4 @settitle T-gnus 6.15 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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289 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
290 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
293 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
294 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
295 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
296 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
297 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
298 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
299 License'' in the Emacs manual.
301 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
302 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
303 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
305 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
306 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
307 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
308 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
316 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
318 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
319 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
321 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
322 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
323 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
324 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
325 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
326 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
327 License'' in the Emacs manual.
329 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
330 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
331 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
333 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
334 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
335 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
336 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
342 @title T-gnus 6.15 Manual
344 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
347 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
348 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
349 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
351 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
352 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
353 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
354 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
355 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
356 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
357 License'' in the Emacs manual.
359 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
360 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
361 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
363 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
364 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
365 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
366 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
375 @top The gnus Newsreader
379 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
380 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
381 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
384 T-gnus provides MIME features based on SEMI API. So T-gnus supports
385 your right to read strange messages including big images or other
386 various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
387 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
388 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
389 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
391 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.15.
402 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
403 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
405 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
406 being accused of plagiarism:
408 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
409 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
410 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
411 can even read news with it!
413 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
414 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
415 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
416 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
417 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
423 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
424 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
425 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
426 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
427 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
428 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
429 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
430 * Various:: General purpose settings.
431 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
432 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
433 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
434 * Key Index:: Key Index.
437 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
441 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
442 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
443 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
444 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
445 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
446 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
447 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
448 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
449 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
450 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
451 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
455 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
456 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
457 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
461 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
462 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
463 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
464 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
465 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
466 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
467 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
468 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
469 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
470 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
471 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
472 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
473 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
474 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
475 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
476 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
477 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
481 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
482 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
483 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
487 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
488 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
489 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
490 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
491 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
495 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
496 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
497 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
498 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
499 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
503 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
504 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
505 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
506 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
507 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
509 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
510 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
511 * Threading:: How threads are made.
512 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
513 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
514 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
515 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
516 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
517 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
518 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
519 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
520 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
521 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
522 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
523 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
524 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
525 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
526 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
527 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
528 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
529 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
530 or reselecting the current group.
531 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
532 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
533 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
534 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
536 Summary Buffer Format
538 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
539 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
540 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
541 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
545 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
546 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
548 Reply, Followup and Post
550 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
551 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
552 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
553 * Canceling and Superseding::
557 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
558 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
559 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
561 * Generic Marking Commands::
562 * Setting Process Marks::
566 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
567 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
568 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
572 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
573 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
575 Customizing Threading
577 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
578 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
579 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
580 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
584 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
585 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
586 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
587 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
588 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
589 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
593 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
594 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
595 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
599 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
600 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
601 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
602 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
603 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
604 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
605 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
606 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
608 Alternative Approaches
610 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
611 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
613 Various Summary Stuff
615 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
616 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
617 * Summary Generation Commands::
618 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
622 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
623 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
624 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
625 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
626 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
630 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
631 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
632 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
633 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
634 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
635 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
636 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
637 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
641 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
642 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
643 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
644 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
645 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
646 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
647 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
648 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
652 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
653 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
654 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
655 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
656 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
657 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
658 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
662 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
663 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
667 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
668 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
669 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
673 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
674 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
675 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
676 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
677 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
678 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
679 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
680 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
681 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
682 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
683 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
684 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
685 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
686 * Archiving Mail:: How to backup your mail.
690 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
691 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
692 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
694 Choosing a Mail Back End
696 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
697 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
698 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
699 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
700 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
701 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
705 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
706 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
707 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
708 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
709 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
710 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
714 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
715 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
716 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
720 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
721 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
722 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
723 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
724 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
728 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
732 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
733 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
734 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
738 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
739 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
743 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
744 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
745 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
746 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
747 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
748 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
749 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
750 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
751 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
752 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
756 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
757 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
758 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
762 * Group Agent Commands::
763 * Summary Agent Commands::
764 * Server Agent Commands::
768 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
769 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
770 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
771 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
772 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
773 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
774 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
775 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
776 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
777 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
778 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
779 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
780 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
781 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
782 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
783 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
784 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
788 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
789 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
790 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
791 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
795 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
796 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
797 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
801 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
802 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
803 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
804 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
805 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
806 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
807 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
808 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
809 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
810 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
811 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
812 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
813 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
814 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
815 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
816 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
817 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
818 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
822 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
823 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
824 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
825 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
826 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
827 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
828 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
829 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
833 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
834 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
835 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
836 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
840 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
841 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
842 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
843 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
844 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
848 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
849 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
850 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
851 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
852 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
853 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
854 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
858 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
859 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
860 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
861 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
862 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
863 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
864 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
865 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
866 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
870 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
871 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
872 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
873 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
874 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
878 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
879 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
880 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
881 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
885 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
886 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
887 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
888 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
889 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
890 * Group Info:: The group info format.
891 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
892 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
893 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
897 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
898 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
899 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
900 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
901 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
902 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
906 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
907 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
911 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
912 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
918 @chapter Starting gnus
923 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
924 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
927 @findex gnus-other-frame
928 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
929 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
930 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
932 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
933 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
934 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
936 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
937 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
940 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
941 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
942 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
943 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
944 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
945 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
946 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
947 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
948 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
949 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
950 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
954 @node Finding the News
955 @section Finding the News
958 @vindex gnus-select-method
960 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
961 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
962 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
963 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
966 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
967 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
970 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
973 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
976 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
979 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
980 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
981 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
983 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
985 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
986 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
987 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
988 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
989 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
990 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
992 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
993 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
994 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
995 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
997 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
998 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
999 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1000 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1001 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
1002 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1003 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1004 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1005 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1008 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1010 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1011 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1012 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1013 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1014 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1015 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1017 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1019 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1020 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1021 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1022 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1023 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1024 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1027 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1028 you would typically set this variable to
1031 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1035 @node The First Time
1036 @section The First Time
1037 @cindex first time usage
1039 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1040 be subscribed by default.
1042 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1043 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1044 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1045 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1048 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1049 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1050 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1052 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1053 help you with most common problems.
1055 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1056 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1060 @node The Server is Down
1061 @section The Server is Down
1062 @cindex server errors
1064 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1065 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1066 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1068 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1069 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1070 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1071 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1072 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1073 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1074 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1076 @findex gnus-no-server
1077 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1079 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1080 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1081 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1082 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1083 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1084 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1085 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1089 @section Slave Gnusae
1092 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1093 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1094 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1095 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1097 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1098 @code{.newsrc} file.
1100 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1101 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1102 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1103 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1104 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1105 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1106 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1108 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1109 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1110 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1111 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1112 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1113 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1114 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1115 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1117 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1118 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1121 @node Fetching a Group
1122 @section Fetching a Group
1123 @cindex fetching a group
1125 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1126 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1127 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1128 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1129 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1130 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1136 @cindex subscription
1138 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1139 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1140 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1141 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1142 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1143 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1144 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1145 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1146 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1149 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1150 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1151 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1155 @node Checking New Groups
1156 @subsection Checking New Groups
1158 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1159 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1160 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1161 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1162 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1163 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1164 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1165 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1166 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1167 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1169 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1170 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1171 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1172 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1173 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1174 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1175 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1176 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1177 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1178 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1179 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1181 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1182 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1183 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1184 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1185 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1186 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1189 @node Subscription Methods
1190 @subsection Subscription Methods
1192 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1193 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1194 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1196 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1197 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1199 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1203 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1204 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1205 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1206 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1207 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1209 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1210 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1211 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1212 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1214 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1215 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1216 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1218 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1219 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1220 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1221 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1222 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1223 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1224 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1225 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1226 up. Or something like that.
1228 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1229 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1230 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1231 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1232 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1234 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1235 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1236 Kill all new groups.
1238 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1239 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1240 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1241 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1242 topic parameter that looks like
1248 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1251 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1256 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1257 A closely related variable is
1258 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1259 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1260 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1261 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1264 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1265 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1266 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1267 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1270 @node Filtering New Groups
1271 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1273 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1274 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1275 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1278 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1281 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1282 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1283 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1284 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1285 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1286 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1287 subscribing these groups.
1288 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1289 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1291 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1292 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1293 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1294 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1295 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1296 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1297 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1298 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1300 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1301 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1302 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1303 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1304 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1305 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1306 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1307 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1308 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1309 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1311 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1312 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1315 @node Changing Servers
1316 @section Changing Servers
1317 @cindex changing servers
1319 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1320 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1321 very flaky and you want to use another.
1323 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1324 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1328 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1329 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1330 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1331 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1334 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1335 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1336 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1337 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1339 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1340 @findex gnus-change-server
1341 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1342 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1343 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1344 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1345 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1347 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1348 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1349 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1350 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1351 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1353 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1354 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1355 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1356 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1357 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1358 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1360 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1361 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1362 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1366 @section Startup Files
1367 @cindex startup files
1372 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1373 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1375 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1376 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1377 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1378 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1379 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1380 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1381 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1383 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1384 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1385 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1386 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1387 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1388 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1390 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1391 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1392 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1393 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1394 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1395 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1396 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1397 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1398 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1399 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1401 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1402 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1403 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1404 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1405 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1406 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1407 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1408 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1409 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1410 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1411 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1412 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1414 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1415 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1416 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1417 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1419 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1420 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1421 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1422 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1423 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1424 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1425 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1426 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1427 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1428 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1431 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1432 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1434 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1435 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1438 @vindex gnus-init-file
1439 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1440 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1441 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1442 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1443 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1444 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1445 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1446 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1447 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1453 @cindex dribble file
1456 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1457 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1458 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1459 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1460 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1463 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1464 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1467 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1468 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1469 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1471 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1472 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1473 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1474 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1475 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1476 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1478 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1479 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1480 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1483 @node The Active File
1484 @section The Active File
1486 @cindex ignored groups
1488 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1489 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1490 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1492 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1493 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1494 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1495 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1496 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1497 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1498 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1501 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1502 @c if you set it to anything else.
1504 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1506 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1507 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1508 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1510 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1511 you actually subscribe to.
1513 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1514 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1515 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1516 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1518 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1519 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1520 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1521 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1522 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1523 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1525 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1526 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1527 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1530 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1531 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1532 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1533 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1534 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1535 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1537 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1538 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1540 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1541 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1543 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1544 secondary select methods.
1547 @node Startup Variables
1548 @section Startup Variables
1552 @item gnus-load-hook
1553 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1554 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1555 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1556 times you start gnus.
1558 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1559 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1560 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1562 @item gnus-startup-hook
1563 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1564 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1566 @item gnus-started-hook
1567 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1568 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1571 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1572 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1573 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1574 generating the group buffer.
1576 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1577 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1578 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1579 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1580 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1581 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1582 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1583 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1585 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1586 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1587 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1588 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1589 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1590 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1592 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1593 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1594 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1596 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1597 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1598 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1600 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1601 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1602 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1603 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1609 @chapter Group Buffer
1610 @cindex group buffer
1612 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1614 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1615 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1616 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1617 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1618 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1619 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1620 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1621 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1622 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1623 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1624 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1625 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1626 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1627 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1628 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1629 @c human rights at 9...
1632 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1633 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1634 long as gnus is active.
1638 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1639 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1640 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1641 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1642 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1643 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1644 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1645 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1651 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1652 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1653 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1654 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1655 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1656 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1657 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1658 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1659 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1660 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1661 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1662 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1663 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1664 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1665 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1666 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1667 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1671 @node Group Buffer Format
1672 @section Group Buffer Format
1675 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1676 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1677 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1681 @node Group Line Specification
1682 @subsection Group Line Specification
1683 @cindex group buffer format
1685 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1686 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1688 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1691 25: news.announce.newusers
1692 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1697 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1698 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1699 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1700 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1702 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1703 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1704 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1705 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1706 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1707 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1709 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1711 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1712 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1713 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1714 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1715 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1717 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1718 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1719 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1721 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1726 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1729 Whether the group is subscribed.
1732 Level of subscribedness.
1735 Number of unread articles.
1738 Number of dormant articles.
1741 Number of ticked articles.
1744 Number of read articles.
1747 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1748 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1750 Gnus uses this estimation because the NNTP protocol provides efficient
1751 access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting the true
1752 unread message count is not possible efficiently. For hysterical
1753 raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of unread
1754 messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1755 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the
1756 back end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1757 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1760 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1763 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1772 Newsgroup description.
1775 @samp{m} if moderated.
1778 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1787 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1791 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1794 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1795 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1796 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1797 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1798 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1801 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1803 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1807 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1810 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1814 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1815 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1816 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1817 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1818 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1819 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1824 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1825 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1826 group, or a bogus native group.
1829 @node Group Modeline Specification
1830 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1831 @cindex group modeline
1833 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1834 The mode line can be changed by setting
1835 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1836 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1840 The native news server.
1842 The native select method.
1846 @node Group Highlighting
1847 @subsection Group Highlighting
1848 @cindex highlighting
1849 @cindex group highlighting
1851 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1852 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1853 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1854 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1855 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1857 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1861 (cond (window-system
1862 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1863 (defface my-group-face-1
1864 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1865 (defface my-group-face-2
1866 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1867 (defface my-group-face-3
1868 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1869 (defface my-group-face-4
1870 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1871 (defface my-group-face-5
1872 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1874 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1875 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1876 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1877 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1878 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1879 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1882 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1884 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1891 The number of unread articles in the group.
1895 Whether the group is a mail group.
1897 The level of the group.
1899 The score of the group.
1901 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1903 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1904 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1906 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1907 topic being inserted.
1910 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1911 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1912 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1914 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1915 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1916 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1917 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1918 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1921 @node Group Maneuvering
1922 @section Group Maneuvering
1923 @cindex group movement
1925 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1926 expected, hopefully.
1932 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1933 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1934 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1940 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1941 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1942 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1946 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1947 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1951 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1952 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1956 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1957 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1958 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1962 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1963 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1964 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1967 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1973 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1974 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1975 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1980 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1981 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1982 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1986 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1987 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1988 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1991 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1992 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1993 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1994 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1998 @node Selecting a Group
1999 @section Selecting a Group
2000 @cindex group selection
2005 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2006 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2007 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2008 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2009 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2010 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2011 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2012 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2013 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2014 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2016 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2017 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2018 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2020 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2021 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2026 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2027 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2028 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2029 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2030 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2034 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2035 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2036 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2037 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2038 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2039 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2040 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2041 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2042 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2043 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2046 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2047 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2048 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2049 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2050 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2053 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2054 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2055 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2056 doing any processing of its contents
2057 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2058 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2059 manner will have no permanent effects.
2063 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2064 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
2065 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2066 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2067 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2068 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2069 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2070 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2073 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2074 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2075 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
2076 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2081 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
2082 full summary buffer.
2085 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
2088 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
2093 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2094 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
2095 Useful functions include:
2098 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2099 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2100 don't select the article.
2102 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2103 Select the first unread article.
2105 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2106 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2110 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2111 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2112 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2116 @node Subscription Commands
2117 @section Subscription Commands
2118 @cindex subscription
2126 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2127 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2128 Toggle subscription to the current group
2129 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2135 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2136 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2137 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2138 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2144 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2145 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2146 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2152 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2153 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2156 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2157 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2158 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2159 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2160 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2166 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2167 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2171 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2172 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2175 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2176 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2177 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2178 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2179 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2180 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2181 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2182 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2183 @file{.newsrc} file.
2187 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2197 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2198 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2199 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2200 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2201 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2202 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2207 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2208 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2209 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2213 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2214 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2215 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2217 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2218 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2219 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2220 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2221 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2222 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2229 @section Group Levels
2233 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2234 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2235 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2236 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2237 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2239 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2245 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2246 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2247 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2248 prompted for a level.
2251 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2252 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2253 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2254 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2255 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2256 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2257 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2258 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2259 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2260 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2261 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2262 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2263 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2264 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2265 reasons of efficiency.
2267 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2268 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2270 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2271 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2272 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2273 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2274 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2275 groups are hidden, in a way.
2277 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2278 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2279 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2280 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2281 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2282 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2284 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2285 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2286 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2287 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2288 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2289 list of killed groups.)
2291 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2292 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2293 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2295 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2296 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2297 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2298 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2299 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2300 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2301 relevant valid ranges.
2303 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2304 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2305 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2306 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2307 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2308 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2311 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2312 one with the best level.
2314 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2315 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2316 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2319 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2320 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2321 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2322 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2325 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2326 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2327 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2328 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2330 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2331 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2332 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2333 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2334 to 5. The default is 6.
2338 @section Group Score
2343 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2344 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2345 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2348 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2349 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2350 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2351 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2352 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2353 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2354 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2355 least significant part.))
2357 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2358 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2359 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2360 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2361 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2362 action after each summary exit, you can add
2363 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2364 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2365 slow things down somewhat.
2368 @node Marking Groups
2369 @section Marking Groups
2370 @cindex marking groups
2372 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2373 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2374 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2375 bidding on those groups.
2377 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2378 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2379 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2387 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2388 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2394 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2395 Remove the mark from the current group
2396 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2400 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2401 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2405 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2406 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2410 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2411 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2415 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2416 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2417 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2420 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2422 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2423 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2424 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2425 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2426 the command to be executed.
2429 @node Foreign Groups
2430 @section Foreign Groups
2431 @cindex foreign groups
2433 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2434 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2435 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2436 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2443 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2444 @cindex making groups
2445 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2446 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2447 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2451 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2452 @cindex renaming groups
2453 Rename the current group to something else
2454 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2455 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2461 @findex gnus-group-customize
2462 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2466 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2467 @cindex renaming groups
2468 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2469 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2473 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2474 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2475 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2479 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2480 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2481 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2485 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2487 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2488 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2493 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2494 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2498 @cindex (ding) archive
2499 @cindex archive group
2500 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2501 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2502 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2503 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2504 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2505 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2506 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2510 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2512 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2513 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2514 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2515 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2519 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2521 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2522 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2523 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2527 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2528 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2530 Make a group based on some file or other
2531 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2532 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2533 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2534 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2535 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2536 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2537 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2538 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2539 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2543 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2544 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2545 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2546 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2550 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2555 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2556 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2557 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2558 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2559 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2560 @xref{Web Searches}.
2562 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2563 to a particular group by using a match string like
2564 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2567 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2568 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2569 This function will delete the current group
2570 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2571 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2572 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2573 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2574 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2578 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2579 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2580 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2584 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2585 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2586 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2589 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2592 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2593 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2594 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2595 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2596 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2597 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2601 @node Group Parameters
2602 @section Group Parameters
2603 @cindex group parameters
2605 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2606 Here's an example group parameter list:
2609 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2613 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2614 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2615 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2616 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2618 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2619 is an alist of regexps and values.
2621 The following group parameters can be used:
2626 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2629 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2632 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2633 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2634 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2635 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2636 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2638 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2639 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2640 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2641 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2642 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2643 list address instead.
2645 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2649 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2652 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2655 It is totally ignored
2656 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2657 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2659 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2660 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2661 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2662 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2663 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2665 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2666 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2667 sending the message.
2669 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2670 @cindex Mail List Groups
2671 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2672 entering summary buffer.
2674 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2678 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2679 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2680 of whether it has any unread articles.
2682 @item broken-reply-to
2683 @cindex broken-reply-to
2684 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2685 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2686 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2687 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2688 broken behavior. So there!
2692 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2693 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2697 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2698 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2699 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2704 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2705 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2706 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2707 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2708 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2709 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2710 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2714 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2715 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2716 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2718 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2721 @cindex total-expire
2722 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2723 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2724 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2725 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2728 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2732 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2733 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2734 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2735 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2736 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2737 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2740 @cindex score file group parameter
2741 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2742 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2743 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2746 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2747 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2748 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2749 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2752 @cindex admin-address
2753 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2754 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2755 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2756 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2760 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2761 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2765 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2768 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2769 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2772 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2776 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2778 Here are some examples:
2782 Display only read articles.
2785 Display everything except expirable articles.
2787 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2788 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2792 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2793 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2794 @code{read}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2795 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2796 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{seen} and @code{recent}.
2800 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2801 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2802 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2806 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2807 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2808 gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2813 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2814 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2815 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2817 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2819 @item ignored-charsets
2820 @cindex ignored-charset
2821 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2822 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2823 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2825 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2828 @cindex posting-style
2829 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2830 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2831 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2832 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2833 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2835 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2836 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2837 like this in the group parameters:
2842 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2847 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2848 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2852 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2853 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2854 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2855 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2856 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2860 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2861 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2862 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2863 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2865 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2866 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2867 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2868 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2871 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2872 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2876 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2879 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2880 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2881 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2882 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2883 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2884 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2885 @code{eval}ed there.
2887 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2888 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2889 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2890 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2891 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2895 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2896 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2897 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2898 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2899 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2901 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2902 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2906 (setq gnus-parameters
2908 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2909 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2910 (gnus-summary-line-format
2911 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2915 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2919 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2923 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2926 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2927 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2930 @node Listing Groups
2931 @section Listing Groups
2932 @cindex group listing
2934 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2942 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2943 List all groups that have unread articles
2944 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2945 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2946 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2947 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2954 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2955 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2956 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2957 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2958 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2959 unsubscribed groups).
2963 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2964 List all unread groups on a specific level
2965 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2966 with no unread articles.
2970 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2971 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2972 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2973 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2978 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2979 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2983 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2984 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2985 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2989 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2990 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2994 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2995 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2996 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2997 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2998 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2999 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3000 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3001 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3005 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3006 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3007 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3011 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3012 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3013 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3017 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3018 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3022 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3023 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3027 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3028 List groups limited within the current selection
3029 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3033 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3034 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3038 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3039 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3043 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3044 @cindex visible group parameter
3045 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3046 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3047 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3048 get the same effect.
3050 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3051 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3052 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3053 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3054 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3057 @node Sorting Groups
3058 @section Sorting Groups
3059 @cindex sorting groups
3061 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3062 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3063 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3064 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3065 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3066 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3071 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3072 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3073 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3075 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3076 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3077 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3079 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3080 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3081 Sort by group level.
3083 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3084 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3085 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3087 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3088 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3089 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3090 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3092 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3093 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3094 Sort by number of unread articles.
3096 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3097 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3098 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3100 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3101 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3102 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3107 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3108 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3112 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3113 some sorting criteria:
3117 @kindex G S a (Group)
3118 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3119 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3120 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3123 @kindex G S u (Group)
3124 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3125 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3126 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3129 @kindex G S l (Group)
3130 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3131 Sort the group buffer by group level
3132 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3135 @kindex G S v (Group)
3136 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3137 Sort the group buffer by group score
3138 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3141 @kindex G S r (Group)
3142 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3143 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3144 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3147 @kindex G S m (Group)
3148 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3149 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3150 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3154 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3155 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3157 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3158 commands will sort in reverse order.
3160 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3164 @kindex G P a (Group)
3165 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3166 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3167 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3170 @kindex G P u (Group)
3171 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3172 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3173 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3176 @kindex G P l (Group)
3177 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3178 Sort the groups by group level
3179 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3182 @kindex G P v (Group)
3183 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3184 Sort the groups by group score
3185 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3188 @kindex G P r (Group)
3189 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3190 Sort the groups by group rank
3191 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3194 @kindex G P m (Group)
3195 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3196 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3197 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3201 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3205 @node Group Maintenance
3206 @section Group Maintenance
3207 @cindex bogus groups
3212 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3213 Find bogus groups and delete them
3214 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3218 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3219 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3220 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3221 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3222 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3226 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3227 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3228 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3229 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3230 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3231 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3234 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3235 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3236 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3237 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3242 @node Browse Foreign Server
3243 @section Browse Foreign Server
3244 @cindex foreign servers
3245 @cindex browsing servers
3250 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3251 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3252 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3253 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3256 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3257 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3258 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3259 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3261 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3266 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3267 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3271 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3272 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3275 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3276 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3277 Enter the current group and display the first article
3278 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3281 @kindex RET (Browse)
3282 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3283 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3287 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3288 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3289 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3295 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3296 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3300 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3301 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3302 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3307 @section Exiting gnus
3308 @cindex exiting gnus
3310 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3315 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3316 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3317 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3318 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3322 @findex gnus-group-exit
3323 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3324 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3328 @findex gnus-group-quit
3329 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3330 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3333 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3334 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3335 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3336 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3337 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3342 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3343 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3344 trying to customize meta-variables.
3349 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3350 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3351 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3357 @section Group Topics
3360 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3361 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3362 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3363 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3364 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3365 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3369 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3370 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3381 2: alt.religion.emacs
3384 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3386 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3387 13: comp.sources.unix
3390 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3392 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3393 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3394 is a toggling command.)
3396 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3397 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3398 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3399 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3402 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3403 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3404 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3407 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3411 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3412 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3413 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3414 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3415 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3419 @node Topic Commands
3420 @subsection Topic Commands
3421 @cindex topic commands
3423 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3424 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3425 definitions slightly.
3427 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3428 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3429 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3430 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3431 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3432 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3434 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3441 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3442 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3443 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3447 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3449 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3450 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3451 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3452 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3455 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3456 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3457 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3458 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3462 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3463 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3464 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3465 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3471 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3472 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3473 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3477 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3478 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3479 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3482 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3483 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3484 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3485 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3486 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3488 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3489 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3493 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3494 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3501 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3503 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3504 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3505 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3506 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3507 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3508 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3512 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3518 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3519 Move the current group to some other topic
3520 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3521 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3525 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3526 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3530 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3531 Copy the current group to some other topic
3532 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3533 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3537 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3538 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3539 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3543 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3544 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3545 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3549 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3550 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3551 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3552 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3553 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3554 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3555 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3558 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3559 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3563 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3564 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3565 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3569 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3570 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3571 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3575 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3576 Toggle hiding empty topics
3577 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3581 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3582 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3583 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3586 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3587 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3588 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3589 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3592 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3593 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3594 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3595 expiry process (if any)
3596 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3600 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3601 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3604 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3605 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3606 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3610 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3611 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3612 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3616 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3617 @cindex group parameters
3618 @cindex topic parameters
3620 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3621 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3626 @node Topic Variables
3627 @subsection Topic Variables
3628 @cindex topic variables
3630 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3631 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3633 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3634 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3635 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3648 Number of groups in the topic.
3650 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3652 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3655 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3656 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3657 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3660 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3661 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3663 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3664 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3665 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3669 @subsection Topic Sorting
3670 @cindex topic sorting
3672 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3678 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3679 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3680 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3681 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3684 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3685 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3686 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3687 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3690 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3691 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3692 Sort the current topic by group level
3693 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3696 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3697 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3698 Sort the current topic by group score
3699 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3702 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3703 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3704 Sort the current topic by group rank
3705 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3708 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3709 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3710 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3711 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3714 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3715 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3716 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3717 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3721 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3724 @node Topic Topology
3725 @subsection Topic Topology
3726 @cindex topic topology
3729 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3735 2: alt.religion.emacs
3738 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3740 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3741 13: comp.sources.unix
3744 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3745 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3746 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3751 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3752 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3756 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3757 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3758 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3759 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3760 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3761 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3763 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3764 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3765 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3768 @node Topic Parameters
3769 @subsection Topic Parameters
3770 @cindex topic parameters
3772 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3773 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3774 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3776 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3781 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3782 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3783 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3786 @item subscribe-level
3787 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3788 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3789 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3793 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3794 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3795 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3796 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3802 2: alt.religion.emacs
3806 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3808 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3809 13: comp.sources.unix
3813 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3814 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3815 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3816 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3817 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3818 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3820 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3821 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3822 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3823 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3824 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3826 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3827 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3828 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3829 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3830 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3831 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3832 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3833 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3836 @node Misc Group Stuff
3837 @section Misc Group Stuff
3840 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3841 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3842 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3843 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3844 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3851 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3852 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3853 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3857 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3858 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3859 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3860 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3861 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3862 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3863 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3867 @findex gnus-group-mail
3868 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3869 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3870 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3871 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3875 @findex gnus-group-news
3876 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3877 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3878 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3880 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3881 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
3882 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3883 in question. The corresponding backend must have a request-post method
3884 for this to work though.
3888 Variables for the group buffer:
3892 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3893 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3894 is called after the group buffer has been
3897 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3898 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3899 is called after the group buffer is
3900 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3903 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3904 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3905 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3906 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3908 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3909 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3910 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3911 whether they are empty or not.
3913 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3914 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3915 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3916 non-ASCII group names.
3920 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3921 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3924 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3925 @cindex UTF-8 group names
3926 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3927 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
3928 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
3929 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
3933 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3934 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3939 @node Scanning New Messages
3940 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3941 @cindex new messages
3942 @cindex scanning new news
3948 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3949 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3950 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3951 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3952 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3953 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3958 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3959 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3960 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3961 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3962 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3963 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3964 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3966 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3967 @cindex activating groups
3969 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3970 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3975 @findex gnus-group-restart
3976 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3977 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3978 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
3982 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3983 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3985 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3986 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3990 @node Group Information
3991 @subsection Group Information
3992 @cindex group information
3993 @cindex information on groups
4000 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4001 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4004 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4005 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4006 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4007 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4008 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4009 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4010 for fetching the file.
4012 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
4013 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4017 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4019 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4020 @cindex describing groups
4021 @cindex group description
4022 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4023 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4024 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4028 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4029 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4030 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4037 @findex gnus-version
4038 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4042 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4043 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4046 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4049 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4050 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4054 @node Group Timestamp
4055 @subsection Group Timestamp
4057 @cindex group timestamps
4059 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
4060 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4061 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4064 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4067 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4069 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4070 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4073 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4074 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4077 This will result in lines looking like:
4080 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4081 0: custom 19961002T012713
4084 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4085 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4089 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4090 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4095 @subsection File Commands
4096 @cindex file commands
4102 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4103 @vindex gnus-init-file
4104 @cindex reading init file
4105 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4106 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4110 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4111 @cindex saving .newsrc
4112 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4113 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4114 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4117 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4118 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4119 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4124 @node Sieve Commands
4125 @subsection Sieve Commands
4126 @cindex group sieve commands
4128 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4129 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4130 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4131 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4132 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4134 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4135 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4136 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4137 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4138 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4139 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4140 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4141 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4142 regenerate the Sieve script.
4144 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4145 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4146 is generated. If it is non-nil (the default) articles is placed in
4147 all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article is only
4148 placed in the group with the first matching rule. For example, the
4149 group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4150 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4151 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is nil. (When
4152 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-nil, it looks the same except that
4153 the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4156 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4157 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4162 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4168 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4169 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4170 @cindex generating sieve script
4171 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4172 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4176 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4177 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4178 @cindex updating sieve script
4179 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4180 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4181 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4186 @node Summary Buffer
4187 @chapter Summary Buffer
4188 @cindex summary buffer
4190 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4191 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4193 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4194 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4196 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4199 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4200 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4201 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4202 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4203 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4204 * Delayed Articles::
4205 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4206 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4207 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4208 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4209 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4210 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4211 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4212 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4213 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4214 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4215 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4216 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4217 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4218 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4219 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4220 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4221 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4222 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4223 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4224 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4225 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4226 or reselecting the current group.
4227 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4228 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4229 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4230 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4234 @node Summary Buffer Format
4235 @section Summary Buffer Format
4236 @cindex summary buffer format
4240 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4241 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4242 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4248 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4249 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4250 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4251 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4254 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4255 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4256 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4257 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4258 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4259 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4260 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4261 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4262 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4263 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4264 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4265 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4266 other function instead:
4269 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4270 'mail-extract-address-components)
4273 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4274 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4275 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4276 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4279 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4280 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4282 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4283 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4284 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4285 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4286 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4288 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4289 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4290 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4291 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4292 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4293 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4295 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%) %s\n}.
4297 The following format specification characters and extended format
4298 specification(s) are understood:
4304 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4305 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4307 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4308 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4309 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4311 Full @code{From} header.
4313 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4315 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
4316 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
4318 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4319 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4320 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4321 may be more thorough.
4323 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4326 Number of lines in the article.
4328 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4329 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4331 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4333 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4336 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4337 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4339 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4340 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4342 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4343 for adopted articles.
4345 One space for each thread level.
4347 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4352 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4353 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4357 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4359 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4360 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4361 default level. If the difference between
4362 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4363 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4371 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4373 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4379 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4380 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4382 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4383 article has any children.
4389 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4390 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4392 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4393 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4394 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4395 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4396 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4397 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4400 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4401 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4402 There can only be one such area.
4404 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4405 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4406 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4407 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4408 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4409 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4411 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4412 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4414 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4417 @node To From Newsgroups
4418 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4422 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4423 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4424 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4425 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4426 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4430 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4431 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4432 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4436 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4437 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4440 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4441 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4444 @findex gnus-extra-header
4445 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4446 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4447 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4450 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4454 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4455 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4456 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4457 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4458 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4459 headers are used instead.
4463 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4464 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4465 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4466 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4469 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4470 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4471 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4472 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4474 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4478 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4480 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4481 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4482 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4483 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4487 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4488 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4495 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4496 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4499 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4500 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4502 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4503 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4504 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4505 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4507 Here are the elements you can play with:
4513 Unprefixed group name.
4515 Current article number.
4517 Current article score.
4521 Number of unread articles in this group.
4523 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4526 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4527 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4528 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4529 and no unselected ones.
4531 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4532 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4534 Subject of the current article.
4536 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4538 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4540 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4542 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4544 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4546 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4550 @node Summary Highlighting
4551 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4555 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4556 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4557 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4558 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4559 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4561 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4562 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4563 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4564 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4566 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4567 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4568 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4569 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4571 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4572 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4573 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4574 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4575 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4576 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4579 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4580 ((> score default) . bold))
4582 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4583 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4587 @node Summary Maneuvering
4588 @section Summary Maneuvering
4589 @cindex summary movement
4591 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4592 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4594 None of these commands select articles.
4599 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4600 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4601 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4602 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4603 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4607 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4608 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4609 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4610 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4611 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4614 @kindex G g (Summary)
4615 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4616 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4617 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4620 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4621 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4622 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4623 to the group buffer.
4625 Variables related to summary movement:
4629 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4630 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4631 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4632 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4633 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4634 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4635 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4636 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4637 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
4638 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4639 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4640 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4641 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4642 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4644 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4645 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4646 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4647 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4648 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4649 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4650 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4652 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4654 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4655 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4656 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4657 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4658 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4660 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4661 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4662 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4663 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4664 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4665 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4666 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4667 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4670 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4671 the given number of lines from the top.
4676 @node Choosing Articles
4677 @section Choosing Articles
4678 @cindex selecting articles
4681 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4682 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4686 @node Choosing Commands
4687 @subsection Choosing Commands
4689 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4690 and they all select and display an article.
4692 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4693 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4697 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4698 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4699 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4700 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4705 @kindex G n (Summary)
4706 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4707 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4708 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4713 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4714 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4715 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4720 @kindex G N (Summary)
4721 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4722 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4727 @kindex G P (Summary)
4728 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4729 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4732 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4733 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4734 Go to the next article with the same subject
4735 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4738 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4739 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4740 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4741 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4745 @kindex G f (Summary)
4747 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4748 Go to the first unread article
4749 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4753 @kindex G b (Summary)
4755 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4756 Go to the article with the highest score
4757 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4762 @kindex G l (Summary)
4763 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4764 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4767 @kindex G o (Summary)
4768 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4770 @cindex article history
4771 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4772 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4773 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4774 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4775 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4776 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4781 @kindex G j (Summary)
4782 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4783 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4784 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4789 @node Choosing Variables
4790 @subsection Choosing Variables
4792 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4795 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4796 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4797 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4798 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4799 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4800 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4802 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4803 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4804 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4805 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4807 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4808 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4809 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4810 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4811 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4812 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4813 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4814 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4815 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4816 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4817 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4818 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4819 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4820 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4825 @node Paging the Article
4826 @section Scrolling the Article
4827 @cindex article scrolling
4832 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4833 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4834 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4835 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4836 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4839 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4840 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4841 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4844 @kindex RET (Summary)
4845 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4846 Scroll the current article one line forward
4847 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4850 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4851 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4852 Scroll the current article one line backward
4853 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4857 @kindex A g (Summary)
4859 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4860 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4861 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4862 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4863 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4864 the way it came from the server.
4866 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4867 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4868 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4871 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4876 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4881 @kindex A < (Summary)
4882 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4883 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4884 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4889 @kindex A > (Summary)
4890 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4891 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4895 @kindex A s (Summary)
4897 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4898 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4899 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4903 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4904 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4909 @node Reply Followup and Post
4910 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4913 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4914 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4915 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4916 * Canceling and Superseding::
4920 @node Summary Mail Commands
4921 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4923 @cindex composing mail
4925 Commands for composing a mail message:
4931 @kindex S r (Summary)
4933 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4934 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4935 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4936 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4937 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4942 @kindex S R (Summary)
4943 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4944 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4945 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4946 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4947 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4950 @kindex S w (Summary)
4951 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4952 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4953 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4954 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4955 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4958 @kindex S W (Summary)
4959 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4960 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4961 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4962 the process/prefix convention.
4965 @kindex S v (Summary)
4966 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
4967 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
4968 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
4969 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4970 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
4971 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
4975 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4976 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4977 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4978 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4979 Forward the current article to some other person
4980 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4981 headers of the forwarded article.
4986 @kindex S m (Summary)
4987 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4988 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4989 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
4990 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
4991 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4996 @kindex S i (Summary)
4997 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
4998 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
4999 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5000 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5002 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5003 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
5004 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5005 in question. The corresponding backend must have a request-post method
5006 for this to work though.
5009 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5010 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5011 @cindex bouncing mail
5012 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5013 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5014 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5015 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5016 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5017 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
5018 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5019 very well fail, though.
5022 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5023 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5024 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5025 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5026 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5027 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5028 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5029 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5030 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5031 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5033 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5034 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5035 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5036 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5037 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
5039 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5040 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5043 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5044 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
5045 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5046 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
5047 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5050 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5051 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5052 @cindex crossposting
5053 @cindex excessive crossposting
5054 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5055 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5057 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5058 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5059 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5060 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5061 command understands the process/prefix convention
5062 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5066 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5067 Manual}, for more information.
5070 @node Summary Post Commands
5071 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5073 @cindex composing news
5075 Commands for posting a news article:
5081 @kindex S p (Summary)
5082 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5083 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5084 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5085 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5086 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5091 @kindex S f (Summary)
5092 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5093 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5094 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5098 @kindex S F (Summary)
5100 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5101 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5102 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5103 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5104 process/prefix convention.
5107 @kindex S n (Summary)
5108 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5109 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5110 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5113 @kindex S N (Summary)
5114 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5115 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5116 message through mail and include the original message
5117 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5118 the process/prefix convention.
5121 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5122 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5123 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5124 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5125 headers of the forwarded article.
5128 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5129 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
5131 @cindex making digests
5132 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5133 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5134 process/prefix convention.
5137 @kindex S u (Summary)
5138 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5139 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5140 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5141 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5144 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5145 Manual}, for more information.
5148 @node Summary Message Commands
5149 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5153 @kindex S y (Summary)
5154 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5155 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5156 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5157 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5158 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5163 @node Canceling and Superseding
5164 @subsection Canceling Articles
5165 @cindex canceling articles
5166 @cindex superseding articles
5168 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5169 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5171 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5173 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5175 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5176 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5177 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5178 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5179 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5180 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5182 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5183 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5186 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5187 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5188 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5190 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5191 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5192 your original article.
5194 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5196 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5197 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5198 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5201 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5202 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5203 have posted almost the same article twice.
5205 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5206 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5207 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5208 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5209 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5210 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5211 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5212 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5213 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5214 canceled/superseded.
5216 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5218 @node Delayed Articles
5219 @section Delayed Articles
5220 @cindex delayed sending
5221 @cindex send delayed
5223 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5224 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5225 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5226 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5229 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5232 @findex gnus-delay-article
5233 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5234 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5235 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5236 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5240 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5241 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5242 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5243 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5246 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5247 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5248 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5251 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5252 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5253 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5254 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5255 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5256 that means a time tomorrow.
5259 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5260 couple of variables:
5263 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5264 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5265 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5266 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5268 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5269 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5270 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5271 formats described above.
5273 @item gnus-delay-group
5274 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5275 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5276 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5277 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5279 @item gnus-delay-header
5280 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5281 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5282 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5283 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5286 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5287 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5288 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5289 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5290 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5292 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5293 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts}
5294 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5295 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5296 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5297 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts} function.
5300 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5301 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5302 By default, this function installs the @kbd{C-c C-j} key binding in
5303 Message mode and @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts} in
5304 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts two optional arguments,
5305 @code{no-keymap} and @code{no-check}. If @code{no-keymap} is non-nil,
5306 the @kbd{C-c C-j} binding is not intalled. If @code{no-check} is
5307 non-nil, @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed.
5309 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to change the
5310 keymap but not to change @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. Presumably, you
5311 want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles. Just don't
5312 forget to set that up :-)
5316 @node Marking Articles
5317 @section Marking Articles
5318 @cindex article marking
5319 @cindex article ticking
5322 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5324 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5325 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5326 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5328 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5331 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5332 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5333 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5337 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5341 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5342 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5343 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5347 @node Unread Articles
5348 @subsection Unread Articles
5350 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5355 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5356 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5358 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5359 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5360 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5361 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5362 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5363 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5364 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5367 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5368 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5370 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5371 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5372 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5373 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5377 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5378 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5380 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5385 @subsection Read Articles
5386 @cindex expirable mark
5388 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5393 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5394 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5395 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5398 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5399 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5402 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5403 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5404 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5407 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5408 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5411 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5412 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5415 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5416 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5419 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5420 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5423 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5424 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5427 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5428 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5431 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5432 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5436 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5437 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5438 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5442 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5443 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5445 One more special mark, though:
5449 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5450 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5452 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5453 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5454 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5455 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5461 @subsection Other Marks
5462 @cindex process mark
5465 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5471 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5472 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5473 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5474 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5475 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5478 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5479 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5480 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5481 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5483 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5484 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5485 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5487 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5488 Articles that are ``recently'' arrived in the group will be marked
5489 with an @samp{N} in the second column (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Most
5490 back end doesn't support the mark, in which case it's not shown.
5493 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5494 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5495 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5498 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5499 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5500 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5501 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5504 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5505 Articles that according to the back end haven't been seen by the user
5506 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5507 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all back ends support this
5508 mark, in which case it simply never appear.
5511 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5512 Articles that haven't been seen by the user before are marked with a
5513 @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5516 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5517 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5518 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5519 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5520 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5523 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5524 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5525 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5526 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5527 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5528 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5532 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5533 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5534 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5536 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5537 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5538 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5542 @subsection Setting Marks
5543 @cindex setting marks
5545 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5550 @kindex M c (Summary)
5551 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5552 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5553 @cindex mark as unread
5554 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5555 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5561 @kindex M t (Summary)
5562 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5563 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5564 @xref{Article Caching}.
5569 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5570 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5571 Mark the current article as dormant
5572 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5576 @kindex M d (Summary)
5578 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5579 Mark the current article as read
5580 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5584 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5585 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5586 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5591 @kindex M k (Summary)
5592 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5593 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5594 and then select the next unread article
5595 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5599 @kindex M K (Summary)
5600 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5601 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5602 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5603 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5606 @kindex M C (Summary)
5607 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5608 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5609 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5612 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5613 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5614 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5615 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5618 @kindex M H (Summary)
5619 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5620 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5621 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5624 @kindex M h (Summary)
5625 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5626 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5627 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5630 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5631 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5632 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5633 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5636 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5637 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5638 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5639 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5643 @kindex M e (Summary)
5645 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5646 Mark the current article as expirable
5647 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5650 @kindex M b (Summary)
5651 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5652 Set a bookmark in the current article
5653 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5656 @kindex M B (Summary)
5657 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5658 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5659 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5662 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5663 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5664 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5665 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5668 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5669 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5670 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5671 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5674 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5675 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5676 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5677 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5678 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5681 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5682 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5683 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5684 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5685 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5686 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5687 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5688 The default is @code{t}.
5691 @node Generic Marking Commands
5692 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5694 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5695 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5696 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5697 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5698 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5701 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5702 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5705 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5706 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5707 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5708 to list in this manual.
5710 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5711 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5712 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5713 article, you could say something like:
5716 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5717 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5718 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5724 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5725 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5729 @node Setting Process Marks
5730 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5731 @cindex setting process marks
5738 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5739 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5740 Mark the current article with the process mark
5741 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5742 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5746 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5747 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5748 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5749 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5752 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5753 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5754 Remove the process mark from all articles
5755 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5758 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5759 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5760 Invert the list of process marked articles
5761 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5764 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5765 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5766 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5767 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5770 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5771 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5772 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5773 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5776 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5777 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5778 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5781 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5782 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5783 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5784 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5787 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5788 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5789 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5790 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5793 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5794 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5795 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5796 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5799 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5800 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5801 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5804 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5805 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5806 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5807 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5810 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5811 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5812 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5815 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5816 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5817 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5818 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5821 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5822 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5823 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5824 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5827 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5828 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5829 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5830 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5833 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5834 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5835 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5836 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5840 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5841 set process marks based on article body contents.
5848 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5849 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5850 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5853 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5854 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5855 additional articles.
5861 @kindex / / (Summary)
5862 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5863 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5864 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
5868 @kindex / a (Summary)
5869 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5870 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5871 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
5875 @kindex / x (Summary)
5876 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5877 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5878 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5879 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
5884 @kindex / u (Summary)
5886 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5887 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5888 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5889 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5890 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5893 @kindex / m (Summary)
5894 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5895 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5896 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5899 @kindex / t (Summary)
5900 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5901 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5902 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5903 articles younger than that number of days.
5906 @kindex / n (Summary)
5907 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5908 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5909 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5910 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5913 @kindex / w (Summary)
5914 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5915 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5916 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5920 @kindex / v (Summary)
5921 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5922 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5923 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5926 @kindex / p (Summary)
5927 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter
5928 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
5929 group parameter predicate
5930 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter}). See @pxref{Group
5931 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
5935 @kindex M S (Summary)
5936 @kindex / E (Summary)
5937 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5938 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5939 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5942 @kindex / D (Summary)
5943 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5944 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5945 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5948 @kindex / * (Summary)
5949 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5950 Include all cached articles in the limit
5951 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5954 @kindex / d (Summary)
5955 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5956 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5957 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5960 @kindex / M (Summary)
5961 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5962 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5965 @kindex / T (Summary)
5966 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5967 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5970 @kindex / c (Summary)
5971 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5972 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5973 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5976 @kindex / C (Summary)
5977 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5978 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5979 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5980 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5983 @kindex / N (Summary)
5984 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
5985 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
5986 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
5989 @kindex / o (Summary)
5990 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
5991 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
5992 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6000 @cindex article threading
6002 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6003 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6004 hierarchical fashion.
6006 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6007 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6008 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6009 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6010 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6011 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6012 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6014 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6018 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6021 A tree-like article structure.
6024 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6027 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6028 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6029 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6030 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6031 called loose threads.
6033 @item thread gathering
6034 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6036 @item sparse threads
6037 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6038 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6044 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6045 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6049 @node Customizing Threading
6050 @subsection Customizing Threading
6051 @cindex customizing threading
6054 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6055 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6056 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6057 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6062 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6065 @cindex loose threads
6068 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6069 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6070 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6071 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6072 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6073 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6075 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
6076 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
6077 There are four possible values:
6081 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6082 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6083 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6084 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6085 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6090 @cindex adopting articles
6095 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6096 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6097 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6098 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6101 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6102 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6103 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6104 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6105 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6106 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6107 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6110 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6111 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6112 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6116 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6117 display them after one another.
6120 Don't gather loose threads.
6123 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6124 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6125 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6126 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
6127 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6128 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6129 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6130 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6131 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6132 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
6133 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6135 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6136 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
6137 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6140 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6141 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6142 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6143 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6144 simplification is used.
6146 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6147 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6148 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6149 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6151 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6153 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6159 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6160 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6161 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6162 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6167 (mapconcat 'identity
6168 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6170 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6173 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6176 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6177 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6178 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6179 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6180 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6181 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6183 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6186 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6187 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6188 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6190 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6191 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6194 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6195 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6196 Remove excessive whitespace.
6199 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6202 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6203 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6204 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6205 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6206 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6207 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6208 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6209 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6211 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6212 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6213 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6214 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6215 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6216 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6217 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6218 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6219 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6223 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6224 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6225 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6226 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6228 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6229 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6230 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6233 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6237 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6238 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6244 @node Filling In Threads
6245 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6248 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6249 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6250 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6251 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6252 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6253 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6254 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6255 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6256 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6257 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
6258 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
6259 expired by the server, there's not much gnus can do about that.
6261 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6262 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6263 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6265 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6266 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6267 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6268 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6269 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6270 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6271 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6272 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6273 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6274 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6275 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6276 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6277 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6278 @code{nil} by default.
6280 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6281 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6282 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6283 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6284 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6285 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6286 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6288 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6289 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6290 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6295 @node More Threading
6296 @subsubsection More Threading
6299 @item gnus-show-threads
6300 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6301 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6302 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6303 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6304 slower and more awkward.
6306 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6307 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6308 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6311 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6312 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6313 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6314 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6315 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6316 threads are expunged.
6318 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6319 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6320 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6323 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6324 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6325 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6326 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6327 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6328 result in a new thread.
6330 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6331 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6332 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6335 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6336 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6337 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6338 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6339 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6340 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6341 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6342 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6343 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6344 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6345 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6350 @node Low-Level Threading
6351 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6355 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6356 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6357 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6358 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6359 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6360 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6362 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6363 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6364 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6365 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6366 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6367 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6368 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6369 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6370 meaningful. Here's one example:
6373 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6375 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6376 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6378 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6380 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6387 @node Thread Commands
6388 @subsection Thread Commands
6389 @cindex thread commands
6395 @kindex T k (Summary)
6396 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6397 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6398 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6399 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6400 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6405 @kindex T l (Summary)
6406 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6407 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6408 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6409 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6412 @kindex T i (Summary)
6413 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6414 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6415 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6418 @kindex T # (Summary)
6419 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6420 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6421 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6424 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6425 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6426 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6427 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6430 @kindex T T (Summary)
6431 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6432 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6435 @kindex T s (Summary)
6436 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6437 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6438 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6441 @kindex T h (Summary)
6442 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6443 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6446 @kindex T S (Summary)
6447 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6448 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6451 @kindex T H (Summary)
6452 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6453 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6456 @kindex T t (Summary)
6457 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6458 Re-thread the current article's thread
6459 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6460 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6463 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6464 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6465 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6466 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6470 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6471 understand the numeric prefix.
6476 @kindex T n (Summary)
6478 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6480 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6481 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6482 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6485 @kindex T p (Summary)
6487 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6489 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6490 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6491 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6494 @kindex T d (Summary)
6495 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6496 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6499 @kindex T u (Summary)
6500 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6501 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6504 @kindex T o (Summary)
6505 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6506 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6509 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6510 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6511 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6512 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6513 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6514 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6515 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6516 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6517 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6518 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6519 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6520 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6524 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6525 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6527 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6528 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6529 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6530 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6531 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6532 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6533 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6534 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6535 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6536 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6537 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6539 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6540 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6541 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6542 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
6543 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6545 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6546 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6547 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6549 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6550 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6551 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6552 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6553 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6554 ascending article order.
6556 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6557 by number, you could do something like:
6560 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6561 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6562 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6563 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6566 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6567 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6568 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6569 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6570 which the articles arrived.
6572 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6576 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6578 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6579 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6582 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6583 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6584 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6585 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6588 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6589 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6590 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6591 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6592 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6593 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6594 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6595 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6596 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6597 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6598 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6599 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6600 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6602 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6606 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6607 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6608 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6613 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6614 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6615 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6616 @cindex article pre-fetch
6619 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6620 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6621 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6622 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6623 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6625 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6626 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
6628 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6629 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6630 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6631 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6632 connection is blocked.
6634 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6635 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6636 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6637 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
6639 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6640 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6641 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6642 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6645 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6648 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6649 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6650 happen automatically.
6652 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6653 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6654 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6655 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6656 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6657 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6658 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6660 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6661 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6662 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6663 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6664 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6665 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6666 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6667 data structure as the only parameter.
6669 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6672 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6673 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6674 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6675 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6678 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6681 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6682 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
6683 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6685 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6686 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6687 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6688 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6692 Remove articles when they are read.
6695 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6698 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6700 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6701 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6702 @c from the next group.
6705 @node Article Caching
6706 @section Article Caching
6707 @cindex article caching
6710 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6711 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6712 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6713 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6714 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6716 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6718 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6719 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6720 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6721 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6722 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6723 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6724 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6725 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6727 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6728 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6729 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6730 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6731 as dormant, and don't worry.
6733 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6735 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6736 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6737 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6738 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6739 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6740 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6741 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6742 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6743 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6744 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6746 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6747 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6748 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6749 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6750 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6751 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6752 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6753 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6754 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6755 not then be downloaded by this command.
6757 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6758 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6759 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6760 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6761 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6762 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6764 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6765 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6766 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6767 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6768 variables, the group is not cached.
6770 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6771 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6772 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6773 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6774 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6775 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
6776 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6777 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6778 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6782 @node Persistent Articles
6783 @section Persistent Articles
6784 @cindex persistent articles
6786 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6787 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6788 useful in my opinion.
6790 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6791 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6792 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6793 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6794 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6795 the expiry going on at the news server.
6797 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6798 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6799 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6805 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6806 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6809 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6810 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6811 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6812 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6816 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6818 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6819 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6820 interested in persistent articles:
6823 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6827 @node Article Backlog
6828 @section Article Backlog
6830 @cindex article backlog
6832 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6833 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6834 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
6835 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6836 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6837 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6838 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
6839 increase memory usage some.
6841 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6842 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
6843 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6844 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
6845 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6846 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6847 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6849 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6852 @node Saving Articles
6853 @section Saving Articles
6854 @cindex saving articles
6856 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6857 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6858 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6859 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6860 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6862 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6863 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
6864 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6866 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6867 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6868 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6869 deleted before saving.
6875 @kindex O o (Summary)
6877 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6878 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6879 Save the current article using the default article saver
6880 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6883 @kindex O m (Summary)
6884 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6885 Save the current article in mail format
6886 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6889 @kindex O r (Summary)
6890 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6891 Save the current article in rmail format
6892 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6895 @kindex O f (Summary)
6896 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6897 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6898 Save the current article in plain file format
6899 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6902 @kindex O F (Summary)
6903 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6904 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6905 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6908 @kindex O b (Summary)
6909 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6910 Save the current article body in plain file format
6911 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6914 @kindex O h (Summary)
6915 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6916 Save the current article in mh folder format
6917 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6920 @kindex O v (Summary)
6921 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6922 Save the current article in a VM folder
6923 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6927 @kindex O p (Summary)
6929 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6930 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6931 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6934 @kindex O P (Summary)
6935 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
6936 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
6937 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
6938 external program Muttprint (see
6939 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
6940 options to use is controlled by the variable
6941 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
6945 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6946 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6947 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6948 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6949 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6950 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6951 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6952 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6953 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6954 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6955 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6956 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6960 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6961 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6962 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6963 functions below, or you can create your own.
6967 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6968 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6969 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6970 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6971 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6972 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6973 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6975 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6976 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6977 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6978 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6979 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6980 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6982 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6983 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6984 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6985 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6986 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6987 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6988 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6990 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
6991 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
6992 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
6993 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
6994 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6995 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6997 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6998 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6999 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7000 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7001 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7003 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7004 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7005 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7006 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7007 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7010 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7011 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7012 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7013 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7014 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7016 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7017 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7018 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7019 reader to use this setting.
7022 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7023 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7024 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7025 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7028 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7029 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7030 available functions that generate names:
7034 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7035 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7036 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7038 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7039 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7040 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7042 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7043 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7044 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7046 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7047 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7048 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7050 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7051 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7052 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7055 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7056 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7057 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7058 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7059 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7063 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7064 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7065 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7066 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7069 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7070 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7071 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7072 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7073 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7074 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7075 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7076 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7077 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7079 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7080 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7081 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7082 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7084 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7085 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7086 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7089 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7090 lots of mail groups called things like
7091 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7092 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7093 following will do just that:
7096 (defun my-save-name (group)
7097 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7098 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7100 (setq gnus-split-methods
7101 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7106 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7107 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7108 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7109 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7110 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7111 all the files in the top level directory
7112 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7113 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7114 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7115 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7117 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7118 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7119 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7120 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7121 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7124 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7128 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7129 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7130 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7133 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7134 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7135 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7136 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7139 @node Decoding Articles
7140 @section Decoding Articles
7141 @cindex decoding articles
7143 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7144 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7147 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7148 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7149 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7150 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7151 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7152 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7156 @cindex article series
7157 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7158 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7159 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7160 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7161 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7163 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7164 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7165 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7167 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
7168 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7169 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7171 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7172 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7173 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7176 @node Uuencoded Articles
7177 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7179 @cindex uuencoded articles
7184 @kindex X u (Summary)
7185 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7186 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7187 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7190 @kindex X U (Summary)
7191 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7192 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7193 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7196 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7197 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7198 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7201 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7202 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7203 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7204 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7208 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7209 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7210 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7211 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7212 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7214 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7215 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7216 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7217 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7220 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7221 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7222 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7223 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7224 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7225 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7229 @node Shell Archives
7230 @subsection Shell Archives
7232 @cindex shell archives
7233 @cindex shared articles
7235 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7236 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7237 some commands to deal with these:
7242 @kindex X s (Summary)
7243 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7244 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7247 @kindex X S (Summary)
7248 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7249 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7252 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7253 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7254 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7257 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7258 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7259 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7260 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7264 @node PostScript Files
7265 @subsection PostScript Files
7271 @kindex X p (Summary)
7272 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7273 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7276 @kindex X P (Summary)
7277 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7278 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7279 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7282 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7283 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7284 View the current PostScript series
7285 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7288 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7289 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7290 View and save the current PostScript series
7291 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7296 @subsection Other Files
7300 @kindex X o (Summary)
7301 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7302 Save the current series
7303 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7306 @kindex X b (Summary)
7307 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7308 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7309 doesn't really work yet.
7313 @node Decoding Variables
7314 @subsection Decoding Variables
7316 Adjective, not verb.
7319 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7320 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7321 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7325 @node Rule Variables
7326 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7327 @cindex rule variables
7329 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7330 variables are of the form
7333 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7340 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7341 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7343 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7344 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7347 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7348 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7351 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7352 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7353 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7354 user and default view rules.
7356 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7357 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7358 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7363 @node Other Decode Variables
7364 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7367 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7369 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7370 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7371 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7372 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7373 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7377 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7378 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7381 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7382 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7383 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7386 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7387 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7388 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7389 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7390 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7393 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7394 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7395 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7397 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7398 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7399 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7400 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7401 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7404 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7405 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7406 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7408 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7409 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7410 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7411 looking for files to display.
7413 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7414 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7415 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7418 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7419 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7420 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7423 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7424 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7425 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7428 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7429 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7430 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7433 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7434 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7435 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7436 decoded articles as unread.
7438 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7439 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7440 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7441 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7443 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7444 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7445 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7447 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7448 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7450 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7451 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7452 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7453 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7455 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7456 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7457 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7458 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7459 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7460 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7461 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7462 simply dropped them.
7467 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7468 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7472 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7473 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7474 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7475 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7476 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7477 for you when you post the article.
7479 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7480 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7481 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7482 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7484 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7485 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7486 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7487 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7488 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7489 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7490 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7492 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7493 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7494 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7495 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7496 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7497 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7498 Default is @code{t}.
7504 @subsection Viewing Files
7505 @cindex viewing files
7506 @cindex pseudo-articles
7508 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7509 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7510 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7511 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7512 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7513 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7514 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7516 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7517 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7518 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7519 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7521 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7522 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7523 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7525 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7526 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7527 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7528 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7529 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7531 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7532 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7533 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7534 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7535 a list of parameters to that command.
7537 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7538 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7539 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7541 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7542 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7543 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7546 @node Article Treatment
7547 @section Article Treatment
7549 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7550 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7551 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7552 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7553 these articles easier.
7556 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7557 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7558 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7559 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7560 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7561 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7562 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7563 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7567 @node Article Highlighting
7568 @subsection Article Highlighting
7569 @cindex highlighting
7571 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7572 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7577 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7578 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7579 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7580 Do much highlighting of the current article
7581 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7582 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7585 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7586 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7587 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7588 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7589 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7590 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7591 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7592 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7593 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7594 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7595 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7596 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7599 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7600 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7601 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7603 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7606 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7608 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7609 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7610 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7612 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7613 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7614 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7616 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7617 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7618 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7619 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7620 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7621 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7623 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7624 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7625 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7627 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7628 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7629 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7631 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7632 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7633 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7634 that it's a citation.
7636 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7637 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7638 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7640 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7641 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7642 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7644 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7645 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7646 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7647 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7653 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7654 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7655 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7656 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7657 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7658 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7659 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7660 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7665 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7668 @node Article Fontisizing
7669 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7671 @cindex article emphasis
7673 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7674 @kindex W e (Summary)
7675 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7676 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7677 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7678 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7680 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7681 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7682 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7683 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7684 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7685 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7686 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7687 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7691 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7692 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7693 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7702 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7703 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7704 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7705 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7706 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7707 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7708 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7709 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7710 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7711 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7712 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7713 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7714 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7716 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7717 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7718 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7722 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7725 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7727 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7728 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7729 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7730 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7732 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7735 @node Article Hiding
7736 @subsection Article Hiding
7737 @cindex article hiding
7739 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7740 too much cruft in most articles.
7745 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7746 @findex gnus-article-hide
7747 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7748 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7749 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7752 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7753 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7754 Toggle hiding of headers (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7758 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7759 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7760 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7761 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7764 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7765 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7766 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7770 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7771 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7772 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7773 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7774 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7775 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7776 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7777 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7781 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7782 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7783 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7784 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7789 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7790 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7791 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7792 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7793 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7794 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7795 articles that have signatures in them do:
7797 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7799 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7801 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7802 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7804 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7807 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7812 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7813 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7814 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7815 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7818 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7819 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7822 @cindex stripping advertisements
7823 @cindex advertisements
7824 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7825 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7826 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7827 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7828 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7829 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7830 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7831 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7832 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7833 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7837 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7838 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7839 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7840 customizing the hiding:
7844 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7845 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7846 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7847 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7848 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7849 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7850 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7855 Starting point of the hidden text.
7857 Ending point of the hidden text.
7859 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7861 Number of lines of hidden text.
7864 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7865 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7866 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7867 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7868 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7873 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7874 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7876 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7877 following two variables:
7880 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7881 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7882 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7883 50), hide the cited text.
7885 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7886 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7887 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7892 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7893 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7894 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7895 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7896 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7897 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7901 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7902 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7903 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7905 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7906 citation customization.
7908 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7912 @node Article Washing
7913 @subsection Article Washing
7915 @cindex article washing
7917 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7918 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7920 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7921 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7924 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
7925 articles by default.
7930 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
7931 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
7935 @kindex W l (Summary)
7936 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7937 Remove page breaks from the current article
7938 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7942 @kindex W r (Summary)
7943 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7944 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7945 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7946 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7947 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7948 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7950 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7951 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7952 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7953 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7957 @kindex W t (Summary)
7959 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7960 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7961 (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}).
7964 @kindex W v (Summary)
7965 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7966 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7967 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7970 @kindex W m (Summary)
7971 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
7972 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
7973 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
7976 @kindex W o (Summary)
7977 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7978 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7981 @kindex W d (Summary)
7982 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7983 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7985 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
7987 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7988 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7989 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7990 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7993 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
7994 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
7995 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
7996 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
7999 @kindex W w (Summary)
8000 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8001 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8003 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8007 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8008 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8009 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8012 @kindex W C (Summary)
8013 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8014 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8015 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8018 @kindex W c (Summary)
8019 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8020 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8021 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8022 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8023 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8026 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8027 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8028 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8029 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8030 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
8031 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8032 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8034 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8037 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8038 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8039 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8040 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8041 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8044 @kindex W h (Summary)
8045 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8046 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
8047 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
8048 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
8050 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8053 @kindex W f (Summary)
8055 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8056 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
8057 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
8058 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
8065 Look for and display any X-Face headers
8066 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
8067 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
8068 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
8069 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
8070 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
8071 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
8072 The default action under Emacs is to fork off the @code{display}
8073 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
8074 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
8075 like `compface' or `faces-xface' on a GNU/Linux system.} to view the
8076 face. Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the
8077 default action is to display the face before the @code{From} header.
8078 (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face support---that will
8079 make display somewhat faster. If there's no native X-Face support, Gnus
8080 will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using external programs
8081 from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux
8082 system look for packages with names like @code{netpbm} or
8083 @code{libgr-progs}.}) If you want to have this function in the display
8084 hook, it should probably come last.
8085 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not @code{xface}).
8088 @kindex W b (Summary)
8089 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8090 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8091 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8094 @kindex W B (Summary)
8095 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8096 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8097 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8100 @kindex W p (Summary)
8101 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8102 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8103 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8104 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8105 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8106 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8107 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8110 @kindex W s (Summary)
8111 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8112 Verify a signed (PGP, PGP/MIME or S/MIME) message
8113 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}).
8116 @kindex W W H (Summary)
8117 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
8118 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8119 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
8122 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8123 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8124 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8125 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8128 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8129 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8130 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8131 lines with a single empty line.
8132 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8135 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8136 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8137 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8138 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8141 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8142 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8143 Do all the three commands above
8144 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8147 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8148 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8149 Remove all blank lines
8150 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8153 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8154 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8155 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8156 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8159 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8160 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8161 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8162 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8166 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8169 @node Article Buttons
8170 @subsection Article Buttons
8173 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8174 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8175 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8176 button on these references.
8178 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8179 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
8180 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
8185 @item gnus-button-alist
8186 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8187 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8190 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8196 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
8197 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
8198 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
8201 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8202 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8203 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8206 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8207 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8208 avoid false matches.
8211 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8214 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8215 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8219 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8222 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8225 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8226 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8227 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8228 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8229 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8232 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8235 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8237 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8238 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8239 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8240 default values of the variables above.
8242 @item gnus-article-button-face
8243 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8244 Face used on buttons.
8246 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8247 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8248 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8252 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8256 @subsection Article Date
8258 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8259 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8260 when the article was sent.
8265 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8266 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8267 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8268 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8271 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8272 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8274 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8275 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8278 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8279 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8280 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8283 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8284 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8285 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8286 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8289 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8290 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8291 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8292 @findex format-time-string
8293 Display the date using a user-defined format
8294 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8295 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8296 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8297 for a list of possible format specs.
8300 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8301 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8302 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8303 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8304 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8305 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8308 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8311 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8312 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8315 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8316 into wonderful absurdities.
8318 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8321 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8324 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8325 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8329 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8330 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8331 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8332 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8333 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8334 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8335 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8339 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8340 preferred format automatically.
8343 @node Article Signature
8344 @subsection Article Signature
8346 @cindex article signature
8348 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8349 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8350 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8351 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8352 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8353 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8354 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8355 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8356 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8359 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8360 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8361 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8362 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8363 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8364 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8365 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8366 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8369 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8372 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8373 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8374 signature when displaying articles.
8378 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8381 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8384 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8385 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8387 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8388 in question is not a signature.
8391 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8392 listed above. Here's an example:
8395 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8396 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8399 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8400 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8401 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8402 signature after all.
8405 @node Article Miscellania
8406 @subsection Article Miscellania
8410 @kindex A t (Summary)
8411 @findex gnus-article-babel
8412 Translate the article from one language to another
8413 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8419 @section @sc{mime} Commands
8420 @cindex MIME decoding
8422 @cindex viewing attachments
8424 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8425 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8431 @kindex K v (Summary)
8432 View the @sc{mime} part.
8435 @kindex K o (Summary)
8436 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8439 @kindex K c (Summary)
8440 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8443 @kindex K e (Summary)
8444 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8447 @kindex K i (Summary)
8448 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8451 @kindex K | (Summary)
8452 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8455 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8460 @kindex K b (Summary)
8461 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8462 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8466 @kindex K m (Summary)
8467 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8468 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8469 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8470 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8471 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8474 @kindex X m (Summary)
8475 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8476 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8477 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8478 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8481 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8482 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
8483 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8484 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8487 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8488 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8489 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8492 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8493 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8494 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8496 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8497 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8498 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8499 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
8500 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
8501 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8504 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8505 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8506 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8513 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8514 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8515 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8516 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8519 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8522 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8526 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8527 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8528 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8529 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8530 displayed or this variable is overriden by
8531 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8534 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8535 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8536 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8537 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8538 displayed. This variable overrides
8539 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8541 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8542 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8543 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} to the default value.
8545 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8546 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8547 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8548 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8549 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8550 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8551 save all jpegs into some directory).
8553 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8556 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8557 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8559 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8560 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8561 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8562 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8563 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8566 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8567 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8568 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8570 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8571 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8572 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8573 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8575 Ready-made functions include@*
8576 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8577 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8578 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8579 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8580 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8581 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8582 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8583 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8584 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8585 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8586 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8587 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8589 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8590 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8592 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8593 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8594 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8597 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8598 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8599 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8600 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8604 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8613 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8614 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8615 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8616 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8617 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8618 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8619 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8621 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8622 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8623 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8624 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8626 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8627 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
8628 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8629 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8630 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
8631 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8632 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
8633 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
8635 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8636 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8637 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8638 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8639 quoted-printable header encoding.
8641 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8642 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8643 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8647 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8650 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8651 means encode all charsets),
8653 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8654 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8655 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8662 @cindex coding system aliases
8663 @cindex preferred charset
8665 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8667 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8668 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8671 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8672 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8675 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8676 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8678 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8681 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8684 This will almost do the right thing.
8686 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8690 (codepage-setup 1251)
8691 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8695 @node Article Commands
8696 @section Article Commands
8703 @kindex A P (Summary)
8704 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8705 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8706 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8707 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
8708 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
8709 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
8714 @node Summary Sorting
8715 @section Summary Sorting
8716 @cindex summary sorting
8718 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8719 can't really see why you'd want that.
8724 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8725 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8726 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8729 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8730 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8731 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8734 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8735 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8736 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8739 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8740 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8741 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8744 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8745 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8746 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8749 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8750 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8751 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8754 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8755 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8756 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8759 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
8760 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
8761 Sort using the default sorting method
8762 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
8765 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8766 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8767 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8768 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8769 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8773 @node Finding the Parent
8774 @section Finding the Parent
8775 @cindex parent articles
8776 @cindex referring articles
8781 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8782 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8783 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8784 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8785 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8786 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8787 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8788 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8789 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8791 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8792 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8793 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
8794 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8795 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8799 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8800 @kindex A R (Summary)
8801 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8802 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8805 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8806 @kindex A T (Summary)
8807 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8808 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8809 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8810 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8811 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8812 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8813 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8815 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8816 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8817 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8818 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8819 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8820 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8823 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8824 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8826 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8827 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8828 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8829 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8830 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8831 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8832 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8835 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8836 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8837 by giving this command a prefix.
8839 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8840 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
8841 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8842 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8843 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8844 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8847 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8848 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8849 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8852 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8853 then ask Deja if that fails:
8856 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8858 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8861 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
8862 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox}
8863 and @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8864 @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder} and @code{nnimap}1 are only able to locate
8865 articles that have been posted to the current group. (Anything else
8866 would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at
8870 @node Alternative Approaches
8871 @section Alternative Approaches
8873 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8874 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8877 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8878 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8883 @subsection Pick and Read
8884 @cindex pick and read
8886 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8887 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8888 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8889 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8891 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8892 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8893 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8894 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8895 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8896 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8898 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8903 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8904 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8905 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8906 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8907 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8908 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8909 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8910 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8913 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8914 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8915 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8916 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8920 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8921 Unpick the thread or article
8922 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8923 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8924 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8925 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8926 the thread or article at that line.
8930 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8931 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8932 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8933 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8934 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8935 will still be visible when you are reading.
8939 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8940 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8941 which is mapped to the same function
8942 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8944 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8947 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8950 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8951 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8953 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8954 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8955 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8957 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8958 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8959 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8960 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8961 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8962 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8963 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8967 @subsection Binary Groups
8968 @cindex binary groups
8970 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8971 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8972 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8973 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8974 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8975 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8976 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8979 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8980 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8981 command, when you have turned on this mode
8982 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8984 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8985 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8989 @section Tree Display
8992 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8993 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
8994 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8995 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8998 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9001 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9002 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9003 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9005 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9006 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9007 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9008 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9009 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9011 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9012 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9013 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9014 default is @code{modeline}.
9016 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9017 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9018 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9019 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9020 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9021 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9022 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9028 The name of the poster.
9030 The @code{From} header.
9032 The number of the article.
9034 The opening bracket.
9036 The closing bracket.
9041 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9043 Variables related to the display are:
9046 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9047 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9048 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9049 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9050 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9051 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9053 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9054 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9055 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9056 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9060 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9061 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9062 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
9063 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
9064 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9065 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9066 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9067 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9068 other windows displayed next to it.
9070 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9071 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9072 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9073 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9074 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9075 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9076 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9080 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9083 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9093 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9097 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9098 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9100 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9102 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9107 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9108 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9109 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9112 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9113 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9114 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9115 (gnus-add-configuration
9119 (summary 0.75 point)
9124 @xref{Window Layout}.
9127 @node Mail Group Commands
9128 @section Mail Group Commands
9129 @cindex mail group commands
9131 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9132 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9134 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9135 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9140 @kindex B e (Summary)
9141 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9142 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9143 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9144 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9145 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9148 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9149 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9150 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9151 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9152 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9153 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9156 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9157 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9158 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9159 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9160 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9161 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9164 @kindex B m (Summary)
9166 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9167 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9168 Move the article from one mail group to another
9169 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9170 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9173 @kindex B c (Summary)
9175 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9176 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9177 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9178 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9179 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9182 @kindex B B (Summary)
9183 @cindex crosspost mail
9184 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9185 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9186 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9187 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9188 be properly updated.
9191 @kindex B i (Summary)
9192 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9193 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9194 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9195 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9198 @kindex B r (Summary)
9199 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9200 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9201 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9202 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9203 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9204 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9205 (which is the default).
9209 @kindex B w (Summary)
9211 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9212 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9213 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9214 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9215 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9216 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9219 @kindex B q (Summary)
9220 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9221 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9222 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9223 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9226 @kindex B t (Summary)
9227 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9228 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9229 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9232 @kindex B p (Summary)
9233 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9234 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9235 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9236 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9237 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9238 article from your news server (or rather, from
9239 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9240 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9241 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9242 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9243 just not have arrived yet.
9247 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9248 @cindex moving articles
9249 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
9250 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9251 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9252 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9253 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9254 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9255 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9258 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9259 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9260 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9261 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9265 @node Various Summary Stuff
9266 @section Various Summary Stuff
9269 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9270 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9271 * Summary Generation Commands::
9272 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9276 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9277 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9278 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9280 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9281 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9282 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9283 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9284 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9285 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9288 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9289 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9290 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9291 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9292 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9294 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9295 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9296 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9299 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9300 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9301 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9302 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9303 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9304 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9305 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
9306 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9307 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9308 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9310 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9311 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9312 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9313 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9314 list of articles to be selected.
9316 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9317 the list in one particular group:
9320 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9321 (if (string= group "some.group")
9322 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9326 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9327 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9328 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9329 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9330 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9331 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9332 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9333 buffers. For example:
9336 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9337 '(message-use-followup-to
9338 (gnus-visible-headers .
9339 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9345 @node Summary Group Information
9346 @subsection Summary Group Information
9351 @kindex H f (Summary)
9352 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9353 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9354 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9355 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9356 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9357 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9358 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9359 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9360 be used for fetching the file.
9363 @kindex H d (Summary)
9364 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9365 Give a brief description of the current group
9366 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9367 rereading the description from the server.
9370 @kindex H h (Summary)
9371 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9372 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9373 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9376 @kindex H i (Summary)
9377 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9378 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9382 @node Searching for Articles
9383 @subsection Searching for Articles
9388 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9389 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9390 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9391 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9394 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9395 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9396 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9397 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9401 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9402 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9403 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9404 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9405 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9406 search backward instead.
9408 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9409 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9412 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9413 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9414 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9415 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9418 @node Summary Generation Commands
9419 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9424 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9425 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9426 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9429 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9430 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9431 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9432 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9437 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9438 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9444 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9445 @kindex A D (Summary)
9446 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9447 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9448 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9449 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9450 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9451 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9452 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9453 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9457 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9458 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9459 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9460 several documents into one biiig group
9461 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9462 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9463 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9464 command understands the process/prefix convention
9465 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9468 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9469 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9470 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9471 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9472 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9473 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9477 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9478 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9479 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9482 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
9483 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9484 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9485 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9488 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
9489 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9490 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9491 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9496 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9497 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9498 @cindex summary exit
9499 @cindex exiting groups
9501 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9502 group and return you to the group buffer.
9508 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9510 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9511 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9512 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9513 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9514 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9515 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9516 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9517 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9518 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9519 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9520 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9524 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9526 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9527 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9528 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9532 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9534 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9535 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9536 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9537 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9540 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9541 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9542 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9543 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9546 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9547 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9548 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9549 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9552 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9553 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9554 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9555 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9556 all articles, both read and unread.
9560 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9561 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9562 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9563 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9564 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9565 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9566 articles, both read and unread.
9569 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9570 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9571 Exit the group and go to the next group
9572 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9575 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9576 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9577 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9578 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9581 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9582 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9583 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9584 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9585 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9586 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9589 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9590 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9591 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9592 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9594 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9595 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9596 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9597 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9598 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9599 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9600 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9601 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9602 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9603 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9604 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9605 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9607 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9609 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9610 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9611 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9612 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9613 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9614 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9615 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9616 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9617 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9620 @node Crosspost Handling
9621 @section Crosspost Handling
9625 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9626 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9627 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9628 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9629 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9630 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9633 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9634 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9635 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9636 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9637 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9639 @cindex cross-posting
9642 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9643 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9644 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9645 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9646 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9647 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9648 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9649 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9650 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9651 the cross reference mechanism.
9653 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9654 @cindex overview.fmt
9655 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9656 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9657 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9658 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9659 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9660 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9663 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9664 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9665 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9670 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9673 @node Duplicate Suppression
9674 @section Duplicate Suppression
9676 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9677 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9678 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9679 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9684 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9685 is evil and not very common.
9688 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9689 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9692 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9693 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9696 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9699 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9700 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9702 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9703 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9704 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9705 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9706 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9707 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9708 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9711 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9712 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9713 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9714 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9715 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9719 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9720 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9721 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9723 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9724 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9725 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9726 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9727 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
9728 session are suppressed.
9730 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9731 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9732 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9733 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9735 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9736 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9737 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9738 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9741 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
9742 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9743 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9744 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9745 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
9746 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9747 to you to figure out, I think.
9752 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
9753 The formats that are supported are PGP (plain text, RFC 1991 format),
9754 PGP/MIME (RFC 2015/3156) and S/MIME, however you need some external
9755 programs to get things to work:
9759 To verify or decrypt PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or
9760 gpg.el as well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG). @xref{Using GPG}.
9763 To verify or decrypt S/MIME message, you need to install OpenSSL.
9764 OpenSSL 0.9.6 or newer is recommended.
9768 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
9769 manual. @xref{Security, ,Security, message, The Message Manual}.
9772 @item mm-verify-option
9773 @vindex mm-verify-option
9774 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9775 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9776 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9778 @item mm-decrypt-option
9779 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9780 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9781 @code{always}, always decrypt @code{known}, only decrypt known
9782 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9787 @section Mailing List
9789 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
9790 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
9791 possibly using @kbd{A M} in the summary buffer, or say:
9794 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
9797 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
9802 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
9803 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
9804 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
9807 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
9808 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
9809 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
9812 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
9813 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
9814 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
9818 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
9819 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
9820 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
9823 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
9824 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9825 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
9828 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
9829 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9830 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
9834 @node Article Buffer
9835 @chapter Article Buffer
9836 @cindex article buffer
9838 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9839 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9840 tell gnus otherwise.
9843 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9844 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9845 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9846 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9847 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9851 @node Hiding Headers
9852 @section Hiding Headers
9853 @cindex hiding headers
9854 @cindex deleting headers
9856 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9857 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9859 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9860 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9861 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9862 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9863 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9864 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9865 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9866 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9867 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9869 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9873 @item gnus-visible-headers
9874 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9875 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9876 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9877 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9879 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9880 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9883 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9886 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9889 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9890 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9891 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9892 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9893 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9894 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9896 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
9897 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
9900 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9903 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9906 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9907 variable will have no effect.
9911 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9912 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9913 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9914 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9915 the headers are to be displayed.
9917 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
9918 and then the subject, you might say something like:
9921 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
9924 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
9925 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
9927 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9928 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
9929 You can hide further boring headers by setting
9930 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
9931 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
9932 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
9933 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
9936 These conditions are:
9939 Remove all empty headers.
9941 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
9942 @code{Newsgroups} header.
9944 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
9947 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9950 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
9951 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
9953 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9956 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9958 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9961 To include these three elements, you could say something like;
9964 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9965 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9968 This is also the default value for this variable.
9975 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9976 while people stand around yawning.
9978 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9979 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9981 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9982 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9983 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9985 @vindex gnus-show-mime
9986 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
9987 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
9988 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
9989 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
9990 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
9991 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
9992 calls the SEMI MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
9993 information on SEMI MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is not
9994 existed yet, sorry).
9996 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
9997 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
9998 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
9999 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
10000 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
10001 buffer. These can't be avoided.
10003 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
10004 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
10005 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
10006 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
10007 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
10008 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
10009 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
10010 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
10011 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
10014 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10016 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
10017 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
10018 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
10019 buffer when there are nobody else.
10021 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10024 @node Customizing Articles
10025 @section Customizing Articles
10026 @cindex article customization
10028 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10029 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10030 called automatically when you select the articles.
10032 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10033 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10034 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10035 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10037 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10038 for sensible values.
10042 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10045 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10048 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10051 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10054 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10058 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10059 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10060 regexps in the list.
10063 A list where the first element is not a string:
10065 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10066 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10067 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10071 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10075 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
10080 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10081 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10082 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10083 considered to contain just a single part.
10085 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10086 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10087 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10088 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10089 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10090 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10091 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10093 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10094 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10095 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10096 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10099 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10100 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10101 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10102 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10103 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10104 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10105 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10106 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10107 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10108 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10109 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
10110 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10111 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10112 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10113 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10114 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10115 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10116 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10117 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10118 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10119 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10120 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10121 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10122 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10123 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10124 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10125 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10126 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10127 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10128 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10129 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10130 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10131 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10132 @item gnus-treat-translate
10133 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10134 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset
10137 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10138 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10139 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10140 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10141 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10145 @node Article Keymap
10146 @section Article Keymap
10148 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10149 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10150 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10151 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10154 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10159 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10160 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10161 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10164 @kindex DEL (Article)
10165 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10166 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10169 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10170 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10171 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10172 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10173 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10176 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10177 @findex gnus-article-mail
10178 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10179 given a prefix, include the mail.
10182 @kindex s (Article)
10183 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10184 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10185 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10188 @kindex ? (Article)
10189 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10190 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10191 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10194 @kindex TAB (Article)
10195 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10196 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10197 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10200 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10201 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10202 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10208 @section Misc Article
10212 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10213 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10214 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10215 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10218 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10219 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10221 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10222 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10224 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10225 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10226 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10227 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10228 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10229 the contents of the article buffer.
10231 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10232 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10233 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10235 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10236 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10237 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10238 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10240 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10241 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10242 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10243 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10244 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10250 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10251 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10252 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10257 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10260 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10263 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10264 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10265 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10268 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10271 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10274 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10279 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10283 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10285 @item gnus-break-pages
10286 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10287 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10288 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10289 paging will not be done.
10291 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10292 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10293 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10298 @node Composing Messages
10299 @chapter Composing Messages
10300 @cindex composing messages
10303 @cindex sending mail
10309 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10310 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10311 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10312 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
10313 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10314 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10317 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10318 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
10319 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10320 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10321 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10322 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10323 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10324 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
10327 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10328 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10334 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10337 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10338 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10339 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10340 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
10342 @item gnus-add-to-list
10343 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10344 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10345 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10350 @node Posting Server
10351 @section Posting Server
10353 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10354 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10356 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10358 @vindex gnus-post-method
10360 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will post using the same
10361 select method as you're reading from (which might be convenient if
10362 you're reading lots of groups from different private servers).
10363 However. If the server you're reading from doesn't allow posting,
10364 just reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
10365 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
10366 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10369 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10372 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10373 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10374 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10375 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10377 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10378 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10380 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10381 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10384 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10385 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
10388 @node Mail and Post
10389 @section Mail and Post
10391 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10395 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10396 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10397 @cindex mailing lists
10399 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10400 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10401 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10402 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10403 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10404 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10405 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10406 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10407 still a pain, though.
10411 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10412 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10413 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10416 @findex ispell-message
10418 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10421 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10422 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10425 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10429 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10430 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10432 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10435 Modify to suit your needs.
10438 @node Archived Messages
10439 @section Archived Messages
10440 @cindex archived messages
10441 @cindex sent messages
10443 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10444 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10445 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10446 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10449 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10450 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
10451 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10454 (nnfolder "archive"
10455 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
10456 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
10457 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
10458 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
10461 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
10462 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
10463 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
10464 directory chosen, you could say something like:
10467 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
10468 '(nnfolder "archive"
10469 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
10470 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
10471 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
10474 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
10476 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
10477 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
10478 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
10480 This variable can be used to do the following:
10485 Messages will be saved in that group.
10487 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
10488 message will not be stored in the select method given by
10489 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
10490 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
10491 has the default value shown above. Then setting
10492 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
10493 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
10494 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
10498 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
10500 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
10501 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
10504 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
10509 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
10511 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
10514 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
10516 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
10519 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
10521 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10522 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
10523 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
10524 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
10527 More complex stuff:
10529 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10530 '((if (message-news-p)
10535 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
10536 messages in one file per month:
10539 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10540 '((if (message-news-p)
10542 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
10545 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
10546 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
10548 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
10549 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
10550 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
10551 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
10552 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
10553 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
10554 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
10555 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
10556 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
10557 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
10559 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
10560 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
10561 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
10562 this will disable archiving.
10565 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
10566 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
10567 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
10568 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
10569 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
10572 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
10573 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
10574 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
10577 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
10578 but the latter is the preferred method.
10580 @item gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10581 @vindex gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10582 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
10587 @node Posting Styles
10588 @section Posting Styles
10589 @cindex posting styles
10592 All them variables, they make my head swim.
10594 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
10595 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
10596 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
10599 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
10600 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
10601 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
10602 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
10603 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
10608 (signature "Peace and happiness")
10609 (organization "What me?"))
10611 (signature "Death to everybody"))
10612 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
10613 (organization "Emacs is it")))
10616 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
10617 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
10618 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
10619 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
10620 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
10621 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
10622 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
10623 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
10625 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
10626 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
10627 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header (the
10628 next element in the match) in the original article , and compare that to
10629 the last regexp in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function
10630 will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the
10631 variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be
10632 @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value,
10633 then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
10635 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
10636 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
10637 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
10638 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
10639 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
10640 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
10641 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
10642 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
10643 result is thrown away.
10645 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
10646 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
10647 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
10648 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
10649 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
10650 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
10652 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
10653 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
10654 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
10656 @findex message-mail-p
10657 @findex message-news-p
10659 So here's a new example:
10662 (setq gnus-posting-styles
10664 (signature-file "~/.signature")
10666 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
10667 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
10669 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
10670 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
10671 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
10673 (signature my-news-signature))
10674 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
10675 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
10676 ((posting-from-work-p)
10677 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
10678 (address "user@@bar.foo")
10679 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
10680 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
10682 (From (save-excursion
10683 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
10684 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
10686 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
10689 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
10690 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
10691 if you fill many roles.
10698 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
10699 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
10700 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
10701 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
10702 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
10704 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
10705 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
10706 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
10707 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
10708 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
10712 @vindex nndraft-directory
10713 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
10714 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
10715 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
10716 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
10717 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
10718 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
10720 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
10721 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
10724 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
10725 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
10726 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
10727 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
10728 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
10729 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
10730 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
10731 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
10732 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
10733 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
10734 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
10735 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
10736 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
10737 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
10739 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
10740 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
10741 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
10743 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
10744 @kindex D e (Draft)
10745 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
10746 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
10747 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
10749 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
10752 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
10753 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
10754 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
10755 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
10756 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
10757 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
10758 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
10761 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
10762 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
10763 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
10766 @node Rejected Articles
10767 @section Rejected Articles
10768 @cindex rejected articles
10770 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
10771 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
10772 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
10773 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
10775 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
10776 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
10777 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
10778 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
10779 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
10781 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
10782 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
10783 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
10789 Gnus has an ALPHA support to GPG that's provided by @file{gpg.el}. See
10790 @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} to enable Gnus to
10791 verify or decrypt messages accordingly.
10793 To use this correctly with GPG, you'll need the following lisp code in your
10794 @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10798 (setq mml2015-use 'gpg)
10799 (setq mml1991-use 'gpg)
10800 (setq gpg-temp-directory (expand-file-name "~/.gnupg/tmp"))
10803 The @code{gpg-temp-directory} need to point to a directory with permissions set
10804 to 700, for your own safety.
10806 If you want to benefit of PGP2.6 compatibility, you might create a script named
10807 @file{gpg-2comp} with these instructions:
10811 exec gpg --rfc1991 "$@@"
10814 If you don't want to use such compatibility, you can add the following line to
10815 your @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10818 (setq gpg-command-default-alist (quote ((gpg . "gpg") (gpg-2comp . "gpg"))))
10821 To sign or encrypt your message you may choose to use the MML Security
10822 menu or @kbd{C-c C-m s p} to sign your message using PGP/MIME,
10823 @kbd{C-c C-m s s} to sign your message using S/MIME. There's also
10824 @kbd{C-c C-m c p} to encrypt your message with PGP/MIME and @kbd{C-c
10825 C-m c s} to encrypt using S/MIME. @xref{Security, ,Security, message,
10826 The Message Manual}.
10828 Gnus will ask for your passphrase and then it will send your message, if
10829 you've typed it correctly.
10831 @node Select Methods
10832 @chapter Select Methods
10833 @cindex foreign groups
10834 @cindex select methods
10836 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
10837 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
10838 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
10839 personal mail group.
10841 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
10842 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
10843 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
10844 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
10845 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
10846 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
10848 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
10849 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
10851 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
10854 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
10855 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
10856 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
10857 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
10858 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
10860 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
10863 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
10864 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
10865 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
10866 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
10867 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
10868 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
10869 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
10870 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
10874 @node Server Buffer
10875 @section Server Buffer
10877 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
10878 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
10879 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
10880 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
10881 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
10882 back end represents a virtual server.
10884 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
10885 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
10886 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
10887 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
10889 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
10890 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
10891 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
10892 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
10893 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
10894 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
10895 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
10897 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
10898 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
10901 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
10902 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
10903 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
10904 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
10905 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
10906 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
10907 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
10910 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
10911 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
10914 @node Server Buffer Format
10915 @subsection Server Buffer Format
10916 @cindex server buffer format
10918 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
10919 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
10920 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
10921 variable, with some simple extensions:
10926 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
10929 The name of this server.
10932 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
10935 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
10938 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
10939 The mode line can also be customized by using the
10940 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
10941 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
10951 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
10954 @node Server Commands
10955 @subsection Server Commands
10956 @cindex server commands
10962 @findex gnus-server-add-server
10963 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
10967 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
10968 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
10971 @kindex SPACE (Server)
10972 @findex gnus-server-read-server
10973 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
10977 @findex gnus-server-exit
10978 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
10982 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
10983 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
10987 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
10988 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
10992 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
10993 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
10997 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
10998 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11002 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11003 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11004 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11009 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11010 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11011 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11012 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11017 @node Example Methods
11018 @subsection Example Methods
11020 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11023 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11026 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11032 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11033 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11036 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11037 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11039 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11040 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11044 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11047 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11048 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11050 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11051 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11052 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11056 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11059 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11062 Here's the method for a public spool:
11066 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11067 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11073 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11074 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11075 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11076 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11077 should probably look something like this:
11081 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11082 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11083 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11084 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11087 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11088 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11089 configuration to the example above:
11092 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11095 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11096 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11097 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11101 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11102 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11103 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11104 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11107 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11108 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11109 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11110 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11113 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11114 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11116 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11117 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11119 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11120 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11121 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11123 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11125 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11126 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11127 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11128 will contain the following:
11138 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11139 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11140 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11143 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11144 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11145 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11148 @node Server Variables
11149 @subsection Server Variables
11151 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11152 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11153 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11154 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11155 won't change the "derived" variables.
11157 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11158 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11159 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11160 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11161 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11162 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11163 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11164 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11165 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11169 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11170 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11171 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11175 @node Servers and Methods
11176 @subsection Servers and Methods
11178 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11179 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11180 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11181 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11185 @node Unavailable Servers
11186 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11188 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11189 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11190 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11191 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11192 actually the case or not.
11194 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11195 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11196 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11197 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11198 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11199 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11200 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11201 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11203 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11204 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11206 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11207 with the following commands:
11213 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11214 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11215 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11219 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11220 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11221 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11225 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11226 Mark the current server as unreachable
11227 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11230 @kindex M-o (Server)
11231 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11232 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11233 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11236 @kindex M-c (Server)
11237 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11238 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11239 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11243 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11244 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11245 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11251 @section Getting News
11252 @cindex reading news
11253 @cindex news back ends
11255 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11256 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11257 or it can read from a local spool.
11260 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11261 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11266 @subsection @sc{nntp}
11269 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11270 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11271 server as the, uhm, address.
11273 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11274 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11275 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11276 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11278 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11279 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11280 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11282 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11287 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11288 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11289 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11291 @cindex authentification
11292 @cindex nntp authentification
11293 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11294 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11295 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11296 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11297 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11298 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11299 present in this hook.
11301 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11302 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11303 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11304 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11305 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11306 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11307 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11308 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11309 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11310 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11311 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11312 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11316 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11319 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11321 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11322 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11323 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11324 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11325 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11326 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11327 @samp{force} is explained below.
11331 Here's an example file:
11334 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11335 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11338 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11339 have to be first, for instance.
11341 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
11342 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
11343 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
11344 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
11345 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
11346 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
11347 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
11349 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
11350 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
11356 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
11357 previously mentioned.
11359 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11361 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11362 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11363 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11364 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11365 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
11368 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
11369 '(("innd" (ding))))
11372 You probably don't want to do that, though.
11374 The default value is
11377 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
11378 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
11379 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
11382 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
11383 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
11385 @item nntp-maximum-request
11386 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
11387 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
11388 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
11389 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
11390 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
11391 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
11392 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
11394 @item nntp-connection-timeout
11395 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
11396 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
11397 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
11398 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
11399 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
11400 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
11401 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
11402 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
11403 no timeouts are done.
11405 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
11406 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
11407 @c @cindex PPP connections
11408 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
11409 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
11410 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
11411 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
11412 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
11413 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
11414 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
11415 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
11416 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
11417 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
11419 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
11420 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
11421 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
11422 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
11423 @c described above.
11425 @item nntp-server-hook
11426 @vindex nntp-server-hook
11427 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
11430 @item nntp-buggy-select
11431 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
11432 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
11434 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
11435 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
11436 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
11437 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
11440 @item nntp-xover-commands
11441 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
11444 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
11445 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
11449 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
11450 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
11451 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
11452 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
11453 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
11454 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
11455 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
11456 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
11457 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
11458 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
11459 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
11461 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
11462 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
11463 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
11465 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11466 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11467 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
11468 server closes connection.
11470 @item nntp-record-commands
11471 @vindex nntp-record-commands
11472 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
11473 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
11474 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
11475 that doesn't seem to work.
11477 @item nntp-open-connection-function
11478 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
11479 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
11480 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
11481 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
11482 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
11483 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
11484 indirect ones (two pre-made).
11486 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
11487 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
11488 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
11489 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
11490 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
11491 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
11492 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
11495 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
11498 @item nntp-list-options
11499 @vindex nntp-list-options
11500 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
11501 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
11502 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
11503 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
11504 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
11508 (setq gnus-select-method
11509 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11510 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
11513 @item nntp-options-subscribe
11514 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
11515 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
11516 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
11517 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
11518 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
11519 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
11522 (setq gnus-select-method
11523 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11524 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
11527 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
11528 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
11529 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
11530 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
11531 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
11532 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
11533 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
11536 (setq gnus-select-method
11537 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11538 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
11543 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
11544 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
11545 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
11549 @node Direct Functions
11550 @subsubsection Direct Functions
11551 @cindex direct connection functions
11553 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
11554 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
11555 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
11556 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11559 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
11560 @item nntp-open-network-stream
11561 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
11564 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
11565 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
11566 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
11567 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
11568 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
11569 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
11570 define a server as follows:
11573 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
11575 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
11577 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
11578 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
11579 (nntp-port-number "snews")
11580 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
11583 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
11584 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
11585 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
11586 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
11587 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
11588 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
11589 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
11590 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
11594 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11595 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
11596 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
11599 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
11600 session, which is not a good idea.
11604 @node Indirect Functions
11605 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
11606 @cindex indirect connection functions
11608 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
11609 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
11610 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
11611 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
11612 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
11613 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11616 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11617 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11618 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
11619 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
11620 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
11622 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11625 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
11626 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
11627 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
11628 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
11631 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11632 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11633 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
11634 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
11636 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11639 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
11640 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
11641 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
11644 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
11645 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
11646 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
11647 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
11649 @item nntp-via-user-password
11650 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
11651 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
11653 @item nntp-via-envuser
11654 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
11655 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
11656 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
11657 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
11659 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
11660 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
11661 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
11662 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
11669 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
11674 @item nntp-via-user-name
11675 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
11676 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
11678 @item nntp-via-address
11679 @vindex nntp-via-address
11680 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
11685 @node Common Variables
11686 @subsubsection Common Variables
11688 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
11689 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
11694 @item nntp-pre-command
11695 @vindex nntp-pre-command
11696 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
11697 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
11698 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
11699 wrapper for instance.
11702 @vindex nntp-address
11703 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
11705 @item nntp-port-number
11706 @vindex nntp-port-number
11707 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
11709 @item nntp-end-of-line
11710 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
11711 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
11712 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
11713 using a non native connection function.
11715 @item nntp-telnet-command
11716 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
11717 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
11718 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
11719 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
11721 @item nntp-telnet-switches
11722 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
11723 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
11730 @subsection News Spool
11734 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
11735 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
11736 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
11739 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
11740 anything else) as the address.
11742 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
11743 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
11744 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
11745 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
11749 @item nnspool-inews-program
11750 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
11751 Program used to post an article.
11753 @item nnspool-inews-switches
11754 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
11755 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
11757 @item nnspool-spool-directory
11758 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
11759 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
11760 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
11762 @item nnspool-nov-directory
11763 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
11764 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
11765 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
11767 @item nnspool-lib-dir
11768 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
11769 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
11771 @item nnspool-active-file
11772 @vindex nnspool-active-file
11773 The path to the active file.
11775 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
11776 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
11777 The path to the group descriptions file.
11779 @item nnspool-history-file
11780 @vindex nnspool-history-file
11781 The path to the news history file.
11783 @item nnspool-active-times-file
11784 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
11785 The path to the active date file.
11787 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
11788 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
11789 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
11792 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11793 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11795 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
11796 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
11797 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
11803 @section Getting Mail
11804 @cindex reading mail
11807 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
11811 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
11812 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
11813 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
11814 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
11815 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
11816 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
11817 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
11818 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
11819 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
11820 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
11821 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
11822 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
11823 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
11824 * Archiving Mail:: How to backup your mail.
11828 @node Mail in a Newsreader
11829 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
11831 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
11832 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
11833 of a culture shock.
11835 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
11836 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
11838 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
11839 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
11840 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
11841 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
11843 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
11845 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
11846 deleted? How awful!
11848 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
11849 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
11850 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
11851 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
11854 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
11855 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
11856 they want to treat a message.
11858 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
11859 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
11860 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
11861 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
11862 archived somewhere else.
11864 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
11865 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
11866 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
11867 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
11868 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
11870 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
11871 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
11872 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
11874 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
11875 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
11878 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
11879 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
11880 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
11881 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
11882 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
11884 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
11885 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
11886 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
11887 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
11888 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
11889 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
11893 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
11894 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
11896 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
11897 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
11898 and things will happen automatically.
11900 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
11901 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
11904 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
11907 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
11908 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
11909 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
11910 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
11911 like any other group.
11913 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
11916 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11917 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11918 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11922 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
11923 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
11924 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
11927 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
11928 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
11929 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
11932 @node Splitting Mail
11933 @subsection Splitting Mail
11934 @cindex splitting mail
11935 @cindex mail splitting
11937 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
11938 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
11939 to be split into groups.
11942 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11943 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11944 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11945 ("mail.other" "")))
11948 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
11949 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
11950 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
11951 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
11952 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
11953 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
11954 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
11957 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
11960 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
11961 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
11962 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
11963 mail belongs in that group.
11965 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
11966 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
11967 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
11968 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
11969 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
11970 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
11972 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
11973 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
11974 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
11975 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
11976 thinks should carry this mail message.
11978 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
11979 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
11980 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
11981 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
11983 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
11984 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
11985 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
11986 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
11987 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
11989 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
11992 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
11993 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
11994 links. If that's the case for you, set
11995 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
11996 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
11998 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
11999 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12000 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12001 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12002 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12003 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12006 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12007 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12008 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12009 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12010 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12011 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12012 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12013 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12014 month's rent money.
12018 @subsection Mail Sources
12020 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12021 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12025 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12026 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12027 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12031 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12032 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12034 @cindex mail server
12037 @cindex mail source
12039 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12040 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12045 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12048 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12049 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12050 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12053 The following mail source types are available:
12057 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12063 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12064 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
12067 An example file mail source:
12070 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12073 Or using the default path:
12079 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12080 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12081 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12084 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12088 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12091 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12095 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12098 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12100 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12103 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12107 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
12108 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
12109 That is, mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in the
12110 group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12111 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12112 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus
12113 to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you
12114 want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12120 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12124 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12128 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12129 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12130 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12131 predicate are considered.
12135 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12139 An example directory mail source:
12142 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12147 Get mail from a POP server.
12153 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12154 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12157 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12158 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12159 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12160 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12161 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12164 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12168 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12172 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12173 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12176 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12179 The valid format specifier characters are:
12183 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12184 included in this string.
12187 The name of the server.
12190 The port number of the server.
12193 The user name to use.
12196 The password to use.
12199 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12200 corresponding keywords.
12203 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12204 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12207 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12208 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12211 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12212 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12215 @item :authentication
12216 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12217 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12222 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12223 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12225 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12226 default user name, and default fetcher:
12232 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12235 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12236 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12239 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12242 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12246 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12247 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12248 contains exactly one mail.
12254 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12255 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12258 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12259 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12261 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12262 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12263 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12266 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12267 from locking problems).
12271 Two example maildir mail sources:
12274 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12275 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12279 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12284 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12285 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12286 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12287 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12290 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
12291 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
12297 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12298 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12301 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12302 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
12305 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12309 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12313 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12314 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12315 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
12316 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
12318 @item :authentication
12319 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
12320 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
12321 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
12322 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
12325 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
12326 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
12327 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
12333 The valid format specifier characters are:
12337 The name of the server.
12340 User name from `imap-default-user'.
12343 The port number of the server.
12346 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12347 corresponding keywords.
12350 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
12351 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
12354 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
12355 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
12356 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
12357 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
12358 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
12359 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
12362 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
12363 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
12364 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
12365 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
12368 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
12369 after finishing the fetch.
12373 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
12376 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
12378 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
12382 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
12383 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
12385 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
12388 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
12389 required for url "4.0pre.46".
12391 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
12397 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
12398 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
12401 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
12405 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
12409 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
12410 folder after finishing the fetch.
12414 An example webmail source:
12417 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
12419 :password "secret")
12424 @item Common Keywords
12425 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
12431 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
12432 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
12436 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
12441 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
12442 useful when you use local mail and news.
12447 @subsubsection Function Interface
12449 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
12450 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
12451 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
12452 consider the following mail-source setting:
12455 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
12456 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
12459 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
12460 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
12461 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
12462 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
12463 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
12465 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
12468 @node Mail Source Customization
12469 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
12471 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
12472 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
12476 @item mail-source-crash-box
12477 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
12478 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
12479 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
12481 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
12482 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
12483 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
12485 @item mail-source-directory
12486 @vindex mail-source-directory
12487 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
12488 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
12489 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
12492 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12493 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12494 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
12495 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
12496 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
12497 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
12499 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
12500 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
12501 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
12503 @item mail-source-movemail-program
12504 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
12505 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
12506 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
12511 @node Fetching Mail
12512 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
12514 @vindex mail-sources
12515 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
12516 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
12517 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
12518 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
12520 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
12521 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
12524 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
12525 mail server, you'd say something like:
12530 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12531 :password "secret")))
12534 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
12538 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
12539 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12542 :password "secret")))
12546 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
12547 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
12548 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
12549 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
12550 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
12551 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
12555 @node Mail Back End Variables
12556 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
12558 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
12562 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12563 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12564 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
12565 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
12567 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
12568 @item nnmail-split-hook
12569 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
12570 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
12571 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
12572 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
12573 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
12574 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
12575 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
12576 in the buffer will show up in any files.
12577 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
12580 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12581 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12582 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12583 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12584 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
12585 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
12586 starting to handle the new mail) and
12587 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
12588 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
12589 default file modes the new mail files get:
12592 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12593 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
12595 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12596 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
12599 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
12600 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
12601 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
12602 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
12603 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
12604 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
12605 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
12607 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
12608 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
12609 @findex delete-file
12610 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
12612 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12613 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12614 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
12615 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
12616 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
12621 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
12622 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
12623 @cindex mail splitting
12624 @cindex fancy mail splitting
12626 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
12627 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
12628 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
12629 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
12630 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
12631 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
12633 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
12636 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
12637 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
12638 ;; from real errors.
12639 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
12641 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
12642 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
12643 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
12644 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
12645 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
12646 ;; Other mailing lists...
12647 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
12648 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
12649 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
12650 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
12651 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
12652 ;; message was really cross-posted.
12653 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
12654 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
12656 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
12657 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
12661 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
12662 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
12663 the five possible split syntaxes:
12668 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
12669 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
12673 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
12674 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
12675 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
12676 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
12677 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
12678 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
12679 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
12680 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
12683 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12684 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
12685 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
12686 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
12689 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12690 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
12693 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
12694 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
12697 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
12698 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
12699 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
12700 function should return a @var{split}.
12703 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
12704 body of the messages:
12707 (defun split-on-body ()
12709 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
12710 (goto-char (point-min))
12711 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
12715 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
12716 when the @code{:} function is run.
12719 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12720 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
12721 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
12725 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
12729 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
12730 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
12731 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
12732 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
12733 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
12735 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
12736 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
12737 are expanded as specified by the variable
12738 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
12739 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
12742 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
12743 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
12744 when all this splitting is performed.
12746 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
12747 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
12748 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
12751 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
12754 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
12755 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
12757 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
12758 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
12759 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
12760 groupings 1 through 9.
12762 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
12763 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
12764 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
12765 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
12766 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
12767 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
12768 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
12769 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
12770 it once per thread.
12772 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
12773 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
12774 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
12777 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12778 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
12779 ;; other splits go here
12783 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
12784 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
12785 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
12786 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
12787 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
12788 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
12789 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
12790 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
12791 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
12792 unless the group name matches the regexp
12793 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
12794 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
12795 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
12796 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
12797 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12798 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
12799 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
12800 messages goes into the new group.
12803 @node Group Mail Splitting
12804 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
12805 @cindex mail splitting
12806 @cindex group mail splitting
12808 @findex gnus-group-split
12809 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
12810 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
12811 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
12812 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
12813 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
12814 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
12815 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
12816 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
12818 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
12819 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
12820 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
12821 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
12823 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
12824 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
12825 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
12826 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
12827 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
12828 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
12829 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
12831 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
12832 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
12833 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
12834 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
12835 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
12836 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
12837 @code{gnus-group-split}.
12839 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
12840 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
12841 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
12842 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
12843 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
12844 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
12845 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
12846 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
12847 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
12848 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
12849 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
12850 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
12851 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
12853 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
12858 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
12859 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
12861 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
12862 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
12863 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
12864 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
12866 ((split-spec . catch-all))
12869 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
12870 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
12871 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
12874 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
12875 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
12876 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
12880 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
12881 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
12882 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
12886 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
12889 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
12890 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
12891 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
12892 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
12893 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
12894 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
12895 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
12896 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
12897 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
12899 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
12900 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
12901 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
12902 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
12903 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
12904 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
12905 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
12906 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
12907 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
12909 @findex gnus-group-split-update
12910 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
12911 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
12912 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
12913 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
12914 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
12917 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
12920 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
12921 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
12922 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
12923 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
12924 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
12927 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
12928 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
12929 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
12930 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
12932 @node Incorporating Old Mail
12933 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
12934 @cindex incorporating old mail
12935 @cindex import old mail
12937 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
12938 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
12939 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
12942 Doing so can be quite easy.
12944 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
12945 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
12946 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
12947 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
12948 your @code{nnml} groups.
12954 Go to the group buffer.
12957 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
12958 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12961 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
12964 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
12965 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
12968 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
12969 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
12972 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
12973 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
12974 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
12975 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
12976 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
12978 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
12979 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
12980 using the new mail back end.
12983 @node Expiring Mail
12984 @subsection Expiring Mail
12985 @cindex article expiry
12987 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
12988 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
12989 different approach to mail reading.
12991 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
12992 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
12993 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
12994 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
12995 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
12996 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
12999 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13000 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
13001 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13002 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13003 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13004 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13005 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13006 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13008 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13009 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
13010 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
13011 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
13012 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
13013 column in the summary buffer.
13015 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13016 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13017 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13018 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13021 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13023 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13024 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13025 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13028 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13029 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13030 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13031 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13032 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13034 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13035 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13038 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13039 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13042 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13043 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13045 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13046 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13047 don't really mix very well.
13049 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13050 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13051 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13052 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13055 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13056 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13057 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13058 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13061 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13063 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13065 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13067 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13069 ((string= group "important")
13075 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13076 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13078 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13079 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13080 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13083 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13084 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13086 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13087 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13088 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
13089 other groups instead of deleting them. The variable @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
13090 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
13091 variable supplies a default value for all groups, which can be
13092 overridden for specific groups by the group parameter.
13093 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
13094 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
13095 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
13096 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
13097 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
13100 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13102 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13105 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13106 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13107 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
13108 expire mail to groups according to the variable
13109 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
13112 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13113 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13114 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
13115 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
13116 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
13119 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
13120 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
13121 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
13122 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
13123 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
13124 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
13126 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
13127 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
13128 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
13129 easier for procmail users.
13131 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
13132 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
13133 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
13134 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
13135 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
13136 caution. Even more dangerous is the
13137 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
13138 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
13139 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
13140 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
13141 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
13142 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
13143 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
13146 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
13148 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
13149 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
13150 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
13151 auto-expire turned on.
13155 @subsection Washing Mail
13156 @cindex mail washing
13157 @cindex list server brain damage
13158 @cindex incoming mail treatment
13160 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
13161 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
13162 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
13163 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
13164 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
13165 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
13167 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
13168 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
13169 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
13172 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
13173 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
13174 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
13175 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
13178 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13179 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13180 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
13181 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
13182 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
13185 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13186 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13187 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
13188 Emacs running on MS machines.
13192 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13193 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13194 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
13195 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13198 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13199 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13200 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13201 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13203 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13204 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13205 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13206 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13207 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13208 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13209 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13212 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13213 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13216 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13217 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13220 This can also be done non-destructively with
13221 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13223 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13224 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13225 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13227 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13228 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13230 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13231 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13232 @code{References} headers.
13236 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13237 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13238 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13242 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13243 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13244 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13251 @subsection Duplicates
13253 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13254 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13255 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13256 @cindex duplicate mails
13257 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
13258 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
13259 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
13260 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
13261 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
13262 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
13263 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
13264 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
13265 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
13266 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
13267 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
13268 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
13269 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
13271 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
13272 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
13273 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
13274 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
13276 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
13279 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
13280 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
13284 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13285 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
13286 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
13287 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
13288 (any mail "mail.misc")
13295 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13296 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
13301 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
13302 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
13303 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
13304 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
13305 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
13308 @node Not Reading Mail
13309 @subsection Not Reading Mail
13311 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
13312 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
13313 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
13315 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
13316 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
13317 mail, which should help.
13319 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13320 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13321 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13322 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13323 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13324 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
13325 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
13326 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
13327 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
13328 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
13329 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
13331 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
13332 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
13336 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
13337 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
13339 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
13340 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
13341 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
13343 There are five different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
13344 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
13345 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
13346 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
13349 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
13350 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
13351 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
13352 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
13353 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
13354 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
13358 @node Unix Mail Box
13359 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
13361 @cindex unix mail box
13363 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13364 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13365 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
13366 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
13367 which group it belongs in.
13369 Virtual server settings:
13372 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
13373 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13374 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
13377 @item nnmbox-active-file
13378 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13379 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
13380 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
13382 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
13383 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13384 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
13385 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
13390 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
13394 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13395 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13396 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
13397 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
13398 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
13400 Virtual server settings:
13403 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
13404 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13405 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
13407 @item nnbabyl-active-file
13408 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13409 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
13410 @file{~/.rmail-active}
13412 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13413 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13414 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
13420 @subsubsection Mail Spool
13422 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
13424 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
13425 format. It should be used with some caution.
13427 @vindex nnml-directory
13428 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
13429 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
13430 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
13431 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
13433 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
13436 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
13437 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
13438 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
13439 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
13440 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
13441 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
13442 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
13443 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
13445 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
13446 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
13447 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
13448 back end when it comes to reading mail.
13450 @cindex self contained nnml servers
13451 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
13452 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13453 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13454 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
13455 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
13456 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
13457 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
13458 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
13461 Virtual server settings:
13464 @item nnml-directory
13465 @vindex nnml-directory
13466 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
13467 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
13470 @item nnml-active-file
13471 @vindex nnml-active-file
13472 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
13473 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
13475 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
13476 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
13477 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13478 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
13480 @item nnml-get-new-mail
13481 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13482 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
13485 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
13486 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
13487 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13488 default is @code{nil}.
13490 @item nnml-nov-file-name
13491 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
13492 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
13494 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13495 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13496 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
13498 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
13499 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
13500 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13501 default is @code{nil}.
13503 @item nnml-marks-file-name
13504 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
13505 The name of the @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
13509 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
13510 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
13511 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
13512 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
13513 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
13514 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
13515 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
13520 @subsubsection MH Spool
13522 @cindex mh-e mail spool
13524 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
13525 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
13526 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
13527 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
13529 Virtual server settings:
13532 @item nnmh-directory
13533 @vindex nnmh-directory
13534 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
13535 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13538 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
13539 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13540 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
13544 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
13545 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
13546 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
13547 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
13548 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
13549 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
13550 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
13555 @subsubsection Mail Folders
13557 @cindex mbox folders
13558 @cindex mail folders
13560 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
13561 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
13562 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
13565 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
13566 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
13567 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13568 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13569 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
13570 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
13571 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
13572 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
13573 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
13574 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
13575 @code{nnfolder} directory).
13577 Virtual server settings:
13580 @item nnfolder-directory
13581 @vindex nnfolder-directory
13582 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
13583 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13586 @item nnfolder-active-file
13587 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
13588 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
13590 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13591 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13592 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13593 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
13595 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
13596 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13597 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
13600 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13601 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13602 @cindex backup files
13603 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
13604 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
13605 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
13606 your @file{.emacs} file:
13609 (defun turn-off-backup ()
13610 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
13612 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
13615 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13616 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13617 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
13618 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
13619 extract some information from it before removing it.
13621 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13622 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13623 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13624 default is @code{nil}.
13626 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13627 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13628 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
13630 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
13631 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
13632 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
13633 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13635 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13636 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13637 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13638 default is @code{nil}.
13640 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13641 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13642 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
13644 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
13645 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
13646 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
13647 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13652 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
13653 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
13654 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
13655 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
13656 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
13657 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
13660 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
13661 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
13663 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
13664 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
13665 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
13666 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
13667 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
13669 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
13670 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
13671 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
13672 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
13673 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
13674 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
13675 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
13676 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
13679 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
13680 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
13681 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
13682 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
13687 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
13688 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
13689 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
13690 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
13691 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
13692 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
13693 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
13694 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
13695 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
13696 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
13697 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
13698 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
13699 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
13704 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
13705 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
13706 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
13707 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
13708 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
13709 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
13710 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
13711 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
13712 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
13713 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
13714 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
13715 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
13716 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
13717 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
13719 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
13720 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
13725 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
13726 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
13727 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
13728 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
13729 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
13730 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
13731 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
13732 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
13733 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
13734 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
13735 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
13736 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
13737 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
13738 provided by the active file and overviews.
13740 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
13741 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
13742 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
13743 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
13744 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
13747 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
13748 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
13753 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
13754 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
13755 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
13756 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
13757 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
13758 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
13759 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
13763 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
13764 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
13765 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
13766 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
13767 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
13768 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
13769 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
13770 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
13771 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
13773 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
13774 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
13775 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
13776 friendly mail back end all over.
13781 @node Browsing the Web
13782 @section Browsing the Web
13784 @cindex browsing the web
13788 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
13789 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
13790 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
13791 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
13792 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
13793 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
13794 even know what a news group is.
13796 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
13797 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
13798 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
13799 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
13800 you mad in the end.
13802 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
13805 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
13806 interfaces to these sources.
13809 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
13810 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
13811 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
13812 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
13813 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
13814 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
13817 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
13819 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
13820 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
13821 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
13822 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
13823 though, you should be ok.
13825 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
13826 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
13827 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
13828 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
13829 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
13831 @node Archiving Mail
13832 @subsection Archiving Mail
13833 @cindex archiving mail
13834 @cindex backup of mail
13836 Some of the back ends, notably nnml and nnfolder, now actually store
13837 the article marks with each group. For these servers, archiving and
13838 restoring a group while preserving marks is fairly simple.
13840 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
13841 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @code{.newsrc.eld} deity
13844 To archive an entire @code{nnml} or @code{nnfolder} server, take a
13845 recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need to shut down
13846 Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or similar. You
13847 restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and adding a server
13848 definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The @ref{Article
13849 Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things might interfer
13850 with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus before you
13853 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml} or
13854 @code{nnfolder} groups, while preserving marks. For @code{nnml}, you
13855 copy all files in the group's directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need
13856 to copy both the base folder file itself (@code{FOO}, say), and the
13857 marks file (@code{FOO.mrk} in this example). Restoring the group is
13858 done with @kbd{G m} from the Group buffer. The last step makes Gnus
13859 notice the new directory.
13862 @subsection Web Searches
13866 @cindex InReference
13867 @cindex Usenet searches
13868 @cindex searching the Usenet
13870 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
13871 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
13872 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
13873 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
13874 searches without having to use a browser.
13876 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
13877 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
13878 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
13879 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
13880 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
13882 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
13883 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
13884 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
13885 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
13886 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
13887 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
13888 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
13889 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
13890 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
13891 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
13894 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
13895 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
13896 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
13897 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
13898 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
13899 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
13901 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
13902 to use @code{nnweb}.
13904 Virtual server variables:
13909 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
13910 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
13914 @vindex nnweb-search
13915 The search string to feed to the search engine.
13917 @item nnweb-max-hits
13918 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
13919 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
13922 @item nnweb-type-definition
13923 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
13924 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
13925 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
13930 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
13934 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
13937 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
13940 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
13944 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
13951 @subsection Slashdot
13955 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
13956 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
13957 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
13959 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
13960 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
13963 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
13964 '((nnslashdot "")))
13967 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
13968 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
13969 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
13970 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
13971 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
13974 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
13975 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13977 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
13978 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
13979 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
13980 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
13981 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
13982 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
13985 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
13988 @item nnslashdot-threaded
13989 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
13990 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
13991 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
13992 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
13993 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
13994 but much, much slower than untreaded.
13996 @item nnslashdot-login-name
13997 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
13998 The login name to use when posting.
14000 @item nnslashdot-password
14001 @vindex nnslashdot-password
14002 The password to use when posting.
14004 @item nnslashdot-directory
14005 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
14006 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
14007 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
14009 @item nnslashdot-active-url
14010 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
14011 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
14012 news articles and comments. The default is
14013 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
14015 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
14016 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
14017 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
14019 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
14021 @item nnslashdot-article-url
14022 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
14023 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
14025 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
14027 @item nnslashdot-threshold
14028 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
14029 The score threshold. The default is -1.
14031 @item nnslashdot-group-number
14032 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
14033 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
14034 updated. The default is 0.
14041 @subsection Ultimate
14043 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
14045 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
14046 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
14047 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
14048 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
14050 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
14051 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
14052 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
14053 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
14054 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
14055 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
14056 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
14058 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
14061 @item nnultimate-directory
14062 @vindex nnultimate-directory
14063 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
14064 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
14069 @subsection Web Archive
14071 @cindex Web Archive
14073 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
14074 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
14075 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
14076 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14079 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
14080 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
14081 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
14082 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
14083 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
14084 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
14085 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
14087 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
14090 @item nnwarchive-directory
14091 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
14092 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
14093 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
14095 @item nnwarchive-login
14096 @vindex nnwarchive-login
14097 The account name on the web server.
14099 @item nnwarchive-passwd
14100 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
14101 The password for your account on the web server.
14109 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
14110 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
14111 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14114 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
14115 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
14118 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
14121 @item nnrss-directory
14122 @vindex nnrss-directory
14123 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
14124 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
14128 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
14129 the summary buffer.
14132 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
14133 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
14135 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
14137 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
14138 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
14141 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
14144 (require 'browse-url)
14146 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
14148 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
14151 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
14152 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
14154 (browse-url (cdr url))
14155 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
14157 (eval-after-load "gnus"
14158 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
14159 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
14160 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
14163 @node Customizing w3
14164 @subsection Customizing w3
14170 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
14171 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
14172 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
14174 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
14175 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
14176 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
14179 (eval-after-load "w3"
14181 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
14182 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
14183 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
14184 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
14186 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
14189 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
14190 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
14198 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14199 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14200 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14201 specify the network address of the server.
14203 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14204 POP can, it can hence be viewed as POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14205 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14206 protocol. (@sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp} because news
14207 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.)
14209 If you want to use @sc{imap} as POP++, use an imap entry in
14210 mail-sources. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the @sc{imap}
14211 server and store them on the local disk. This is not the usage
14212 described in this section. @xref{Mail Sources}.
14214 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14215 entry in gnus-secondary-select-methods. With this, Gnus will
14216 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14217 usage explained in this section.
14219 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14220 might look something like this:
14223 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14224 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14225 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14227 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14228 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14229 ; a UW server running on localhost
14231 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14232 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14233 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14234 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14235 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14236 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14237 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
14238 (nnimap-stream network))
14239 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
14241 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
14242 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
14243 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
14246 (Note that for SSL/TLS to work, you need the external library
14247 @samp{ssl.el}, see below.)
14249 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
14254 @item nnimap-address
14255 @vindex nnimap-address
14257 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
14258 server name if not specified.
14260 @item nnimap-server-port
14261 @vindex nnimap-server-port
14262 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
14264 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
14267 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14268 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
14271 @item nnimap-list-pattern
14272 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
14273 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
14274 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
14275 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
14276 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
14277 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
14279 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
14280 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
14281 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14284 Example server specification:
14287 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14288 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14289 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14292 @item nnimap-stream
14293 @vindex nnimap-stream
14294 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14295 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14296 of SSL/TLS. (IMAP over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
14297 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
14299 Example server specification:
14302 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14303 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14306 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14310 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Requires the
14311 @samp{imtest} program.
14313 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
14315 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14316 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14319 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
14320 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
14321 library @samp{ssl.el}.
14323 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14325 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14328 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14329 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
14330 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
14331 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
14332 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
14333 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
14334 restrictions on IMAP commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
14335 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
14336 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14339 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14340 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14341 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14342 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
14343 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14344 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14345 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14346 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
14347 distribution, for instance).
14349 @vindex imap-shell-program
14350 @vindex imap-shell-host
14351 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14352 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14354 @item nnimap-authenticator
14355 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14357 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14358 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14360 Example server specification:
14363 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14364 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14367 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14371 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
14372 external program @code{imtest}.
14374 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
14377 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
14378 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14380 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14382 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14384 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14387 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14389 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14390 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14391 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14392 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14393 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14394 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14397 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14398 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14399 running in circles yet?
14401 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14402 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14405 The possible options are:
14410 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14413 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14414 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14415 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14416 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14418 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14423 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
14424 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
14426 If non-nil, marks dormant articles as ticked (as well), for other IMAP
14427 clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will naturally still (only) be
14428 marked as ticked. This is to make dormant articles stand out, just
14429 like ticked articles, in other IMAP clients. (In other words, Gnus has
14430 two ``Tick'' marks and IMAP has only one.)
14432 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
14433 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
14436 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
14437 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14438 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
14439 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14442 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
14443 as ticked for other users.
14445 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
14447 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
14449 This variable contain the IMAP search command sent to server when
14450 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
14451 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
14452 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
14454 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
14455 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
14456 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
14457 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
14459 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14460 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14462 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14463 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14464 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14470 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14471 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14472 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14477 @node Splitting in IMAP
14478 @subsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
14479 @cindex splitting imap mail
14481 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14482 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14483 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14484 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14485 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14489 Here are the variables of interest:
14493 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14494 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14496 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14498 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14499 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14501 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14503 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14504 @cindex splitting, inbox
14506 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14508 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14509 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14513 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14514 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14517 No nnmail equivalent.
14519 @item nnimap-split-rule
14520 @cindex Splitting, rules
14521 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14523 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14526 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14527 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14528 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14529 Neither did I, we need examples.
14532 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14534 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14535 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14536 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14539 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14540 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14541 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
14543 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14544 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14548 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14551 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14552 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14553 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14554 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14556 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14557 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14558 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14559 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
14560 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14561 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14563 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14564 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14565 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14567 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14568 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14569 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14571 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
14573 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14574 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14575 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14578 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14579 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14580 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14581 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14582 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14583 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14586 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14587 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14588 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14589 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14590 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14591 group/function elements.
14593 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14595 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14597 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14599 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14600 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14602 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14603 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14604 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14607 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14608 @cindex splitting, fancy
14609 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14610 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14612 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14613 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14614 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14616 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14617 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14618 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14619 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14624 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14625 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14628 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14632 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14633 @subsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14634 @cindex editing imap acls
14635 @cindex Access Control Lists
14636 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14638 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14640 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14641 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14642 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14645 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14646 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14647 editing window with detailed instructions.
14649 Some possible uses:
14653 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
14654 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
14655 follow the list without subscribing to it.
14657 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
14658 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
14659 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
14663 @node Expunging mailboxes
14664 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
14668 @cindex Manual expunging
14670 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
14672 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
14673 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
14674 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
14676 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
14681 @node Other Sources
14682 @section Other Sources
14684 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
14685 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
14689 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
14690 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
14691 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
14692 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
14693 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
14697 @node Directory Groups
14698 @subsection Directory Groups
14700 @cindex directory groups
14702 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
14703 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
14706 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
14707 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
14708 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
14709 back end to read directories. Big deal.
14711 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
14712 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
14713 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
14714 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
14715 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
14717 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
14719 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
14720 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
14721 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
14722 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
14725 @node Anything Groups
14726 @subsection Anything Groups
14729 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
14730 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
14731 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
14734 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
14735 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
14736 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
14737 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
14738 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
14739 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
14740 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
14741 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
14742 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
14743 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
14746 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
14747 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
14748 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
14749 in the article buffer, just as usual.
14751 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
14752 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
14753 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
14754 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
14756 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
14757 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
14758 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
14759 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
14760 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
14761 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
14762 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
14763 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
14768 @item nneething-map-file-directory
14769 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
14770 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
14771 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
14773 @item nneething-exclude-files
14774 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
14775 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
14776 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
14778 @item nneething-include-files
14779 @vindex nneething-include-files
14780 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
14781 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
14783 @item nneething-map-file
14784 @vindex nneething-map-file
14785 Name of the map files.
14789 @node Document Groups
14790 @subsection Document Groups
14792 @cindex documentation group
14795 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
14796 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
14803 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
14808 The standard Unix mbox file.
14810 @cindex MMDF mail box
14812 The MMDF mail box format.
14815 Several news articles appended into a file.
14818 @cindex rnews batch files
14819 The rnews batch transport format.
14820 @cindex forwarded messages
14823 Forwarded articles.
14826 Netscape mail boxes.
14829 MIME multipart messages.
14831 @item standard-digest
14832 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
14835 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
14838 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
14839 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
14840 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
14843 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
14844 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
14845 group. And that's it.
14847 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
14848 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
14849 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
14850 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
14851 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
14852 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
14853 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
14854 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
14855 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
14856 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
14858 Virtual server variables:
14861 @item nndoc-article-type
14862 @vindex nndoc-article-type
14863 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
14864 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
14865 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
14866 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail},
14867 @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman} or @code{guess}.
14869 @item nndoc-post-type
14870 @vindex nndoc-post-type
14871 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
14872 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
14877 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
14881 @node Document Server Internals
14882 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
14884 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
14885 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
14886 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
14887 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
14889 First, here's an example document type definition:
14893 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
14894 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
14897 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
14898 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
14899 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
14900 types can be defined with very few settings:
14903 @item first-article
14904 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
14905 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
14908 @item article-begin
14909 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
14910 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
14912 @item head-begin-function
14913 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
14916 @item nndoc-head-begin
14917 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
14920 @item nndoc-head-end
14921 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
14922 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
14924 @item body-begin-function
14925 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
14929 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
14932 @item body-end-function
14933 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
14937 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
14940 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
14941 regexp will be totally ignored.
14945 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
14946 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
14947 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
14948 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
14949 something that's palatable for Gnus:
14952 @item prepare-body-function
14953 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
14954 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
14955 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
14957 @item article-transform-function
14958 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
14959 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
14960 body of the article.
14962 @item generate-head-function
14963 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
14964 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
14965 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
14966 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
14970 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
14975 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
14976 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
14977 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
14978 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
14979 (head-end . "^ ?$")
14980 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
14981 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
14982 (subtype digest guess))
14985 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
14986 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
14987 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
14988 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
14989 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
14991 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
14992 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
14993 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
14994 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
14995 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
14996 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
14997 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
14998 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
14999 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
15000 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
15008 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
15009 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
15010 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
15012 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
15013 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
15014 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
15017 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
15018 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
15019 that interested in doing things properly.
15021 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
15022 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
15025 First some terminology:
15030 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
15031 get news and/or mail from.
15034 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
15035 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
15038 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
15042 @item message packets
15043 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
15044 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
15045 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15047 @item response packets
15048 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
15049 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
15050 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15060 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
15061 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
15062 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
15063 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
15066 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
15069 You put the packet in your home directory.
15072 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
15073 the native or secondary server.
15076 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
15077 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
15080 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
15084 You transfer this packet to the server.
15087 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
15090 You then repeat until you die.
15094 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
15095 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
15098 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
15099 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
15100 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
15104 @node SOUP Commands
15105 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
15107 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
15111 @kindex G s b (Group)
15112 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
15113 Pack all unread articles in the current group
15114 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
15115 process/prefix convention.
15118 @kindex G s w (Group)
15119 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
15120 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
15123 @kindex G s s (Group)
15124 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
15125 Send all replies from the replies packet
15126 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
15129 @kindex G s p (Group)
15130 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
15131 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
15134 @kindex G s r (Group)
15135 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
15136 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
15139 @kindex O s (Summary)
15140 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
15141 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
15142 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
15143 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15148 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
15153 @item gnus-soup-directory
15154 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
15155 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
15156 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
15158 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
15159 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
15160 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
15161 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
15163 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
15164 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
15165 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
15166 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
15168 @item gnus-soup-packer
15169 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
15170 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15171 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
15173 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
15174 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
15175 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15176 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15178 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
15179 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
15180 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
15182 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15183 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15184 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
15185 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
15191 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
15194 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
15195 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
15196 you can read them at leisure.
15198 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
15202 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
15203 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
15204 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
15205 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
15207 @item nnsoup-directory
15208 @vindex nnsoup-directory
15209 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
15210 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
15212 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
15213 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
15214 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
15215 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
15217 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
15218 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
15219 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
15220 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
15221 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
15223 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
15224 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
15225 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
15226 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
15228 @item nnsoup-active-file
15229 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
15230 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
15231 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
15232 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
15233 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
15235 @item nnsoup-packer
15236 @vindex nnsoup-packer
15237 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
15238 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
15240 @item nnsoup-unpacker
15241 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
15242 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
15243 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15245 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
15246 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
15247 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
15250 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
15251 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
15252 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
15255 @item nnsoup-always-save
15256 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
15257 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
15263 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
15265 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
15266 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
15267 more for that to happen.
15269 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
15270 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
15271 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
15274 In specific, this is what it does:
15277 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
15278 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
15281 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
15282 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
15283 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
15286 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
15287 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
15288 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
15291 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
15292 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
15293 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
15295 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
15301 @item nngateway-address
15302 @vindex nngateway-address
15303 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
15305 @item nngateway-header-transformation
15306 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
15307 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
15308 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
15309 transformation should be called, and defaults to
15310 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
15311 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
15314 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
15315 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
15316 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
15319 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
15322 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
15325 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
15328 The following pre-defined functions exist:
15330 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15333 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15334 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15335 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
15337 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15339 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15340 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15341 @code{nngateway-address}.
15346 (setq gnus-post-method
15348 "mail2news@@replay.com"
15349 (nngateway-header-transformation
15350 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
15358 So, to use this, simply say something like:
15361 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
15366 @node Combined Groups
15367 @section Combined Groups
15369 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
15373 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
15374 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
15378 @node Virtual Groups
15379 @subsection Virtual Groups
15381 @cindex virtual groups
15382 @cindex merging groups
15384 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
15387 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
15388 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
15389 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
15391 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
15392 regexp to match component groups.
15394 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
15395 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
15396 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
15397 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
15398 the virtual group.)
15400 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
15401 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
15404 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
15407 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
15408 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
15410 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
15411 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
15412 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
15413 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
15416 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
15419 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
15420 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
15421 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
15423 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
15424 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
15425 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
15426 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
15427 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
15429 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
15430 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
15431 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
15433 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
15434 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
15435 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
15436 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15437 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
15438 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
15439 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
15440 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
15441 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
15442 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
15443 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
15445 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
15446 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
15447 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
15448 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
15449 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
15450 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
15451 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
15453 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
15454 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
15458 @node Kibozed Groups
15459 @subsection Kibozed Groups
15463 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
15464 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
15465 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
15466 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
15468 @kindex G k (Group)
15469 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
15472 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
15473 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
15474 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
15475 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
15477 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
15478 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
15479 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
15481 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
15482 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
15483 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
15484 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
15485 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
15486 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
15487 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
15488 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
15490 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
15491 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
15492 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
15493 Stranger things have happened.
15495 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
15496 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
15498 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
15499 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
15500 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
15501 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
15502 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
15503 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
15505 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
15506 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
15509 @node Gnus Unplugged
15510 @section Gnus Unplugged
15515 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
15517 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
15518 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
15519 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
15520 read news. Believe it or not.
15522 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
15523 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
15524 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
15525 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
15526 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
15528 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
15529 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
15530 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
15531 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
15532 reading news on a machine.
15534 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
15538 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
15539 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
15543 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
15544 @file{.gnus.el} file:
15551 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
15553 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
15556 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
15557 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
15558 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
15559 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
15560 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
15561 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
15562 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
15563 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
15564 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
15565 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
15570 @subsection Agent Basics
15572 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
15574 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
15575 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
15576 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
15577 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
15579 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
15580 connected to the net continuously.
15582 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
15583 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
15585 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
15590 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
15591 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
15592 already fetched while in this mode.
15595 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
15596 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
15597 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
15598 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
15599 Source Specifiers}).
15602 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
15603 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
15604 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
15605 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
15606 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
15609 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
15610 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
15611 then you read the news offline.
15614 And then you go to step 2.
15617 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
15623 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
15624 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
15625 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
15626 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
15627 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
15628 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
15631 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
15638 @node Agent Categories
15639 @subsection Agent Categories
15641 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
15642 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
15643 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
15644 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
15645 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
15646 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
15647 you're interested in the articles anyway.
15649 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
15650 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
15651 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
15652 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
15653 managing categories.
15656 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
15657 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
15658 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
15662 @node Category Syntax
15663 @subsubsection Category Syntax
15665 A category consists of two things.
15669 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
15670 are eligible for downloading; and
15673 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
15674 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
15675 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
15678 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
15679 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
15680 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
15681 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
15683 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
15684 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
15685 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
15687 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
15688 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
15689 operators sprinkled in between.
15691 Perhaps some examples are in order.
15693 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
15694 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
15700 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
15701 short (for some value of ``short'').
15703 Here's a more complex predicate:
15712 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
15713 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
15716 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
15717 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
15718 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
15720 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
15721 you want to do, you can write your own.
15725 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
15726 lines; default 100.
15729 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
15730 lines; default 200.
15733 True iff the article has a download score less than
15734 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
15737 True iff the article has a download score greater than
15738 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
15741 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
15742 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
15743 checksum and sees whether articles match.
15752 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
15753 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
15754 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
15757 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
15758 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
15759 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
15760 something along the lines of the following:
15763 (defun my-article-old-p ()
15764 "Say whether an article is old."
15765 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
15766 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
15769 with the predicate then defined as:
15772 (not my-article-old-p)
15775 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
15776 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
15777 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
15778 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
15781 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
15782 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
15783 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
15786 and simply specify your predicate as:
15792 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
15793 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
15794 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
15795 just don't give a damn.
15797 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
15798 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
15799 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
15800 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
15801 parameters like so:
15804 (agent-predicate . short)
15807 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
15808 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
15809 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
15811 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
15814 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
15817 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
15818 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
15819 predicate is assumed to be a list.
15822 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
15823 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
15824 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
15825 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
15826 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
15827 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
15829 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
15830 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
15831 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
15832 if it's to be specific to that group.
15834 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
15841 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
15842 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
15848 Category specification
15852 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15858 Group Parameter specification
15861 (agent-score ("from"
15862 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15867 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
15873 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
15880 Category specification
15883 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
15889 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
15893 Group Parameter specification
15896 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
15899 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
15904 Use @code{normal} score files
15906 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
15907 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
15908 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
15909 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
15911 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
15912 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
15913 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
15914 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
15918 Category Specification
15925 Group Parameter specification
15928 (agent-score . file)
15933 @node Category Buffer
15934 @subsubsection Category Buffer
15936 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
15937 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
15938 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
15940 The following commands are available in this buffer:
15944 @kindex q (Category)
15945 @findex gnus-category-exit
15946 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
15949 @kindex k (Category)
15950 @findex gnus-category-kill
15951 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
15954 @kindex c (Category)
15955 @findex gnus-category-copy
15956 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
15959 @kindex a (Category)
15960 @findex gnus-category-add
15961 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
15964 @kindex p (Category)
15965 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
15966 Edit the predicate of the current category
15967 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
15970 @kindex g (Category)
15971 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
15972 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
15973 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
15976 @kindex s (Category)
15977 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
15978 Edit the download score rule of the current category
15979 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
15982 @kindex l (Category)
15983 @findex gnus-category-list
15984 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
15988 @node Category Variables
15989 @subsubsection Category Variables
15992 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
15993 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
15994 Hook run in category buffers.
15996 @item gnus-category-line-format
15997 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
15998 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
15999 Variables}). Valid elements are:
16003 The name of the category.
16006 The number of groups in the category.
16009 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
16010 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
16011 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
16013 @item gnus-agent-short-article
16014 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
16015 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
16017 @item gnus-agent-long-article
16018 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
16019 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
16021 @item gnus-agent-low-score
16022 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
16023 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
16026 @item gnus-agent-high-score
16027 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
16028 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
16034 @node Agent Commands
16035 @subsection Agent Commands
16037 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
16038 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
16039 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
16043 * Group Agent Commands::
16044 * Summary Agent Commands::
16045 * Server Agent Commands::
16048 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
16049 following incantation:
16051 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
16053 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
16058 @node Group Agent Commands
16059 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
16063 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
16064 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
16065 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
16066 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
16069 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
16070 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
16071 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
16074 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
16075 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
16076 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
16077 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
16080 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
16081 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
16082 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
16083 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
16086 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
16087 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
16088 Add the current group to an Agent category
16089 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
16090 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16093 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
16094 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
16095 Remove the current group from its category, if any
16096 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
16097 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16100 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
16101 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16102 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
16108 @node Summary Agent Commands
16109 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
16113 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
16114 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
16115 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
16118 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
16119 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
16120 Remove the downloading mark from the article
16121 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
16124 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
16125 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
16126 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
16129 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
16130 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
16131 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
16134 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
16135 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
16136 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
16137 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
16142 @node Server Agent Commands
16143 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
16147 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
16148 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
16149 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
16150 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
16153 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
16154 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
16155 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
16156 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
16162 @subsection Agent Expiry
16164 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
16165 @findex gnus-agent-expire
16166 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
16167 @cindex Agent expiry
16168 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
16171 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
16172 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
16173 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
16174 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
16175 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
16176 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
16178 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
16179 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
16180 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
16181 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
16182 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
16185 @node Agent and IMAP
16186 @subsection Agent and IMAP
16188 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
16189 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
16190 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
16191 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
16193 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
16194 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
16195 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
16196 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
16198 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
16199 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
16200 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
16201 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
16202 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
16204 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16205 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
16206 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
16207 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
16208 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
16209 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
16211 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
16212 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
16213 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
16214 in the group buffer by default.
16216 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
16217 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
16222 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
16225 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
16229 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
16230 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
16231 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
16232 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
16233 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
16234 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
16235 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
16236 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
16239 @node Outgoing Messages
16240 @subsection Outgoing Messages
16242 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
16243 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
16244 after posting, and edit them at will.
16246 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
16247 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
16248 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
16249 messages in the draft group.
16253 @node Agent Variables
16254 @subsection Agent Variables
16257 @item gnus-agent-directory
16258 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
16259 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
16260 @file{~/News/agent/}.
16262 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
16263 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
16264 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
16265 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
16266 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
16269 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16270 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16271 Hook run when connecting to the network.
16273 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16274 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16275 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
16280 @node Example Setup
16281 @subsection Example Setup
16283 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
16284 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
16285 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
16288 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
16289 ;;; from your ISP's server.
16290 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
16292 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
16293 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
16294 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
16296 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
16297 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
16299 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
16303 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
16304 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
16307 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
16308 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
16309 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
16310 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
16311 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
16314 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
16315 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
16316 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
16317 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
16318 back all the killed groups.)
16320 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
16321 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
16322 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
16325 @node Batching Agents
16326 @subsection Batching Agents
16328 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
16329 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
16330 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
16334 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
16338 @node Agent Caveats
16339 @subsection Agent Caveats
16341 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
16342 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
16346 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
16351 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
16352 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
16358 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
16359 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
16366 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
16367 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
16368 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
16371 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
16372 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
16373 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
16374 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
16375 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
16377 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
16378 before generating the summary buffer.
16380 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
16381 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
16382 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
16384 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
16385 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
16386 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
16387 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
16390 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
16391 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
16392 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
16393 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
16394 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
16395 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
16396 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
16397 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
16398 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
16399 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
16400 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
16401 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
16402 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
16403 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
16404 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
16405 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
16406 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
16410 @node Summary Score Commands
16411 @section Summary Score Commands
16412 @cindex score commands
16414 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
16415 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
16416 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
16417 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
16418 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
16420 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
16421 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
16422 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
16423 score file the current one.
16425 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
16430 @kindex V s (Summary)
16431 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
16432 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
16435 @kindex V S (Summary)
16436 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
16437 Display the score of the current article
16438 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
16441 @kindex V t (Summary)
16442 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
16443 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
16444 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
16447 @kindex V R (Summary)
16448 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
16449 Run the current summary through the scoring process
16450 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
16451 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
16452 effect you're having.
16455 @kindex V c (Summary)
16456 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
16457 Make a different score file the current
16458 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
16461 @kindex V e (Summary)
16462 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
16463 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
16464 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
16468 @kindex V f (Summary)
16469 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
16470 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
16471 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
16474 @kindex V F (Summary)
16475 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16476 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
16477 after editing score files.
16480 @kindex V C (Summary)
16481 @findex gnus-score-customize
16482 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
16483 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
16487 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
16492 @kindex V m (Summary)
16493 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
16494 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
16495 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
16498 @kindex V x (Summary)
16499 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
16500 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
16501 expunge all articles below this score
16502 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
16505 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
16506 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
16509 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
16510 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
16514 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
16515 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
16517 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
16518 keys are available:
16522 Score on the author name.
16525 Score on the subject line.
16528 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
16531 Score on the @code{References} line.
16537 Score on the number of lines.
16540 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
16543 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
16544 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
16545 @file{ADAPT} files.)
16554 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
16560 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
16561 what headers you are scoring on.
16573 Substring matching.
16576 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
16605 Greater than number.
16610 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
16611 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
16612 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
16616 Temporary score entry.
16619 Permanent score entry.
16622 Immediately scoring.
16627 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
16628 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
16629 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
16630 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
16632 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
16633 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
16634 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
16635 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
16636 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
16638 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
16639 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
16640 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
16641 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
16642 current score file.
16644 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
16645 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
16646 pretend they are keymaps or not.
16649 @node Group Score Commands
16650 @section Group Score Commands
16651 @cindex group score commands
16653 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
16658 @kindex W f (Group)
16659 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16660 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
16661 all the time. This command will flush the cache
16662 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
16666 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
16668 @findex gnus-batch-score
16669 @cindex batch scoring
16671 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
16675 @node Score Variables
16676 @section Score Variables
16677 @cindex score variables
16681 @item gnus-use-scoring
16682 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
16683 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
16684 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
16686 @item gnus-kill-killed
16687 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
16688 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
16689 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
16690 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
16691 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
16692 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
16693 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
16695 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
16696 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
16697 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
16698 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
16699 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
16701 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
16702 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
16703 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
16704 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
16706 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16707 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16708 @cindex score cache
16709 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
16710 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
16711 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
16712 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
16713 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
16714 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
16717 @item gnus-save-score
16718 @vindex gnus-save-score
16719 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
16720 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
16721 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
16723 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
16724 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
16725 across group visits.
16727 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16728 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16729 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
16730 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
16731 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
16732 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
16733 manually entered data.
16735 @item gnus-summary-default-score
16736 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
16737 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
16739 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
16740 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
16741 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
16742 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
16743 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
16744 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
16746 @item gnus-score-over-mark
16747 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
16748 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
16749 default. Default is @samp{+}.
16751 @item gnus-score-below-mark
16752 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
16753 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
16754 default. Default is @samp{-}.
16756 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16757 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16758 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
16759 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
16761 Predefined functions available are:
16764 @item gnus-score-find-single
16765 @findex gnus-score-find-single
16766 Only apply the group's own score file.
16768 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
16769 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
16770 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
16771 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
16772 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
16773 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
16774 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
16775 then a regexp match is done.
16777 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
16778 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
16780 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
16781 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
16782 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
16783 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
16785 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16786 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16787 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
16788 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
16789 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
16793 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
16794 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
16795 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
16796 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
16797 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
16798 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
16799 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
16802 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
16803 overall score file, you could use the value
16805 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
16806 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
16809 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
16810 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
16811 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
16812 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
16813 are expired. It's 7 by default.
16815 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16816 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16817 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
16818 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
16819 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
16820 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
16821 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
16824 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16825 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16826 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
16828 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
16829 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
16830 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
16831 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
16832 threading---according to the current value of
16833 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
16834 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
16835 simplified in this manner.
16840 @node Score File Format
16841 @section Score File Format
16842 @cindex score file format
16844 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
16845 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
16846 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
16848 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
16852 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
16854 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
16856 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
16858 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
16863 (mark-and-expunge -10)
16867 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
16868 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
16869 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
16870 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
16874 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
16875 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
16877 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
16878 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
16879 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
16881 Six keys are supported by this alist:
16886 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
16887 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
16888 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
16889 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
16890 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
16891 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
16892 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
16893 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
16894 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
16895 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
16896 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
16897 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
16898 to articles that matches these score entries.
16900 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
16901 score entry has one to four elements.
16905 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
16906 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
16910 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
16911 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
16912 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
16913 is successful. If this element is not present, the
16914 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
16915 instead. This is 1000 by default.
16918 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
16919 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
16920 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
16921 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
16922 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
16925 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
16926 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
16927 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
16928 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
16931 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
16932 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
16933 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
16934 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
16935 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
16936 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
16937 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
16938 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
16939 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
16940 instead, if you feel like.
16943 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
16944 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
16946 These predicates are true if
16949 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
16952 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
16953 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
16960 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
16961 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
16962 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
16963 it's not. I think.)
16965 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
16966 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
16967 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
16968 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
16971 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
16972 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
16973 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
16974 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
16975 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
16976 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
16977 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
16981 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
16982 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
16983 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
16984 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
16985 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
16986 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
16987 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
16988 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
16991 @item Head, Body, All
16992 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
16996 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
16997 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
16998 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
16999 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
17000 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
17001 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
17002 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
17006 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
17007 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
17008 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
17009 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
17010 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
17011 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
17012 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
17013 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
17014 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
17015 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
17016 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
17020 @cindex Score File Atoms
17022 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17023 lower than this number will be marked as read.
17026 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17027 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
17029 @item mark-and-expunge
17030 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17031 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
17034 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
17035 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
17036 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
17037 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
17038 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
17041 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
17042 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
17045 @item exclude-files
17046 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
17047 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
17051 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
17052 ignored when handling global score files.
17055 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
17056 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
17057 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
17058 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
17061 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
17062 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
17063 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
17064 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
17066 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
17070 (mark-and-expunge -100)
17073 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
17074 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
17075 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
17076 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
17077 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
17079 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
17080 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
17081 scoring rules exist.
17084 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
17085 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
17086 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
17087 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
17088 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
17089 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
17090 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17091 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
17092 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
17093 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
17094 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
17098 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
17099 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
17100 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
17101 file for a number of groups.
17104 @cindex local variables
17105 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
17106 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
17107 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
17108 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
17109 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
17113 @node Score File Editing
17114 @section Score File Editing
17116 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
17117 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
17118 with a mode for that.
17120 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
17121 additional commands:
17126 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
17127 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
17128 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
17129 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
17132 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
17133 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
17134 Insert the current date in numerical format
17135 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
17136 you were wondering.
17139 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
17140 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
17141 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
17142 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
17143 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
17148 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
17150 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
17151 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
17153 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
17154 e} to begin editing score files.
17157 @node Adaptive Scoring
17158 @section Adaptive Scoring
17159 @cindex adaptive scoring
17161 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
17162 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
17163 stupidity, to be precise.
17165 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
17166 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
17167 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
17168 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
17169 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17170 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
17171 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
17172 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
17173 variable to @code{(word line)}.
17175 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17176 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
17177 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
17178 might look something like this:
17181 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17182 '((gnus-unread-mark)
17183 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
17184 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
17185 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
17186 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
17187 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
17188 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
17189 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
17190 (gnus-ancient-mark)
17191 (gnus-low-score-mark)
17192 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
17195 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
17196 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
17197 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
17198 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
17199 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
17200 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
17203 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
17204 will be applied to each article.
17206 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
17207 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
17208 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
17209 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
17211 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
17212 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
17213 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
17214 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
17216 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
17217 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
17218 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
17219 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
17221 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
17222 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
17223 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
17224 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
17225 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
17226 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
17228 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
17229 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
17230 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
17231 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
17232 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
17233 aspirins afterwards.)
17235 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
17236 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
17237 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
17239 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
17240 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
17241 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
17243 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
17244 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
17245 let you use different rules in different groups.
17247 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
17248 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
17249 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
17252 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
17253 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
17254 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
17255 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
17256 the length of the match is less than
17257 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
17258 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
17261 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17262 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
17263 headers. If you adapt on words, the
17264 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
17265 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
17268 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17269 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
17270 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
17271 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
17272 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
17275 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
17276 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
17277 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
17278 score with 30 points.
17280 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
17281 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
17282 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
17283 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
17284 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
17286 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
17287 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
17288 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
17289 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
17290 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
17292 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
17293 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
17294 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
17295 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
17297 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
17298 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
17299 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
17300 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
17302 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
17303 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
17304 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
17305 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
17306 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
17308 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
17309 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
17310 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
17312 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
17313 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
17314 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
17315 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
17318 @node Home Score File
17319 @section Home Score File
17321 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
17322 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
17323 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
17324 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
17326 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
17327 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
17328 could perhaps use the same home score file.
17330 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
17331 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
17336 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
17340 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
17341 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
17345 A list. The elements in this list can be:
17349 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
17350 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
17353 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
17354 the home score file.
17357 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
17360 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
17365 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
17368 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17369 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
17372 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
17373 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
17375 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
17377 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17378 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
17381 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
17382 Other functions include
17385 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
17386 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
17387 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
17388 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
17392 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
17393 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
17394 their own home score files:
17397 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17398 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
17399 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
17400 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
17401 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
17404 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
17405 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
17406 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
17407 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
17408 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
17410 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
17411 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
17412 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
17413 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
17414 precedence over this variable.
17417 @node Followups To Yourself
17418 @section Followups To Yourself
17420 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
17421 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
17422 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
17423 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
17424 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
17425 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
17429 @item gnus-score-followup-article
17430 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
17431 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
17434 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
17435 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
17436 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
17440 @vindex message-sent-hook
17441 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
17442 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
17444 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
17448 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
17449 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
17453 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17454 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17457 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
17458 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
17463 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
17467 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
17468 is system-dependent.
17471 @node Scoring On Other Headers
17472 @section Scoring On Other Headers
17473 @cindex scoring on other headers
17475 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
17476 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
17477 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
17478 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
17479 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
17481 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
17482 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
17483 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
17484 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
17485 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
17487 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
17490 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
17491 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
17494 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
17495 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
17496 time if you have much mail.
17498 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
17499 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
17505 @section Scoring Tips
17506 @cindex scoring tips
17512 @cindex scoring crossposts
17513 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
17514 the @code{Xref} header.
17516 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
17519 @item Multiple crossposts
17520 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
17521 more than, say, 3 groups:
17524 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
17528 @item Matching on the body
17529 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
17530 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
17531 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
17532 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
17533 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
17534 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
17535 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
17538 @item Marking as read
17539 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
17540 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
17541 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
17545 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
17547 @item Negated character classes
17548 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
17549 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
17550 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
17554 @node Reverse Scoring
17555 @section Reverse Scoring
17556 @cindex reverse scoring
17558 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
17559 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
17560 like this in your score file:
17564 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
17569 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
17570 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
17573 @node Global Score Files
17574 @section Global Score Files
17575 @cindex global score files
17577 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
17578 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
17579 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
17581 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
17582 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
17583 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
17585 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
17586 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
17587 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
17588 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
17589 files are applicable to which group.
17591 To use the score file
17592 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
17593 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
17597 (setq gnus-global-score-files
17598 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
17599 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
17602 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
17604 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
17605 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
17606 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
17607 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
17609 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
17610 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
17612 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
17613 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
17614 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
17615 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
17616 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
17617 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
17619 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
17625 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
17627 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
17629 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
17631 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
17632 lowered out of existence.
17634 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
17635 articles completely.
17638 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
17639 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
17640 old articles for a long time.
17643 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
17644 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
17645 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
17646 holding our breath yet?
17650 @section Kill Files
17653 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
17654 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
17655 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
17657 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
17658 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
17659 files into score files.
17661 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
17662 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
17663 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
17664 that isn't a very good idea.
17666 Normal kill files look like this:
17669 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17670 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
17674 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
17675 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
17677 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
17678 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
17681 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
17686 @kindex M-k (Summary)
17687 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
17688 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
17691 @kindex M-K (Summary)
17692 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
17693 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
17696 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
17701 @kindex M-k (Group)
17702 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
17703 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
17706 @kindex M-K (Group)
17707 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
17708 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
17711 Kill file variables:
17714 @item gnus-kill-file-name
17715 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
17716 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
17717 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
17718 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
17719 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
17720 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
17722 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17723 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17724 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
17725 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
17728 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
17729 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
17730 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
17731 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
17732 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
17733 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
17734 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
17735 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
17736 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
17738 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17739 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17740 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
17745 @node Converting Kill Files
17746 @section Converting Kill Files
17748 @cindex converting kill files
17750 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
17751 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
17752 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
17755 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
17756 You can fetch it from
17757 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
17759 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
17760 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
17761 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
17769 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
17770 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
17771 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
17772 news articles generated every day.
17774 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
17775 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
17776 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
17777 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
17778 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
17779 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
17780 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
17781 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
17784 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
17785 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
17788 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
17789 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
17790 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
17791 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
17795 @node Using GroupLens
17796 @subsection Using GroupLens
17798 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
17800 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
17801 better bit in town at the moment.
17803 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
17807 @item gnus-use-grouplens
17808 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
17809 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
17810 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
17812 @item grouplens-pseudonym
17813 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
17814 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
17815 with the Better Bit Bureau.
17817 @item grouplens-newsgroups
17818 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
17819 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
17823 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
17824 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
17825 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
17826 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
17827 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
17828 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
17831 @node Rating Articles
17832 @subsection Rating Articles
17834 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
17835 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
17836 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
17837 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
17840 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
17845 @kindex r (GroupLens)
17846 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
17847 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
17850 @kindex k (GroupLens)
17851 @findex grouplens-score-thread
17852 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
17853 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
17854 threads in rec.humor.
17858 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
17859 the score of the article you're reading.
17864 @kindex n (GroupLens)
17865 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
17866 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
17869 @kindex , (GroupLens)
17870 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
17871 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
17875 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
17876 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
17879 @node Displaying Predictions
17880 @subsection Displaying Predictions
17882 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
17883 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
17884 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
17885 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
17886 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
17888 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
17889 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
17890 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
17891 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
17892 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
17893 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
17894 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
17895 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
17896 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
17897 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
17898 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
17899 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
17900 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
17902 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
17903 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
17904 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
17905 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
17907 The following are valid values for that variable.
17910 @item prediction-spot
17911 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
17914 @item confidence-interval
17915 A numeric confidence interval.
17917 @item prediction-bar
17918 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
17920 @item confidence-bar
17921 Numerical confidence.
17923 @item confidence-spot
17924 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
17926 @item prediction-num
17927 Plain-old numeric value.
17929 @item confidence-plus-minus
17930 Prediction +/- confidence.
17935 @node GroupLens Variables
17936 @subsection GroupLens Variables
17940 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
17941 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
17942 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
17943 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
17946 @item grouplens-bbb-host
17947 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
17950 @item grouplens-bbb-port
17951 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
17953 @item grouplens-score-offset
17954 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
17955 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
17958 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
17959 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
17960 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
17965 @node Advanced Scoring
17966 @section Advanced Scoring
17968 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
17969 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
17970 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
17971 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
17972 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
17974 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
17978 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
17979 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
17980 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
17984 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
17985 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
17987 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
17988 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
17989 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
17990 non-@code{nil} value.
17992 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
17993 operator, and various match operators.
18000 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18001 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
18002 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
18007 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18008 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
18009 then this operator will return @code{false}.
18014 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
18015 logical negation of the value of its argument.
18019 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
18020 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
18021 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
18022 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
18023 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
18024 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
18025 the ancestry you want to go.
18027 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
18028 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
18029 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
18030 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
18031 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
18034 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
18035 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
18037 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
18038 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
18041 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
18042 when he's talking about Gnus:
18046 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18047 ("subject" "Gnus"))
18053 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
18057 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18064 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
18065 really don't want to read what he's written:
18069 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18070 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
18074 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
18075 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
18076 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
18083 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
18084 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
18085 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
18086 ("body" "white.*socks"))
18090 The possibilities are endless.
18093 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
18094 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
18096 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
18097 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
18098 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
18099 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
18100 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
18101 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
18102 @samp{subject}) first.
18104 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
18105 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
18116 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
18117 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
18123 ("subject" "Gnus")))
18130 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
18131 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
18136 @section Score Decays
18137 @cindex score decays
18140 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
18141 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
18142 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
18143 use them in any sensible way.
18145 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
18146 @findex gnus-decay-score
18147 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
18148 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
18149 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
18150 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
18151 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
18152 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
18153 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
18154 definition of that function:
18157 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
18159 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
18160 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
18163 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
18165 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
18167 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
18170 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
18171 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
18172 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
18173 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
18177 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
18180 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
18183 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
18187 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
18188 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
18189 the new score, which should be an integer.
18191 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
18192 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
18197 @include message.texi
18198 @chapter Emacs MIME
18199 @include emacs-mime.texi
18201 @include sieve.texi
18209 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
18210 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
18211 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
18212 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
18213 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
18214 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
18215 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
18216 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
18217 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
18218 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
18219 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
18220 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
18221 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
18222 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
18223 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
18224 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
18225 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
18226 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
18230 @node Process/Prefix
18231 @section Process/Prefix
18232 @cindex process/prefix convention
18234 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
18235 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
18237 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
18238 command to be performed on.
18242 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
18243 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
18244 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
18245 with the current one.
18247 @vindex transient-mark-mode
18248 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
18249 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
18251 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
18252 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
18255 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
18256 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
18258 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
18261 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
18262 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
18263 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
18264 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
18266 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
18267 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
18268 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
18269 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
18270 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
18271 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
18272 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
18273 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
18275 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
18276 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
18277 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
18278 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
18279 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
18283 @section Interactive
18284 @cindex interaction
18288 @item gnus-novice-user
18289 @vindex gnus-novice-user
18290 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
18291 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
18292 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
18293 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
18296 @item gnus-expert-user
18297 @vindex gnus-expert-user
18298 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
18299 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
18300 matter how strange.
18302 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
18303 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
18304 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
18305 is @code{t} by default.
18307 @item gnus-interactive-exit
18308 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
18309 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18314 @node Symbolic Prefixes
18315 @section Symbolic Prefixes
18316 @cindex symbolic prefixes
18318 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
18319 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
18320 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
18321 rule of 900 to the current article.
18323 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
18324 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
18325 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
18326 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
18327 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
18328 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
18329 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
18331 @kindex M-i (Summary)
18332 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
18333 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
18334 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
18335 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
18336 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
18337 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
18338 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
18339 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
18341 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
18342 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
18343 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
18345 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
18349 @node Formatting Variables
18350 @section Formatting Variables
18351 @cindex formatting variables
18353 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
18354 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
18355 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
18356 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
18357 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
18360 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
18361 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
18362 lots of percentages everywhere.
18365 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
18366 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
18367 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
18368 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
18369 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
18370 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
18371 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
18372 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
18375 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
18376 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
18377 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
18378 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
18379 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
18380 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
18381 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
18382 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
18384 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
18385 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
18387 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
18388 @findex gnus-update-format
18389 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
18390 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
18391 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
18392 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
18396 @node Formatting Basics
18397 @subsection Formatting Basics
18399 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
18400 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
18401 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
18403 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
18404 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
18405 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
18406 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
18407 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
18410 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
18411 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
18412 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
18413 less than 4 characters wide.
18415 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
18416 @samp{%&user-date;}.
18418 @node Mode Line Formatting
18419 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
18421 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
18422 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
18423 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
18424 with the following two differences:
18429 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
18432 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
18433 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
18434 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
18435 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
18436 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
18437 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
18438 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
18443 @node Advanced Formatting
18444 @subsection Advanced Formatting
18446 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
18447 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
18448 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
18449 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
18451 These are the valid modifiers:
18456 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
18460 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
18465 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
18468 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
18473 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
18476 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
18479 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
18482 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
18486 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
18487 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
18488 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
18489 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
18490 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
18491 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
18492 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
18494 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
18495 last operation, padding.
18497 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
18498 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
18499 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
18500 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
18501 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
18502 the look of your lines.
18503 @xref{Compilation}.
18506 @node User-Defined Specs
18507 @subsection User-Defined Specs
18509 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
18510 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
18511 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
18512 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
18513 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
18514 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
18515 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
18516 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
18517 should protect against that.
18519 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
18520 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
18522 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
18523 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
18524 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
18525 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
18529 @node Formatting Fonts
18530 @subsection Formatting Fonts
18532 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
18533 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
18534 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
18535 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
18538 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
18539 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
18540 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
18541 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
18542 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
18543 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
18545 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
18546 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
18547 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
18548 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
18549 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
18550 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
18551 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
18552 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
18554 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
18557 ;; Create three face types.
18558 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
18559 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
18561 ;; We want the article count to be in
18562 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
18563 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
18564 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
18566 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
18567 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
18569 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
18570 (setq gnus-group-line-format
18571 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
18574 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
18575 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
18577 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
18578 mode-line variables.
18580 @node Positioning Point
18581 @subsection Positioning Point
18583 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
18584 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
18585 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
18587 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
18589 @findex gnus-goto-colon
18590 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
18591 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
18593 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
18594 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
18595 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
18600 @subsection Tabulation
18602 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
18603 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
18604 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
18605 about lining up the following text afterwards.
18607 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
18608 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
18610 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18611 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
18612 This is the soft tabulator.
18614 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18615 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
18616 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
18619 @node Wide Characters
18620 @subsection Wide Characters
18622 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
18623 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
18624 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
18626 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
18627 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
18628 these coutries, that's not true.
18630 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
18631 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
18632 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
18633 prettieer. The default value is @code{t}.
18637 @node Window Layout
18638 @section Window Layout
18639 @cindex window layout
18641 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
18643 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
18644 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
18645 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
18646 @code{t} by default.
18648 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
18649 glitches. Use at your own peril.
18651 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
18652 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
18653 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
18656 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
18657 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
18658 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18662 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
18663 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
18664 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
18665 possible names is listed below.
18667 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
18668 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
18671 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18675 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
18676 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
18677 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
18678 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
18679 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
18680 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
18681 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
18682 size spec per split.
18684 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
18685 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
18686 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
18687 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
18688 present) gets focus.
18690 Here's a more complicated example:
18693 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
18694 (summary 0.25 point)
18695 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
18699 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
18700 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
18701 occupy, not a percentage.
18703 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
18704 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
18705 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
18706 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
18707 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
18710 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
18713 (article (horizontal 1.0
18718 (summary 0.25 point)
18723 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
18724 @code{horizontal} thingie?
18726 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
18727 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
18728 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
18729 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
18730 the screen is to be given to this strip.
18732 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
18733 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
18734 lines from the splits.
18736 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
18740 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
18741 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
18742 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
18743 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
18744 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
18745 size = number | frame-params
18746 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
18749 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
18750 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
18751 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
18752 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
18754 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
18755 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
18756 @cindex window height
18757 @cindex window width
18758 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
18759 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
18760 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
18761 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
18762 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
18763 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
18765 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
18766 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
18767 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
18768 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
18770 @findex gnus-configure-frame
18771 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
18772 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
18773 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
18774 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
18775 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
18776 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
18777 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
18778 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
18779 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
18780 configuration list.
18783 (gnus-configure-frame
18787 (article 0.3 point))
18795 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
18796 @code{frame} split:
18799 (gnus-configure-frame
18802 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
18804 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
18805 (user-position . t)
18806 (left . -1) (top . 1))
18811 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
18812 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
18813 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
18814 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
18815 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
18816 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
18817 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
18818 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
18820 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
18821 be found in its default value.
18823 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
18824 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
18825 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
18829 (message (horizontal 1.0
18830 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
18832 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
18837 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
18838 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
18839 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
18844 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
18845 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
18846 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
18847 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
18848 (name . "Message"))
18849 (message 1.0 point))))
18852 @findex gnus-add-configuration
18853 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
18854 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
18855 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
18856 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
18859 (gnus-add-configuration
18860 '(article (vertical 1.0
18862 (summary .25 point)
18866 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
18867 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
18868 Gnus has been loaded.
18870 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
18871 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
18872 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
18873 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
18874 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
18876 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
18877 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
18878 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
18881 @subsection Example Window Configurations
18885 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
18886 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
18901 (gnus-add-configuration
18904 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18906 (summary 0.16 point)
18909 (gnus-add-configuration
18912 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18913 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
18919 @node Faces and Fonts
18920 @section Faces and Fonts
18925 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
18926 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
18927 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
18932 @section Compilation
18933 @cindex compilation
18934 @cindex byte-compilation
18936 @findex gnus-compile
18938 Remember all those line format specification variables?
18939 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
18940 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
18941 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
18942 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
18943 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
18944 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
18945 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
18948 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
18949 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
18950 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
18951 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
18952 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
18955 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
18956 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
18957 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
18958 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
18959 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
18964 @section Mode Lines
18967 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
18968 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
18969 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
18970 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
18971 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
18972 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
18973 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
18976 @cindex display-time
18978 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
18979 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
18980 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
18981 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
18982 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
18983 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
18984 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
18985 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
18988 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
18990 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
18991 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
18993 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
18994 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
18995 (length display-time-string)))))
18998 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
18999 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
19000 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
19001 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
19002 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
19005 @node Highlighting and Menus
19006 @section Highlighting and Menus
19008 @cindex highlighting
19011 @vindex gnus-visual
19012 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
19013 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
19014 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
19017 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
19018 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
19021 @item group-highlight
19022 Do highlights in the group buffer.
19023 @item summary-highlight
19024 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
19025 @item article-highlight
19026 Do highlights in the article buffer.
19028 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
19030 Create menus in the group buffer.
19032 Create menus in the summary buffers.
19034 Create menus in the article buffer.
19036 Create menus in the browse buffer.
19038 Create menus in the server buffer.
19040 Create menus in the score buffers.
19042 Create menus in all buffers.
19045 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
19046 buffers, you could say something like:
19049 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
19052 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
19055 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
19058 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
19059 in all Gnus buffers.
19061 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
19064 @item gnus-mouse-face
19065 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
19066 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
19067 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
19071 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
19075 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
19076 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
19077 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
19079 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
19080 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
19081 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
19083 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
19084 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
19085 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
19087 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
19088 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
19089 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
19091 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
19092 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
19093 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
19095 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
19096 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
19097 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
19108 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
19109 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
19110 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
19111 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
19112 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
19116 @vindex gnus-carpal
19117 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
19118 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
19119 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
19124 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19125 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19126 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
19128 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
19129 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
19130 Face used on buttons.
19132 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
19133 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
19134 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
19136 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19137 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19138 Buttons in the group buffer.
19140 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19141 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19142 Buttons in the summary buffer.
19144 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19145 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19146 Buttons in the server buffer.
19148 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19149 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19150 Buttons in the browse buffer.
19153 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
19154 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
19155 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
19163 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
19164 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
19165 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
19166 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
19167 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
19169 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
19170 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
19171 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
19173 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
19174 been idle for thirty minutes:
19177 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
19180 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
19184 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
19187 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
19188 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
19189 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19191 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
19192 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
19193 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
19194 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19196 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
19197 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
19198 @var{idle} minutes.
19200 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
19201 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
19204 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
19205 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
19206 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
19208 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
19209 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
19210 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
19211 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
19213 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
19214 your @file{.gnus} file:
19216 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
19218 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
19221 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
19222 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
19223 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
19224 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
19225 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
19226 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
19227 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
19228 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
19229 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
19230 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
19231 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
19233 @findex gnus-demon-init
19234 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
19235 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
19236 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
19237 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
19238 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
19240 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
19241 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
19242 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
19251 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
19252 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
19254 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
19255 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
19256 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
19257 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
19260 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
19261 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
19262 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
19263 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
19265 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
19266 this will make spam disappear.
19268 There are some variables to customize, of course:
19271 @item gnus-use-nocem
19272 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
19273 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
19276 @item gnus-nocem-groups
19277 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
19278 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
19279 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
19280 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
19282 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
19283 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
19284 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
19285 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
19286 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
19287 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
19289 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
19290 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
19292 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
19293 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
19294 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
19295 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
19296 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
19297 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
19298 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
19299 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
19300 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
19301 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
19303 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
19304 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
19307 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
19310 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
19311 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
19314 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
19317 The specs are applied left-to-right.
19320 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
19321 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
19323 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
19324 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
19325 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
19326 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
19328 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
19329 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
19332 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
19334 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
19342 This might be dangerous, though.
19344 @item gnus-nocem-directory
19345 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
19346 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
19347 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
19349 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19350 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19351 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
19352 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
19353 might then see old spam.
19355 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
19356 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
19357 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
19358 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
19359 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
19362 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19363 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19364 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
19365 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
19369 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
19370 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
19371 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
19372 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
19379 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
19380 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
19381 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
19383 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
19384 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
19385 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
19386 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
19387 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
19388 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
19389 @code{undo} function.
19391 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
19392 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
19393 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
19394 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
19395 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
19396 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
19397 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
19398 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
19399 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
19400 never be totally undoable.
19402 @findex gnus-undo-mode
19403 @vindex gnus-use-undo
19405 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
19406 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
19407 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
19408 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
19413 @section Moderation
19416 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
19417 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
19418 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
19421 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
19425 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
19428 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
19430 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
19435 You split your incoming mail by matching on
19436 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
19437 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
19440 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
19441 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
19444 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
19445 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
19449 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
19452 (setq gnus-moderated-list
19453 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
19457 @node XEmacs Enhancements
19458 @section XEmacs Enhancements
19461 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
19465 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
19466 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
19467 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
19468 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
19481 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
19482 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
19483 over your shoulder as you read news.
19486 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
19487 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
19488 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
19489 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
19490 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
19495 @subsubsection Picon Basics
19497 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
19506 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
19507 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
19508 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
19509 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
19510 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
19511 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
19512 @code{GIF} formats.
19515 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19516 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
19517 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
19518 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
19519 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
19521 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19522 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
19523 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
19524 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
19525 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
19526 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19529 @node Picon Requirements
19530 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
19532 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
19533 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
19534 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
19535 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
19537 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19538 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
19539 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
19540 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
19541 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
19542 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
19545 @subsubsection Easy Picons
19547 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
19548 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
19551 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
19552 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
19555 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
19556 containing the Picons databases.
19558 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
19561 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19562 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
19567 @subsubsection Hard Picons
19575 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
19576 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
19577 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
19578 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
19579 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
19584 @item gnus-picons-database
19585 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19586 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
19587 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
19588 subdirectories. This is only useful if
19589 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
19590 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
19592 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19593 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19594 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
19595 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
19596 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
19597 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
19598 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19600 @item gnus-picons-display-where
19601 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19602 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
19603 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
19604 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
19605 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
19606 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
19607 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
19609 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19610 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19611 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
19616 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
19617 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
19619 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
19620 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
19623 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19625 @item gnus-article-display-picons
19626 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
19627 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
19628 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
19630 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
19631 @findex gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
19632 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
19633 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the function name, not @code{xface})
19639 @node Picon Useless Configuration
19640 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
19648 The following variables offer further control over how things are
19649 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
19650 don't need to worry about.
19654 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
19655 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
19656 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19657 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
19659 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
19660 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
19661 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
19662 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
19664 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
19665 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
19666 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19667 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
19668 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
19670 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19671 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19672 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
19673 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
19674 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
19675 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
19676 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
19677 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
19679 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
19680 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
19681 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
19682 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
19683 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
19685 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
19686 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
19687 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
19688 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
19689 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
19690 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
19691 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
19693 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
19694 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
19695 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
19696 Defaults to @code{nil}.
19698 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
19699 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
19700 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
19701 Defaults to @code{t}.
19703 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
19704 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
19705 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
19706 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
19708 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
19709 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
19710 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
19712 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19713 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19714 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
19715 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
19717 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
19718 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
19720 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19721 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19722 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
19723 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
19724 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
19725 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
19726 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
19727 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
19738 @subsection Smileys
19743 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
19748 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
19749 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
19751 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
19752 @file{.gnus.el} file:
19755 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
19758 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
19759 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
19760 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
19761 text and maps that to file names.
19763 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
19764 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
19765 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
19766 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
19767 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
19768 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
19770 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
19771 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
19773 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
19774 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
19775 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
19777 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
19778 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
19782 @item smiley-data-directory
19783 @vindex smiley-data-directory
19784 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
19786 @item smiley-flesh-color
19787 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
19788 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
19790 @item smiley-features-color
19791 @vindex smiley-features-color
19792 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19794 @item smiley-tongue-color
19795 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
19796 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
19798 @item smiley-circle-color
19799 @vindex smiley-circle-color
19800 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19802 @item smiley-mouse-face
19803 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
19804 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
19810 @subsection Toolbar
19820 @item gnus-use-toolbar
19821 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
19822 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
19823 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
19824 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
19826 @item gnus-group-toolbar
19827 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
19828 The toolbar in the group buffer.
19830 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
19831 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
19832 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
19834 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19835 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19836 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
19842 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
19845 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19846 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19847 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
19848 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
19849 unusual directory structure.
19851 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19852 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19853 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
19854 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
19856 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19857 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19858 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
19859 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
19860 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
19861 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
19863 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19864 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19865 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
19879 @node Fuzzy Matching
19880 @section Fuzzy Matching
19881 @cindex fuzzy matching
19883 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
19884 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
19886 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
19887 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
19888 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
19890 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
19891 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
19892 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
19893 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
19894 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
19897 @node Thwarting Email Spam
19898 @section Thwarting Email Spam
19902 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
19904 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
19905 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
19906 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
19907 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
19908 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
19909 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
19910 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
19911 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
19914 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
19915 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
19916 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
19917 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
19918 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
19919 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
19923 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
19924 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
19926 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
19927 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
19928 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
19929 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
19930 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
19931 part of the mail address.)
19934 (setq message-default-news-headers
19935 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
19938 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
19939 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
19944 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
19945 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
19946 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
19952 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
19953 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
19954 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
19955 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
19957 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
19958 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
19959 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
19960 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
19961 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
19962 your fancy split rule in this way:
19967 (to "larsi" "misc")
19971 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
19972 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
19973 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
19974 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
19975 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
19977 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
19978 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
19979 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
19980 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
19981 cosmic balance somewhat.
19983 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
19984 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
19985 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
19986 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
19989 @node Various Various
19990 @section Various Various
19996 @item gnus-home-directory
19997 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
19998 defaults to @file{~/}.
20000 @item gnus-directory
20001 @vindex gnus-directory
20002 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
20003 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
20004 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
20006 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
20007 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
20008 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
20009 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
20011 @item gnus-default-directory
20012 @vindex gnus-default-directory
20013 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
20014 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
20015 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
20016 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
20017 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
20018 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
20021 @vindex gnus-verbose
20022 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
20023 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
20024 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
20025 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
20026 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
20028 @item gnus-verbose-backends
20029 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
20030 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
20031 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
20033 @item nnheader-max-head-length
20034 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
20035 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
20036 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
20037 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
20038 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
20039 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
20040 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
20041 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
20042 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
20044 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
20045 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
20046 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
20047 read when doing the operation described above.
20049 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20050 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20052 @cindex invalid characters in file names
20053 @cindex characters in file names
20054 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
20055 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
20056 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
20059 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20063 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
20064 Windows (phooey) systems.
20066 @item gnus-hidden-properties
20067 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
20068 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
20069 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
20070 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
20072 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
20073 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
20074 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
20075 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
20076 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
20078 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
20079 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
20080 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
20082 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
20083 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
20085 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
20086 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
20087 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
20088 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
20091 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
20099 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
20100 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
20102 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
20104 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
20110 Not because of victories @*
20113 but for the common sunshine,@*
20115 the largess of the spring.
20119 but for the day's work done@*
20120 as well as I was able;@*
20121 not for a seat upon the dais@*
20122 but at the common table.@*
20127 @chapter Appendices
20130 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
20131 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
20132 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
20133 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
20134 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
20135 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
20136 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
20137 * Frequently Asked Questions::
20145 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
20146 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
20148 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
20149 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
20150 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
20151 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
20152 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
20154 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
20155 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
20156 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
20157 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
20158 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
20159 appropriate name, don't you think?)
20161 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
20162 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
20163 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
20164 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
20167 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
20168 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
20169 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
20170 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
20171 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
20172 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
20173 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
20174 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
20175 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
20179 @node Gnus Versions
20180 @subsection Gnus Versions
20181 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
20183 @cindex September Gnus
20184 @cindex Quassia Gnus
20186 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
20187 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
20188 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
20190 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
20191 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
20193 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
20194 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
20196 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
20197 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
20199 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
20200 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
20203 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
20205 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
20206 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
20207 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
20208 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
20209 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
20210 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
20213 @node Other Gnus Versions
20214 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
20217 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
20218 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
20219 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
20220 @sc{mime} capabilities.
20222 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
20223 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
20224 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
20225 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
20232 What's the point of Gnus?
20234 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
20235 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
20236 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
20237 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
20238 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
20239 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
20240 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
20241 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
20242 keep track of millions of people who post?
20244 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
20245 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
20246 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
20247 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
20248 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
20249 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
20250 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
20251 every one of you to explore and invent.
20253 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
20254 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
20257 @node Compatibility
20258 @subsection Compatibility
20260 @cindex compatibility
20261 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
20262 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
20263 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
20268 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
20272 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
20275 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
20278 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
20279 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
20280 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
20281 important variables have their values copied into their global
20282 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
20283 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
20285 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
20286 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
20287 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
20288 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
20289 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
20293 @cindex highlighting
20294 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
20295 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
20296 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
20297 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
20298 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
20299 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
20302 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
20303 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
20304 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
20305 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
20307 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
20308 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
20309 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
20310 to stop doing it the old way.
20312 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
20314 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
20316 @cindex reporting bugs
20318 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
20319 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
20320 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
20322 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
20323 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
20324 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
20325 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
20330 @subsection Conformity
20332 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
20333 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
20340 There are no known breaches of this standard.
20344 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
20346 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
20347 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
20348 We do have some breaches to this one.
20354 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
20355 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
20356 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
20357 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
20358 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
20363 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
20364 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
20365 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
20366 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
20370 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
20371 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
20376 @subsection Emacsen
20382 Gnus should work on :
20390 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
20394 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
20395 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
20396 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
20397 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
20398 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
20400 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
20401 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
20402 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
20406 @node Gnus Development
20407 @subsection Gnus Development
20409 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
20410 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
20411 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
20412 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
20413 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
20414 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
20415 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
20416 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
20418 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
20419 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
20420 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
20421 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
20422 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
20425 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
20426 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
20427 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
20428 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
20429 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
20431 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
20432 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
20433 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
20434 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
20435 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
20436 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
20437 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
20438 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
20439 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
20440 can't be assumed to do so.
20445 @subsection Contributors
20446 @cindex contributors
20448 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
20449 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
20450 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
20451 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
20452 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
20453 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
20454 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
20455 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
20456 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
20457 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
20459 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
20465 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
20468 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
20469 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
20470 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
20471 functionality and stuff.
20474 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
20475 well as numerous other things).
20478 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
20481 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
20484 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
20487 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
20490 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
20491 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
20494 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
20497 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
20498 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20501 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
20504 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
20507 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
20510 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
20513 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
20514 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
20517 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
20520 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
20523 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
20526 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
20530 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
20533 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
20536 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
20539 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
20540 well as autoconf support.
20544 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
20545 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
20547 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
20556 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
20560 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
20570 Alexei V. Barantsev,
20585 Massimo Campostrini,
20590 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
20591 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
20595 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
20598 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
20604 Michael Welsh Duggan,
20609 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
20613 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
20621 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
20623 Michelangelo Grigni,
20627 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
20629 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
20631 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
20638 François Felix Ingrand,
20639 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
20640 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
20642 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
20653 Peter Skov Knudsen,
20654 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
20656 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
20657 Thor Kristoffersen,
20660 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
20678 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
20679 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
20686 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
20691 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
20695 John McClary Prevost,
20701 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
20706 Christian von Roques,
20709 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
20716 Philippe Schnoebelen,
20718 Randal L. Schwartz,
20732 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
20737 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
20753 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
20758 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
20759 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
20760 (550kB and counting).
20762 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
20765 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
20766 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
20770 @subsection New Features
20771 @cindex new features
20774 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
20775 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
20776 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
20777 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
20778 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
20781 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
20782 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
20783 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
20786 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
20788 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
20793 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
20794 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
20797 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
20798 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
20801 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
20804 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
20805 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
20806 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
20809 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
20810 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
20811 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
20812 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
20815 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
20816 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20819 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
20820 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
20821 (@pxref{The Active File}).
20824 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
20825 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
20828 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
20829 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
20830 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
20833 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
20834 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
20835 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
20838 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
20839 the @file{.emacs} file.
20842 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
20843 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
20846 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
20847 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
20850 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
20851 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20854 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
20855 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
20858 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
20859 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
20862 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
20865 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
20866 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
20869 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
20870 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
20873 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
20874 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
20877 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
20880 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
20881 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
20884 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
20888 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
20892 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
20893 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
20896 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
20902 @node September Gnus
20903 @subsubsection September Gnus
20907 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
20911 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
20916 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
20917 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
20921 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
20922 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
20926 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
20930 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
20931 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
20934 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
20938 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20941 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
20944 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
20947 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
20951 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
20952 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
20955 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
20959 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
20963 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
20967 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
20971 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
20974 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
20975 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
20978 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
20982 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
20983 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
20986 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
20989 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
20990 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
20991 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
20994 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
20998 The Gnus cache is much faster.
21001 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
21005 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
21006 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
21009 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
21010 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
21013 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
21014 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
21017 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
21018 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
21019 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
21022 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
21023 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
21026 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
21029 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
21032 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
21035 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
21038 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
21039 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
21042 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
21046 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
21049 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
21054 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
21057 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
21061 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21064 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
21068 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
21071 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
21074 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
21075 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
21078 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
21079 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
21083 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
21084 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
21087 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
21091 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
21092 buffer to allow easier treatment.
21095 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
21098 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
21102 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
21106 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
21107 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
21110 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
21114 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
21115 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
21118 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
21119 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21122 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
21126 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21129 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
21132 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
21138 @subsubsection Red Gnus
21140 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
21144 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
21151 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
21154 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
21155 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
21158 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
21159 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
21163 Article washing status can be displayed in the
21164 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
21167 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
21170 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
21171 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
21174 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
21178 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
21179 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
21183 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
21184 Server Internals}).
21187 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
21191 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
21194 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
21195 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
21198 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
21199 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
21200 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
21203 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
21204 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21207 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
21208 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
21211 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
21215 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
21216 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21219 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
21220 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21223 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
21227 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
21230 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
21234 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
21235 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21238 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
21239 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21242 A new command for reading collections of documents
21243 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
21244 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
21247 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
21251 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
21252 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
21255 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
21256 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
21257 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
21260 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
21261 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
21265 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
21269 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
21273 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
21278 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
21282 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
21286 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
21287 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
21290 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
21296 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
21298 New features in Gnus 5.6:
21303 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
21304 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
21305 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
21308 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
21309 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
21310 group, which is created automatically.
21313 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
21317 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
21320 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
21321 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
21324 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
21328 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
21331 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
21332 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
21335 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
21338 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
21339 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
21342 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
21343 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
21346 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
21347 control over simplification.
21350 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
21353 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
21357 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
21360 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
21363 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
21364 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
21365 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
21368 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
21369 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
21372 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
21376 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
21377 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
21380 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
21381 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
21384 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
21388 A history of where mails have been split is available.
21391 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
21394 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
21395 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
21398 A new function for citing in Message has been
21399 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
21402 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
21405 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
21409 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
21410 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
21413 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
21414 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
21417 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
21420 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
21424 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
21425 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
21427 New features in Gnus 5.8:
21432 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
21433 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
21435 If you used procmail like in
21438 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
21439 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
21440 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
21441 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
21444 this now has changed to
21448 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
21452 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
21453 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
21456 Gnus is now a MIME-capable reader. This affects many parts of
21457 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
21460 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
21461 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
21464 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
21465 called to position point.
21468 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
21469 summary buffers and NOV files.
21472 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
21473 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
21476 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
21477 subtly different manner.
21480 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
21481 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
21482 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
21485 Gnus can now read IMAP mail via @code{nnimap}.
21493 @section The Manual
21497 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
21498 either @code{texi2dvi}
21500 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
21501 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
21503 to get what you hold in your hands now.
21505 The following conventions have been used:
21510 This is a @samp{string}
21513 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
21516 This is a @file{file}
21519 This is a @code{symbol}
21523 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
21527 (setq flargnoze "yes")
21530 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
21533 (setq flumphel 'yes)
21536 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
21537 ever get them confused.
21541 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
21542 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
21543 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
21544 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
21545 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
21546 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
21547 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
21553 @node On Writing Manuals
21554 @section On Writing Manuals
21556 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
21557 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
21558 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
21559 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
21560 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
21561 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
21564 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
21565 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
21566 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
21569 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
21570 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
21575 @section Terminology
21577 @cindex terminology
21582 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
21583 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
21584 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
21585 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
21586 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
21590 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
21591 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
21592 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
21593 not posting, and replying is not following up.
21597 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
21601 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
21606 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of back ends, both news and mail
21607 back ends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
21608 is all done by the back ends.
21612 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
21613 default, way of getting news.
21617 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
21618 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
21623 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
21624 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
21628 A message that has been posted as news.
21631 @cindex mail message
21632 A message that has been mailed.
21636 A mail message or news article
21640 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
21645 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
21650 A line from the head of an article.
21654 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
21655 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
21659 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
21660 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
21661 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
21662 normal @sc{head} format.
21666 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
21667 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
21668 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
21669 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
21670 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
21671 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
21673 @item killed groups
21674 @cindex killed groups
21675 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
21676 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
21678 @item zombie groups
21679 @cindex zombie groups
21680 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
21683 @cindex active file
21684 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
21685 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
21686 is rather large, as you might surmise.
21689 @cindex bogus groups
21690 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
21691 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
21692 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
21695 @cindex activating groups
21696 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
21697 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
21698 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
21702 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
21704 @item select method
21705 @cindex select method
21706 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
21709 @item virtual server
21710 @cindex virtual server
21711 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
21712 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
21713 whole is a virtual server.
21717 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
21718 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
21721 @item ephemeral groups
21722 @cindex ephemeral groups
21723 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
21724 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
21725 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
21728 @cindex solid groups
21729 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
21730 group buffer are solid groups.
21732 @item sparse articles
21733 @cindex sparse articles
21734 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
21735 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21739 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21740 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21744 @cindex thread root
21745 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21746 articles in the thread.
21750 An article that has responses.
21754 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21758 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21759 specified by RFC 1153.
21765 @node Customization
21766 @section Customization
21767 @cindex general customization
21769 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
21770 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
21771 for some quite common situations.
21774 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
21775 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
21776 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
21777 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
21781 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
21782 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
21784 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
21785 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
21786 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
21790 @item gnus-read-active-file
21791 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
21792 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
21793 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21794 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
21795 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
21797 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
21798 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
21799 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
21800 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
21804 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21805 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21807 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21808 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21809 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21813 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21814 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21815 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21816 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21817 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21819 @item gnus-visible-headers
21820 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21821 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21822 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21823 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21825 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21827 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21828 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21829 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21832 @item gnus-use-full-window
21833 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21834 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21835 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21836 want to read them anyway.
21838 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21839 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21842 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21843 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21844 lines, which might save some time.
21848 @node Little Disk Space
21849 @subsection Little Disk Space
21852 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21853 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21857 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21858 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21859 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21860 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21863 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21864 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21865 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21866 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21869 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21870 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21871 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21872 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21873 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
21879 @subsection Slow Machine
21880 @cindex slow machine
21882 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
21883 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
21885 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21886 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
21888 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
21889 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
21890 summary buffer faster.
21894 @node Troubleshooting
21895 @section Troubleshooting
21896 @cindex troubleshooting
21898 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
21906 Make sure your computer is switched on.
21909 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
21910 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
21914 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
21915 like @samp{T-gnus 6.15.* (based on Oort Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
21916 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you get
21917 something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some old
21918 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
21921 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
21925 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
21926 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
21927 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
21928 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
21929 something like that.
21932 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
21935 @cindex reporting bugs
21937 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21939 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
21940 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
21941 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
21942 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
21944 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
21945 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
21946 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
21947 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
21950 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
21951 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
21952 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
21953 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
21954 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
21955 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
21957 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
21958 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
21959 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
21963 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
21964 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
21966 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
21967 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
21969 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
21970 @cindex ding mailing list
21971 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
21972 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
21976 @node Gnus Reference Guide
21977 @section Gnus Reference Guide
21979 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
21980 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
21981 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
21982 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
21985 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
21986 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
21987 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
21988 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
21989 and general methods of operation.
21992 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
21993 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
21994 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
21995 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
21996 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
21997 * Group Info:: The group info format.
21998 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
21999 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
22000 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
22004 @node Gnus Utility Functions
22005 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
22006 @cindex Gnus utility functions
22007 @cindex utility functions
22009 @cindex internal variables
22011 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
22012 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
22013 Below is a list of the most common ones.
22017 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
22018 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
22019 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
22021 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
22022 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
22023 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
22025 @item gnus-group-real-name
22026 @findex gnus-group-real-name
22027 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
22030 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
22031 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
22032 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
22033 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
22035 @item gnus-get-info
22036 @findex gnus-get-info
22037 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
22039 @item gnus-group-unread
22040 @findex gnus-group-unread
22041 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
22045 @findex gnus-active
22046 The active entry for @var{group}.
22048 @item gnus-set-active
22049 @findex gnus-set-active
22050 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
22052 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22053 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22054 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
22057 @item gnus-continuum-version
22058 @findex gnus-continuum-version
22059 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
22060 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
22063 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
22064 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
22065 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
22067 @item gnus-news-group-p
22068 @findex gnus-news-group-p
22069 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
22071 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22072 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22073 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
22075 @item gnus-server-to-method
22076 @findex gnus-server-to-method
22077 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
22079 @item gnus-server-equal
22080 @findex gnus-server-equal
22081 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
22083 @item gnus-group-native-p
22084 @findex gnus-group-native-p
22085 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
22087 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
22088 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
22089 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
22091 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
22092 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
22093 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
22095 @item group-group-find-parameter
22096 @findex group-group-find-parameter
22097 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
22098 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
22100 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
22101 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
22102 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
22104 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
22105 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
22106 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
22108 @item gnus-check-backend-function
22109 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
22110 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
22111 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
22114 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
22118 @item gnus-read-method
22119 @findex gnus-read-method
22120 Prompts the user for a select method.
22125 @node Back End Interface
22126 @subsection Back End Interface
22128 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
22129 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
22130 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
22131 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
22132 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
22133 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
22135 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
22136 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
22137 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
22138 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
22139 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
22140 been opened, the function should fail.
22142 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
22143 name. Take this example:
22147 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
22148 (nntp-port-number 4324))
22151 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
22152 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
22154 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
22155 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
22156 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
22158 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
22159 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
22160 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
22162 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
22163 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
22164 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
22165 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
22166 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
22167 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
22170 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
22171 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
22172 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
22173 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
22176 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
22177 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
22178 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
22179 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
22180 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
22181 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
22182 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
22183 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
22184 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
22185 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
22187 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
22188 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
22189 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
22190 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
22191 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
22192 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
22193 of numbers as long as possible.
22195 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
22198 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
22201 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
22202 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
22203 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
22204 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
22205 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
22206 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
22210 @node Required Back End Functions
22211 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
22215 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
22217 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
22218 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
22219 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
22220 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
22222 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
22223 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
22224 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
22225 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
22227 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
22228 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
22229 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
22230 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
22231 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
22232 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
22233 number, do maximum fetches.
22235 Here's an example HEAD:
22238 221 1056 Article retrieved.
22239 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
22240 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
22241 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
22242 Subject: Re: Something very droll
22243 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
22244 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
22246 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
22247 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
22248 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
22252 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
22253 these in the data buffer.
22255 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
22259 head = error / valid-head
22260 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
22261 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
22262 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
22263 header = <text> eol
22266 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
22267 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
22271 nov-buffer = *nov-line
22272 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
22273 field = <text except TAB>
22276 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
22280 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
22282 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
22283 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
22285 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
22286 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
22287 server. In fact, it should do so.
22289 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
22290 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
22293 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
22295 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
22296 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
22299 There should be no data returned.
22302 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
22304 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
22305 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
22306 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
22307 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
22309 There should be no data returned.
22312 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
22314 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
22315 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
22316 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
22317 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
22319 There should be no data returned.
22322 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
22324 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
22326 There should be no data returned.
22329 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
22331 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
22332 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
22333 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
22334 it would be nice if that were possible.
22336 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
22337 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
22338 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
22339 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
22340 into its article buffer.
22342 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
22343 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
22344 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
22345 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
22346 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
22347 on successful article retrieval.
22350 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
22352 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
22353 making @var{group} the current group.
22355 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
22358 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
22361 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
22364 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
22365 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
22366 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
22367 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
22368 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
22369 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
22370 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
22371 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
22374 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
22375 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
22376 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
22380 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22382 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
22383 a no-op on most back ends.
22385 There should be no data returned.
22388 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
22390 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
22393 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
22396 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
22397 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
22400 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
22401 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
22404 active-file = *active-line
22405 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
22407 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
22410 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
22411 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
22412 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
22415 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
22417 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
22418 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
22419 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
22420 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
22421 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
22422 clear if the posting could not be completed.
22424 There should be no result data from this function.
22429 @node Optional Back End Functions
22430 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
22434 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
22436 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
22437 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
22438 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
22440 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
22441 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
22442 former is in the same format as the data from
22443 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
22444 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
22447 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
22451 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
22453 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
22454 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
22455 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
22456 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
22457 should return the (altered) group info.
22459 There should be no result data from this function.
22462 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
22464 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
22465 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
22466 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
22467 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
22468 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
22469 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
22470 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
22471 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
22473 There should be no result data from this function.
22476 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
22478 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
22479 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
22480 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
22481 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
22482 propagate the mark information to the server.
22484 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
22487 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
22490 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
22491 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
22492 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
22493 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
22494 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
22495 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
22496 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
22497 possible, not limit itself to these.
22499 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
22500 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
22501 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
22502 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
22504 An example action list:
22507 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
22508 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
22509 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
22512 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
22513 mark on (currently not used for anything).
22515 There should be no result data from this function.
22517 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
22519 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
22520 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
22521 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
22522 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
22523 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
22525 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
22526 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
22527 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
22530 There should be no result data from this function.
22533 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
22535 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
22536 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
22537 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
22538 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
22539 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
22540 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
22541 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
22543 There should be no result data from this function.
22546 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
22548 The result data from this function should be a description of
22552 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
22554 description = <text>
22557 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
22559 The result data from this function should be the description of all
22560 groups available on the server.
22563 description-buffer = *description-line
22567 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
22569 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
22570 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
22571 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
22572 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
22573 in the active buffer format.
22575 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
22576 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
22577 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
22578 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
22579 many groups, so nnml and the like are probably safe. But for back ends
22580 like nntp, where the groups have been created by the server, it is quite
22581 likely that there can be many groups.
22584 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22586 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
22588 There should be no return data.
22591 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
22593 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
22594 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
22595 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
22596 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
22597 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
22600 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
22603 There should be no result data returned.
22606 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
22609 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
22610 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
22612 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
22613 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
22614 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
22615 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
22616 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
22617 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
22619 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
22620 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
22623 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22624 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22626 There should be no data returned.
22629 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
22631 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
22632 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
22633 this function in short order.
22635 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22636 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22638 There should be no data returned.
22641 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
22643 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
22644 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
22646 There should be no data returned.
22649 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
22651 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
22652 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
22653 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
22655 There should be no data returned.
22658 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
22660 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
22661 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
22663 There should be no data returned.
22668 @node Error Messaging
22669 @subsubsection Error Messaging
22671 @findex nnheader-report
22672 @findex nnheader-get-report
22673 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
22674 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
22675 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
22676 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
22677 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
22678 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
22681 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
22683 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
22686 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
22687 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
22688 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
22689 takes one argument---the server symbol.
22691 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
22692 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
22693 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
22696 @node Writing New Back Ends
22697 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
22699 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
22700 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
22701 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
22702 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
22703 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
22706 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
22707 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
22708 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
22710 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
22711 package called @code{nnoo}.
22713 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
22714 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
22720 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
22721 parameters. For instance:
22724 (nnoo-declare nndir
22728 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
22729 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
22732 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
22733 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
22734 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
22736 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
22737 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
22738 a function in those back ends.
22741 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22742 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22743 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22746 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
22747 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
22748 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
22750 @item nnoo-define-basics
22751 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
22755 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22759 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
22760 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
22761 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
22763 @item nnoo-map-functions
22764 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
22765 functions from the parent back ends.
22768 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22769 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22770 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
22773 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
22774 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
22775 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
22776 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
22779 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
22780 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
22781 haven't already been defined.
22787 nnmh-request-newgroups)
22791 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
22792 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
22793 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
22798 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
22801 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
22802 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22806 (require 'nnheader)
22810 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
22812 (nnoo-declare nndir
22815 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22816 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22817 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22819 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
22820 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
22823 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
22825 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
22826 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
22827 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
22829 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
22830 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
22832 ;;; Interface functions.
22834 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22836 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22837 (setq nndir-directory
22838 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22840 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22841 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22842 (push `(nndir-current-group
22843 ,(file-name-nondirectory
22844 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22846 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22847 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22849 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22851 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22852 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22853 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22854 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22855 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22859 nnmh-status-message
22861 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22867 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
22868 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
22870 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22871 @findex gnus-declare-backend
22872 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
22873 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22874 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22876 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
22877 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
22882 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
22885 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
22887 The abilities can be:
22891 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
22893 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
22895 This back end supports both mail and news.
22897 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
22900 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
22901 articles and groups.
22903 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
22904 true for almost all back ends.
22905 @item prompt-address
22906 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
22907 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
22908 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
22912 @node Mail-like Back Ends
22913 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
22915 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
22916 back ends is the heavy dependence by the mail back ends on common
22917 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
22918 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
22921 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
22922 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
22923 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
22926 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
22927 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
22930 This function takes four parameters.
22934 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
22937 @item exit-function
22938 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
22940 @item temp-directory
22941 Where the temporary files should be stored.
22944 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
22945 performed for one group only.
22948 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
22949 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
22950 find the article number assigned to this article.
22952 The function also uses the following variables:
22953 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
22954 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
22955 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
22956 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
22960 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
22961 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
22965 @node Score File Syntax
22966 @subsection Score File Syntax
22968 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
22969 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
22970 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
22972 Here's a typical score file:
22976 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
22983 BNF definition of a score file:
22986 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
22987 element = rule / atom
22988 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
22989 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
22990 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
22991 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
22993 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
22994 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
22995 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
22996 date-header = "date"
22997 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22998 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22999 score = "nil" / <integer>
23000 date = "nil" / <natural number>
23001 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
23002 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
23003 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
23004 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
23005 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23006 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23007 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
23008 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23009 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
23010 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
23011 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
23012 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
23013 exclude-files / read-only / touched
23014 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
23015 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
23016 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
23017 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
23018 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
23019 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
23020 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
23021 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
23022 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
23023 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
23024 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
23025 eval = "eval" space <form>
23026 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
23029 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
23032 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
23033 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
23034 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
23035 one looong line, then that's ok.
23037 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
23038 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23042 @subsection Headers
23044 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
23045 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
23046 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
23047 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
23049 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
23050 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
23051 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
23052 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
23053 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
23054 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
23055 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
23057 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
23058 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
23059 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
23060 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
23061 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
23063 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
23064 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
23070 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
23071 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
23073 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
23074 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
23075 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
23076 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
23078 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
23082 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
23085 is transformed into
23088 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
23091 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
23092 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
23095 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
23098 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
23099 is slightly tricky:
23102 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
23108 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
23111 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
23117 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
23124 and is equal to the previous range.
23126 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
23127 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
23128 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
23132 range = simple-range / normal-range
23133 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
23134 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
23135 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
23136 number *[ " " contents ]
23139 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
23140 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
23141 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
23142 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
23143 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
23148 @subsection Group Info
23150 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
23151 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
23152 describes the group.
23154 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
23155 second is a more complex one:
23158 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
23160 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
23161 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
23163 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
23166 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
23167 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
23168 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
23169 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
23170 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
23171 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
23172 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
23173 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
23174 this section is about.
23176 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
23177 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
23178 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
23180 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
23183 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
23184 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
23185 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23186 group = quote <string> quote
23187 ralevel = rank / level
23188 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23189 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
23190 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23192 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
23193 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
23194 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
23195 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
23198 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
23199 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
23202 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
23203 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
23206 @item gnus-info-group
23207 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
23208 @findex gnus-info-group
23209 @findex gnus-info-set-group
23210 Get/set the group name.
23212 @item gnus-info-rank
23213 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
23214 @findex gnus-info-rank
23215 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
23216 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
23218 @item gnus-info-level
23219 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
23220 @findex gnus-info-level
23221 @findex gnus-info-set-level
23222 Get/set the group level.
23224 @item gnus-info-score
23225 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
23226 @findex gnus-info-score
23227 @findex gnus-info-set-score
23228 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
23230 @item gnus-info-read
23231 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
23232 @findex gnus-info-read
23233 @findex gnus-info-set-read
23234 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
23236 @item gnus-info-marks
23237 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
23238 @findex gnus-info-marks
23239 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
23240 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
23242 @item gnus-info-method
23243 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
23244 @findex gnus-info-method
23245 @findex gnus-info-set-method
23246 Get/set the group select method.
23248 @item gnus-info-params
23249 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
23250 @findex gnus-info-params
23251 @findex gnus-info-set-params
23252 Get/set the group parameters.
23255 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
23256 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
23258 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
23259 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
23260 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
23261 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
23264 @node Extended Interactive
23265 @subsection Extended Interactive
23266 @cindex interactive
23267 @findex gnus-interactive
23269 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
23270 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
23271 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
23274 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
23275 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
23280 The best thing to do would have been to implement
23281 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
23282 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
23283 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
23284 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
23285 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
23286 @code{interactive}.
23288 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
23293 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
23294 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
23298 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
23299 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
23300 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
23303 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
23307 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
23311 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
23317 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
23318 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
23322 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
23323 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
23324 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
23326 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
23327 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
23328 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
23329 Gnus, that's very useful.
23331 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
23332 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
23333 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
23334 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
23335 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
23336 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
23337 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
23338 following function:
23341 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
23345 (,function ,@@args))
23349 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
23350 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
23351 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
23354 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
23355 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
23356 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
23358 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
23359 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
23360 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
23363 @node Various File Formats
23364 @subsection Various File Formats
23367 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
23368 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
23372 @node Active File Format
23373 @subsubsection Active File Format
23375 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
23376 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
23379 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
23382 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
23383 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
23384 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
23385 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
23386 no.general 1000 900 y
23389 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
23392 active = *group-line
23393 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
23394 group = <non-white-space string>
23396 high-number = <non-negative integer>
23397 low-number = <positive integer>
23398 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
23401 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
23402 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
23405 @node Newsgroups File Format
23406 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
23408 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
23409 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
23410 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
23413 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
23414 Here's the definition:
23418 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
23419 group = <non-white-space string>
23421 description = <string>
23426 @node Emacs for Heathens
23427 @section Emacs for Heathens
23429 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
23430 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
23431 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
23432 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
23433 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
23434 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
23435 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
23439 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
23440 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
23445 @subsection Keystrokes
23449 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
23452 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
23455 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
23456 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
23457 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
23458 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
23459 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
23460 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
23462 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
23463 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
23464 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
23465 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
23466 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
23467 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
23468 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
23470 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
23471 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
23472 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
23473 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
23474 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
23475 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
23476 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
23478 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
23479 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
23480 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
23481 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
23482 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
23488 @subsection Emacs Lisp
23490 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
23491 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
23492 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
23493 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
23495 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
23496 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
23497 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
23498 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
23499 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
23500 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
23501 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
23504 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
23505 write the following:
23508 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
23511 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
23512 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
23513 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
23516 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
23517 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
23518 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
23519 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
23520 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
23522 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
23523 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
23524 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
23528 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
23532 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
23535 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
23536 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
23539 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
23542 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
23543 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
23546 @include gnus-faq.texi
23566 @c Local Variables:
23568 @c coding: iso-8859-1
23569 @c buffer-file-coding-system: iso-8859-1
23571 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
23572 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
23573 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
23574 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
23575 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref