21794 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
21797 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
21800 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
21801 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
21804 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
21805 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
21808 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
21809 control over simplification.
21812 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
21815 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
21819 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
21822 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
21825 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
21826 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
21827 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
21830 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
21831 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
21834 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
21838 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
21839 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
21842 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
21843 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
21846 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
21850 A history of where mails have been split is available.
21853 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
21856 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
21857 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
21860 A new function for citing in Message has been
21861 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
21864 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
21867 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
21871 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
21872 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
21875 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
21876 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
21879 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
21882 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
21886 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
21887 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
21889 New features in Gnus 5.8:
21894 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
21895 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
21897 If you used procmail like in
21900 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
21901 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
21902 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
21903 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
21906 this now has changed to
21910 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
21914 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
21915 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
21918 Gnus is now a MIME-capable reader. This affects many parts of
21919 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
21922 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
21923 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
21926 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
21927 called to position point.
21930 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
21931 summary buffers and NOV files.
21934 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
21935 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
21938 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
21939 subtly different manner.
21942 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
21943 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
21944 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
21947 Gnus can now read IMAP mail via @code{nnimap}.
21955 @section The Manual
21959 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
21960 either @code{texi2dvi}
21962 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
21963 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
21965 to get what you hold in your hands now.
21967 The following conventions have been used:
21972 This is a @samp{string}
21975 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
21978 This is a @file{file}
21981 This is a @code{symbol}
21985 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
21989 (setq flargnoze "yes")
21992 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
21995 (setq flumphel 'yes)
21998 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
21999 ever get them confused.
22003 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
22004 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
22005 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
22006 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
22007 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
22008 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
22009 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
22015 @node On Writing Manuals
22016 @section On Writing Manuals
22018 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
22019 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
22020 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
22021 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
22022 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
22023 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
22026 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
22027 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
22028 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
22031 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
22032 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
22037 @section Terminology
22039 @cindex terminology
22044 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
22045 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
22046 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
22047 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
22048 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
22052 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
22053 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
22054 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
22055 not posting, and replying is not following up.
22059 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
22063 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
22068 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of back ends, both news and mail
22069 back ends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
22070 is all done by the back ends.
22074 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
22075 default, way of getting news.
22079 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
22080 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
22085 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
22086 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
22090 A message that has been posted as news.
22093 @cindex mail message
22094 A message that has been mailed.
22098 A mail message or news article
22102 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
22107 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
22112 A line from the head of an article.
22116 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
22117 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
22121 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
22122 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
22123 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
22124 normal @sc{head} format.
22128 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
22129 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
22130 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
22131 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
22132 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
22133 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
22135 @item killed groups
22136 @cindex killed groups
22137 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
22138 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
22140 @item zombie groups
22141 @cindex zombie groups
22142 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
22145 @cindex active file
22146 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
22147 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
22148 is rather large, as you might surmise.
22151 @cindex bogus groups
22152 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
22153 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
22154 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
22157 @cindex activating groups
22158 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
22159 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
22160 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
22164 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
22166 @item select method
22167 @cindex select method
22168 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
22171 @item virtual server
22172 @cindex virtual server
22173 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
22174 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
22175 whole is a virtual server.
22179 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
22180 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
22183 @item ephemeral groups
22184 @cindex ephemeral groups
22185 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
22186 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
22187 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
22190 @cindex solid groups
22191 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
22192 group buffer are solid groups.
22194 @item sparse articles
22195 @cindex sparse articles
22196 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
22197 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
22201 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
22202 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
22206 @cindex thread root
22207 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
22208 articles in the thread.
22212 An article that has responses.
22216 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
22220 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
22221 specified by RFC 1153.
22227 @node Customization
22228 @section Customization
22229 @cindex general customization
22231 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
22232 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
22233 for some quite common situations.
22236 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
22237 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
22238 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
22239 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
22243 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
22244 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
22246 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
22247 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
22248 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
22252 @item gnus-read-active-file
22253 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
22254 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
22255 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
22256 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
22257 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
22259 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
22260 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
22261 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
22262 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
22266 @node Slow Terminal Connection
22267 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
22269 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
22270 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
22271 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
22275 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
22276 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
22277 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
22278 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
22279 horizontal and vertical recentering.
22281 @item gnus-visible-headers
22282 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
22283 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
22284 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
22285 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
22287 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
22289 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
22290 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
22291 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
22294 @item gnus-use-full-window
22295 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
22296 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
22297 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
22298 want to read them anyway.
22300 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
22301 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
22304 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
22305 Avaliable predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
22306 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
22311 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
22312 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
22313 gnus-article-unseen-p))
22316 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
22317 unread, but you get my drift.)
22320 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
22321 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
22322 lines, which might save some time.
22326 @node Little Disk Space
22327 @subsection Little Disk Space
22330 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
22331 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
22335 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
22336 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
22337 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
22338 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22341 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
22342 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
22343 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
22344 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22347 @item gnus-save-killed-list
22348 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
22349 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
22350 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
22351 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
22357 @subsection Slow Machine
22358 @cindex slow machine
22360 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
22361 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
22363 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
22364 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
22366 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
22367 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
22368 summary buffer faster.
22372 @node Troubleshooting
22373 @section Troubleshooting
22374 @cindex troubleshooting
22376 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
22384 Make sure your computer is switched on.
22387 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
22388 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
22392 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
22393 like @samp{T-gnus 6.15.* (based on Oort Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
22394 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you get
22395 something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some old
22396 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
22399 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
22403 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
22404 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
22405 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
22406 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
22407 something like that.
22410 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
22413 @cindex reporting bugs
22415 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22417 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
22418 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
22419 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
22420 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
22422 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
22423 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
22424 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
22425 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
22428 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
22429 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
22430 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
22431 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
22432 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
22433 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
22435 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
22436 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
22437 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
22441 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
22442 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
22444 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
22445 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
22447 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
22448 @cindex ding mailing list
22449 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
22450 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
22454 @node Gnus Reference Guide
22455 @section Gnus Reference Guide
22457 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
22458 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
22459 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
22460 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
22463 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
22464 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
22465 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
22466 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
22467 and general methods of operation.
22470 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
22471 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
22472 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
22473 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
22474 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
22475 * Group Info:: The group info format.
22476 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
22477 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
22478 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
22482 @node Gnus Utility Functions
22483 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
22484 @cindex Gnus utility functions
22485 @cindex utility functions
22487 @cindex internal variables
22489 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
22490 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
22491 Below is a list of the most common ones.
22495 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
22496 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
22497 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
22499 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
22500 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
22501 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
22503 @item gnus-group-real-name
22504 @findex gnus-group-real-name
22505 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
22508 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
22509 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
22510 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
22511 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
22513 @item gnus-get-info
22514 @findex gnus-get-info
22515 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
22517 @item gnus-group-unread
22518 @findex gnus-group-unread
22519 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
22523 @findex gnus-active
22524 The active entry for @var{group}.
22526 @item gnus-set-active
22527 @findex gnus-set-active
22528 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
22530 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22531 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22532 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
22535 @item gnus-continuum-version
22536 @findex gnus-continuum-version
22537 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
22538 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
22541 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
22542 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
22543 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
22545 @item gnus-news-group-p
22546 @findex gnus-news-group-p
22547 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
22549 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22550 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22551 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
22553 @item gnus-server-to-method
22554 @findex gnus-server-to-method
22555 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
22557 @item gnus-server-equal
22558 @findex gnus-server-equal
22559 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
22561 @item gnus-group-native-p
22562 @findex gnus-group-native-p
22563 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
22565 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
22566 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
22567 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
22569 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
22570 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
22571 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
22573 @item group-group-find-parameter
22574 @findex group-group-find-parameter
22575 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
22576 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
22578 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
22579 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
22580 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
22582 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
22583 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
22584 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
22586 @item gnus-check-backend-function
22587 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
22588 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
22589 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
22592 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
22596 @item gnus-read-method
22597 @findex gnus-read-method
22598 Prompts the user for a select method.
22603 @node Back End Interface
22604 @subsection Back End Interface
22606 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
22607 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
22608 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
22609 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
22610 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
22611 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
22613 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
22614 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
22615 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
22616 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
22617 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
22618 been opened, the function should fail.
22620 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
22621 name. Take this example:
22625 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
22626 (nntp-port-number 4324))
22629 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
22630 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
22632 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
22633 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
22634 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
22636 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
22637 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
22638 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
22640 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
22641 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
22642 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
22643 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
22644 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
22645 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
22648 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
22649 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
22650 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
22651 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
22654 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
22655 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
22656 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
22657 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
22658 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
22659 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
22660 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
22661 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
22662 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
22663 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
22665 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
22666 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
22667 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
22668 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
22669 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
22670 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
22671 of numbers as long as possible.
22673 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
22676 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
22679 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
22680 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
22681 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
22682 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
22683 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
22684 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
22688 @node Required Back End Functions
22689 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
22693 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
22695 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
22696 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
22697 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
22698 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
22700 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
22701 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
22702 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
22703 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
22705 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
22706 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
22707 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
22708 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
22709 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
22710 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
22711 number, do maximum fetches.
22713 Here's an example HEAD:
22716 221 1056 Article retrieved.
22717 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
22718 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
22719 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
22720 Subject: Re: Something very droll
22721 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
22722 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
22724 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
22725 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
22726 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
22730 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
22731 these in the data buffer.
22733 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
22737 head = error / valid-head
22738 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
22739 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
22740 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
22741 header = <text> eol
22744 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
22745 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
22749 nov-buffer = *nov-line
22750 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
22751 field = <text except TAB>
22754 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
22758 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
22760 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
22761 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
22763 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
22764 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
22765 server. In fact, it should do so.
22767 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
22768 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
22771 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
22773 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
22774 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
22777 There should be no data returned.
22780 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
22782 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
22783 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
22784 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
22785 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
22787 There should be no data returned.
22790 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
22792 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
22793 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
22794 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
22795 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
22797 There should be no data returned.
22800 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
22802 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
22804 There should be no data returned.
22807 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
22809 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
22810 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
22811 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
22812 it would be nice if that were possible.
22814 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
22815 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
22816 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
22817 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
22818 into its article buffer.
22820 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
22821 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
22822 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
22823 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
22824 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
22825 on successful article retrieval.
22828 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
22830 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
22831 making @var{group} the current group.
22833 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
22836 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
22839 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
22842 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
22843 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
22844 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
22845 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
22846 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
22847 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
22848 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
22849 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
22852 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
22853 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
22854 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
22858 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22860 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
22861 a no-op on most back ends.
22863 There should be no data returned.
22866 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
22868 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
22871 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
22874 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
22875 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
22878 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
22879 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
22882 active-file = *active-line
22883 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
22885 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
22888 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
22889 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
22890 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
22893 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
22895 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
22896 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
22897 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
22898 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
22899 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
22900 clear if the posting could not be completed.
22902 There should be no result data from this function.
22907 @node Optional Back End Functions
22908 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
22912 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
22914 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
22915 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
22916 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
22918 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
22919 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
22920 former is in the same format as the data from
22921 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
22922 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
22925 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
22929 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
22931 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
22932 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
22933 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
22934 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
22935 should return the (altered) group info.
22937 There should be no result data from this function.
22940 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
22942 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
22943 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
22944 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
22945 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
22946 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
22947 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
22948 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
22949 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
22951 There should be no result data from this function.
22954 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
22956 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
22957 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
22958 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
22959 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
22960 propagate the mark information to the server.
22962 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
22965 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
22968 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
22969 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
22970 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
22971 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
22972 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
22973 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
22974 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
22975 possible, not limit itself to these.
22977 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
22978 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
22979 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
22980 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
22982 An example action list:
22985 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
22986 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
22987 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
22990 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
22991 mark on (currently not used for anything).
22993 There should be no result data from this function.
22995 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
22997 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
22998 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
22999 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
23000 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
23001 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
23003 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
23004 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
23005 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
23008 There should be no result data from this function.
23011 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
23013 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
23014 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
23015 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
23016 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
23017 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
23018 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
23019 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
23021 There should be no result data from this function.
23024 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
23026 The result data from this function should be a description of
23030 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
23032 description = <text>
23035 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
23037 The result data from this function should be the description of all
23038 groups available on the server.
23041 description-buffer = *description-line
23045 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
23047 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
23048 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
23049 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
23050 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
23051 in the active buffer format.
23053 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
23054 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
23055 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
23056 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
23057 many groups, so nnml and the like are probably safe. But for back ends
23058 like nntp, where the groups have been created by the server, it is quite
23059 likely that there can be many groups.
23062 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
23064 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
23066 There should be no return data.
23069 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
23071 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
23072 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
23073 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
23074 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
23075 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
23078 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
23081 There should be no result data returned.
23084 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
23087 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
23088 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
23090 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
23091 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
23092 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
23093 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
23094 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
23095 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
23097 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
23098 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
23101 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
23102 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
23104 There should be no data returned.
23107 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
23109 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
23110 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
23111 this function in short order.
23113 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
23114 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
23116 There should be no data returned.
23119 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
23121 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
23122 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
23124 There should be no data returned.
23127 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
23129 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
23130 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
23131 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
23133 There should be no data returned.
23136 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
23138 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
23139 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
23141 There should be no data returned.
23146 @node Error Messaging
23147 @subsubsection Error Messaging
23149 @findex nnheader-report
23150 @findex nnheader-get-report
23151 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
23152 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
23153 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
23154 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
23155 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
23156 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
23159 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
23161 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
23164 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
23165 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
23166 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
23167 takes one argument---the server symbol.
23169 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
23170 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
23171 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
23174 @node Writing New Back Ends
23175 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
23177 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
23178 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
23179 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
23180 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
23181 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
23184 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
23185 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
23186 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
23188 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
23189 package called @code{nnoo}.
23191 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
23192 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
23198 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
23199 parameters. For instance:
23202 (nnoo-declare nndir
23206 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
23207 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
23210 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
23211 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
23212 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
23214 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
23215 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
23216 a function in those back ends.
23219 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
23220 "Where nndir will look for groups."
23221 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
23224 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
23225 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
23226 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
23228 @item nnoo-define-basics
23229 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
23233 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
23237 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
23238 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
23239 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
23241 @item nnoo-map-functions
23242 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
23243 functions from the parent back ends.
23246 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
23247 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23248 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
23251 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
23252 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
23253 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
23254 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
23257 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
23258 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
23259 haven't already been defined.
23265 nnmh-request-newgroups)
23269 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
23270 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
23271 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
23276 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
23279 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
23280 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
23284 (require 'nnheader)
23288 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
23290 (nnoo-declare nndir
23293 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
23294 "Where nndir will look for groups."
23295 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
23297 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
23298 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
23301 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
23303 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
23304 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
23305 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
23307 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
23308 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
23310 ;;; Interface functions.
23312 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
23314 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
23315 (setq nndir-directory
23316 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
23318 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
23319 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
23320 (push `(nndir-current-group
23321 ,(file-name-nondirectory
23322 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
23324 (push `(nndir-top-directory
23325 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
23327 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
23329 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
23330 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23331 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23332 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
23333 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
23337 nnmh-status-message
23339 nnmh-request-newgroups))
23345 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
23346 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
23348 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
23349 @findex gnus-declare-backend
23350 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
23351 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
23352 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
23354 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
23355 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
23360 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
23363 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
23365 The abilities can be:
23369 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
23371 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
23373 This back end supports both mail and news.
23375 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
23378 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
23379 articles and groups.
23381 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
23382 true for almost all back ends.
23383 @item prompt-address
23384 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
23385 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
23386 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
23390 @node Mail-like Back Ends
23391 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
23393 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
23394 back ends is the heavy dependence by the mail back ends on common
23395 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
23396 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
23399 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
23400 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
23401 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
23404 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
23405 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
23408 This function takes four parameters.
23412 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
23415 @item exit-function
23416 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
23418 @item temp-directory
23419 Where the temporary files should be stored.
23422 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
23423 performed for one group only.
23426 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
23427 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
23428 find the article number assigned to this article.
23430 The function also uses the following variables:
23431 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
23432 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
23433 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
23434 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
23438 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
23439 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
23443 @node Score File Syntax
23444 @subsection Score File Syntax
23446 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
23447 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
23448 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
23450 Here's a typical score file:
23454 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
23461 BNF definition of a score file:
23464 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
23465 element = rule / atom
23466 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
23467 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
23468 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
23469 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
23471 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
23472 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
23473 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
23474 date-header = "date"
23475 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23476 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23477 score = "nil" / <integer>
23478 date = "nil" / <natural number>
23479 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
23480 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
23481 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
23482 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
23483 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23484 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23485 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
23486 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23487 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
23488 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
23489 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
23490 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
23491 exclude-files / read-only / touched
23492 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
23493 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
23494 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
23495 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
23496 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
23497 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
23498 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
23499 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
23500 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
23501 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
23502 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
23503 eval = "eval" space <form>
23504 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
23507 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
23510 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
23511 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
23512 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
23513 one looong line, then that's ok.
23515 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
23516 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23520 @subsection Headers
23522 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
23523 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
23524 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
23525 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
23527 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
23528 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
23529 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
23530 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
23531 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
23532 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
23533 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
23535 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
23536 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
23537 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
23538 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
23539 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
23541 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
23542 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
23548 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
23549 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
23551 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
23552 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
23553 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
23554 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
23556 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
23560 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
23563 is transformed into
23566 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
23569 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
23570 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
23573 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
23576 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
23577 is slightly tricky:
23580 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
23586 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
23589 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
23595 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
23602 and is equal to the previous range.
23604 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
23605 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
23606 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
23610 range = simple-range / normal-range
23611 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
23612 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
23613 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
23614 number *[ " " contents ]
23617 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
23618 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
23619 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
23620 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
23621 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
23626 @subsection Group Info
23628 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
23629 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
23630 describes the group.
23632 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
23633 second is a more complex one:
23636 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
23638 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
23639 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
23641 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
23644 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
23645 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
23646 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
23647 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
23648 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
23649 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
23650 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
23651 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
23652 this section is about.
23654 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
23655 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
23656 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
23658 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
23661 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
23662 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
23663 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23664 group = quote <string> quote
23665 ralevel = rank / level
23666 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23667 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
23668 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23670 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
23671 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
23672 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
23673 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
23676 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
23677 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
23680 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
23681 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
23684 @item gnus-info-group
23685 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
23686 @findex gnus-info-group
23687 @findex gnus-info-set-group
23688 Get/set the group name.
23690 @item gnus-info-rank
23691 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
23692 @findex gnus-info-rank
23693 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
23694 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
23696 @item gnus-info-level
23697 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
23698 @findex gnus-info-level
23699 @findex gnus-info-set-level
23700 Get/set the group level.
23702 @item gnus-info-score
23703 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
23704 @findex gnus-info-score
23705 @findex gnus-info-set-score
23706 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
23708 @item gnus-info-read
23709 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
23710 @findex gnus-info-read
23711 @findex gnus-info-set-read
23712 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
23714 @item gnus-info-marks
23715 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
23716 @findex gnus-info-marks
23717 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
23718 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
23720 @item gnus-info-method
23721 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
23722 @findex gnus-info-method
23723 @findex gnus-info-set-method
23724 Get/set the group select method.
23726 @item gnus-info-params
23727 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
23728 @findex gnus-info-params
23729 @findex gnus-info-set-params
23730 Get/set the group parameters.
23733 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
23734 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
23736 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
23737 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
23738 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
23739 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
23742 @node Extended Interactive
23743 @subsection Extended Interactive
23744 @cindex interactive
23745 @findex gnus-interactive
23747 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
23748 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
23749 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
23752 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
23753 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
23758 The best thing to do would have been to implement
23759 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
23760 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
23761 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
23762 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
23763 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
23764 @code{interactive}.
23766 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
23771 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
23772 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
23776 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
23777 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
23778 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
23781 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
23785 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
23789 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
23795 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
23796 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
23800 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
23801 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
23802 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
23804 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
23805 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
23806 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
23807 Gnus, that's very useful.
23809 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
23810 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
23811 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
23812 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
23813 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
23814 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
23815 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
23816 following function:
23819 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
23823 (,function ,@@args))
23827 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
23828 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
23829 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
23832 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
23833 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
23834 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
23836 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
23837 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
23838 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
23841 @node Various File Formats
23842 @subsection Various File Formats
23845 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
23846 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
23850 @node Active File Format
23851 @subsubsection Active File Format
23853 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
23854 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
23857 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
23860 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
23861 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
23862 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
23863 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
23864 no.general 1000 900 y
23867 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
23870 active = *group-line
23871 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
23872 group = <non-white-space string>
23874 high-number = <non-negative integer>
23875 low-number = <positive integer>
23876 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
23879 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
23880 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
23883 @node Newsgroups File Format
23884 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
23886 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
23887 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
23888 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
23891 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
23892 Here's the definition:
23896 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
23897 group = <non-white-space string>
23899 description = <string>
23904 @node Emacs for Heathens
23905 @section Emacs for Heathens
23907 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
23908 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
23909 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
23910 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
23911 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
23912 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
23913 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
23917 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
23918 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
23923 @subsection Keystrokes
23927 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
23930 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
23933 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
23934 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
23935 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
23936 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
23937 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
23938 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
23940 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
23941 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
23942 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
23943 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
23944 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
23945 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
23946 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
23948 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
23949 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
23950 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
23951 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
23952 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
23953 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
23954 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
23956 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
23957 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
23958 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
23959 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
23960 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
23966 @subsection Emacs Lisp
23968 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
23969 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
23970 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
23971 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
23973 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
23974 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
23975 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
23976 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
23977 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
23978 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
23979 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
23982 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
23983 write the following:
23986 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
23989 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
23990 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
23991 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
23994 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
23995 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
23996 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
23997 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
23998 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
24000 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
24001 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
24002 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
24006 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
24010 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
24013 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
24014 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
24017 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
24020 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
24021 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
24024 @include gnus-faq.texi
24044 @c Local Variables:
24046 @c coding: iso-8859-1
24048 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
24049 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
24050 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
24051 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
24052 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref