1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
4 @settitle Quassia Gnus 0.35 Manual
9 @c * Gnus: (gnus). The news reader Gnus.
14 @setchapternewpage odd
18 \documentclass[twoside,a4paper,openright,11pt]{book}
19 \usepackage[latin1]{inputenc}
20 \usepackage{pagestyle}
28 \newcommand{\gnuschaptername}{}
29 \newcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
31 \newcommand{\gnusbackslash}{/}
33 \newcommand{\gnusxref}[1]{See ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
34 \newcommand{\gnuspxref}[1]{see ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
36 \newcommand{\gnuskindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
37 \newcommand{\gnusindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
39 \newcommand{\gnustt}[1]{{\fontfamily{pfu}\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont #1}}
40 \newcommand{\gnuscode}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
41 \newcommand{\gnussamp}[1]{``{\fontencoding{OT1}\fontfamily{pfu}\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont #1}''}
42 \newcommand{\gnuslisp}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
43 \newcommand{\gnuskbd}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
44 \newcommand{\gnusfile}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
45 \newcommand{\gnusdfn}[1]{\textit{#1}}
46 \newcommand{\gnusi}[1]{\textit{#1}}
47 \newcommand{\gnusstrong}[1]{\textbf{#1}}
48 \newcommand{\gnusemph}[1]{\textit{#1}}
49 \newcommand{\gnusvar}[1]{{\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont\textsl{\textsf{#1}}}}
50 \newcommand{\gnussc}[1]{\textsc{#1}}
51 \newcommand{\gnustitle}[1]{{\huge\textbf{#1}}}
52 \newcommand{\gnusauthor}[1]{{\large\textbf{#1}}}
54 \newcommand{\gnusbullet}{{${\bullet}$}}
55 \newcommand{\gnusdollar}{\$}
56 \newcommand{\gnusampersand}{\&}
57 \newcommand{\gnuspercent}{\%}
58 \newcommand{\gnushash}{\#}
59 \newcommand{\gnushat}{\symbol{"5E}}
60 \newcommand{\gnusunderline}{\symbol{"5F}}
61 \newcommand{\gnusnot}{$\neg$}
62 \newcommand{\gnustilde}{\symbol{"7E}}
63 \newcommand{\gnusless}{{$<$}}
64 \newcommand{\gnusgreater}{{$>$}}
66 \newcommand{\gnushead}{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-head.eps,height=1cm}}}
67 \newcommand{\gnusinteresting}{
68 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\gnushead]{\gnushead}
71 \newcommand{\gnuscleardoublepage}{\ifodd\count0\mbox{}\clearpage\thispagestyle{empty}\mbox{}\clearpage\else\clearpage\fi}
73 \newcommand{\gnuspagechapter}[1]{
80 \newcommand{\gnuschapter}[2]{
82 \ifdim \gnusdimen = 0pt\setcounter{page}{1}\pagestyle{gnus}\pagenumbering{arabic} \gnusdimen 1pt\fi
84 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
85 \renewcommand{\gnuschaptername}{#2}
88 \begin{picture}(500,500)(0,0)
89 \put(480,350){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{#1}}
90 \put(40,300){\makebox(500,50)[bl]{{\Huge\bf{#2}}}}
95 \newcommand{\gnusfigure}[3]{
97 \mbox{}\ifodd\count0\hspace*{-0.8cm}\else\hspace*{-3cm}\fi\begin{picture}(440,#2)
104 \newcommand{\gnusicon}[1]{
105 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\raisebox{-1.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/#1-up.ps,height=1.5cm}}]{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/#1-up.ps,height=1cm}}}
108 \newcommand{\gnuspicon}[1]{
109 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=2cm}}
112 \newcommand{\gnusxface}[2]{
113 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=1cm}\epsfig{figure=#2,width=1cm}}
116 \newcommand{\gnussmiley}[2]{
117 \margindex{\makebox[2cm]{\hfill\epsfig{figure=#1,width=0.5cm}\hfill\epsfig{figure=#2,width=0.5cm}\hfill}}
120 \newcommand{\gnusitemx}[1]{\mbox{}\vspace*{-\itemsep}\vspace*{-\parsep}\item#1}
122 \newcommand{\gnussection}[1]{
123 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{#1}
127 \newenvironment{codelist}%
132 \newenvironment{kbdlist}%
138 \newenvironment{dfnlist}%
143 \newenvironment{stronglist}%
148 \newenvironment{samplist}%
153 \newenvironment{varlist}%
158 \newenvironment{emphlist}%
163 \newlength\gnusheadtextwidth
164 \setlength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{\headtextwidth}
165 \addtolength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{1cm}
167 \newpagestyle{gnuspreamble}%
172 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\mbox{}}\textbf{\hfill\roman{page}}}
176 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\roman{page}\hfill\mbox{}}}
185 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
187 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
192 \newpagestyle{gnusindex}%
197 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\gnuschaptername\hfill\arabic{page}}}}
201 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}
209 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
211 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
221 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{3.1cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{chapter}.\arabic{section}} \textbf{\gnussectionname\hfill\arabic{page}}}}}
225 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{-2.95cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}}
233 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
235 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
240 \pagenumbering{roman}
241 \pagestyle{gnuspreamble}
251 %\addtolength{\oddsidemargin}{-5cm}
252 %\addtolength{\evensidemargin}{-5cm}
254 \addtolength{\textheight}{2cm}
256 \gnustitle{\gnustitlename}\\
259 \hspace*{0cm}\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=15cm}
262 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
269 \thispagestyle{empty}
271 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
273 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
274 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
275 are preserved on all copies.
277 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
278 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
279 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
280 permission notice identical to this one.
282 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
283 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
292 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
294 Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
296 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
297 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
298 are preserved on all copies.
301 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
302 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
303 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
304 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
307 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
308 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
309 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
310 permission notice identical to this one.
312 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
313 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
319 @title Quassia Gnus 0.35 Manual
321 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
324 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
325 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
327 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
328 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
329 are preserved on all copies.
331 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
332 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
333 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
334 permission notice identical to this one.
336 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
337 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
346 @top The Gnus Newsreader
350 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
351 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
352 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
355 This manual corresponds to Quassia Gnus 0.35.
366 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
367 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
369 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
370 being accused of plagiarism:
372 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
373 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
374 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
375 even read news with it!
377 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
378 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
379 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
380 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
381 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
388 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
389 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
390 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
391 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
392 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
393 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
394 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
395 * Various:: General purpose settings.
396 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
397 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
398 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
399 * Key Index:: Key Index.
403 @chapter Starting Gnus
408 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
409 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
412 @findex gnus-other-frame
413 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
414 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
415 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
417 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
418 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
419 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
421 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
422 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
425 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
426 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
427 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
428 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
429 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
430 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
431 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
432 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
433 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
434 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
435 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
439 @node Finding the News
440 @section Finding the News
443 @vindex gnus-select-method
445 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
446 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
447 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
448 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
451 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
452 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
455 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
458 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
461 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
464 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
465 certainly be much faster.
467 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
469 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
470 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
471 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
472 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
473 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
474 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
476 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
477 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
478 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
479 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
481 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
482 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
483 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
484 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
485 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
486 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
488 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
490 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
491 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
492 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
493 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
494 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
495 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
497 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
499 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
500 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
501 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
502 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
503 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
504 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
507 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
508 would typically set this variable to
511 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
516 @section The First Time
517 @cindex first time usage
519 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
520 be subscribed by default.
522 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
523 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
524 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
525 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
528 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
529 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
530 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
532 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
533 help you with most common problems.
535 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
536 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
540 @node The Server is Down
541 @section The Server is Down
542 @cindex server errors
544 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
545 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
546 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
548 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
549 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
550 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
551 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
552 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
553 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
554 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
556 @findex gnus-no-server
557 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
559 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
560 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
561 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
562 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
563 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
564 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
569 @section Slave Gnusae
572 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
573 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
574 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
575 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
577 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
580 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
581 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
582 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
583 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
584 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
585 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
586 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
588 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
589 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
590 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
591 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
592 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
593 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
594 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
595 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
597 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
598 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
601 @node Fetching a Group
602 @section Fetching a Group
603 @cindex fetching a group
605 @findex gnus-fetch-group
606 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
607 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
608 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
609 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
610 It takes the group name as a parameter.
618 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
619 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
620 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
621 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
622 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
623 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
624 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
625 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the backends for new groups even
626 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
629 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
630 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
631 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
635 @node Checking New Groups
636 @subsection Checking New Groups
638 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
639 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
640 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
641 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
642 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
643 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
644 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
645 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
646 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
647 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
649 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
650 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
651 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
652 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
653 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
654 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
655 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
656 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
657 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
658 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
659 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
661 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
662 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
663 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
664 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
665 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
666 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
669 @node Subscription Methods
670 @subsection Subscription Methods
672 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
673 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
674 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
676 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
677 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
679 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
683 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
684 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
685 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
686 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
687 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
689 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
690 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
691 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
692 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
694 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
695 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
696 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
698 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
699 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
700 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
701 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
702 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
703 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into it's
704 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
705 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
706 up. Or something like that.
708 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
709 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
710 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
711 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
712 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
714 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
715 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
720 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
721 A closely related variable is
722 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
723 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
724 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
725 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
728 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
729 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
730 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
731 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
734 @node Filtering New Groups
735 @subsection Filtering New Groups
737 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
738 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
739 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
742 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
745 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
746 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
747 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
748 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
749 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
750 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
751 subscribing these groups.
752 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
753 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
755 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
756 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
757 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
758 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
759 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
760 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
761 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
762 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
764 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
765 Yet another variable that meddles here is
766 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
767 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
768 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
769 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
770 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
771 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
772 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
773 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
775 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
776 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
779 @node Changing Servers
780 @section Changing Servers
781 @cindex changing servers
783 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
784 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
785 very flaky and you want to use another.
787 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
788 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
792 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
793 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
794 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
795 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
798 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
799 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
800 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
801 functions more than absolutely necessary.
803 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
804 @findex gnus-change-server
805 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
806 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
807 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
808 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
809 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
811 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
812 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
813 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
814 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
815 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
817 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
818 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
819 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
820 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
821 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
822 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
826 @section Startup Files
827 @cindex startup files
832 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
833 information is traditionally stored in this file.
835 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
836 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
837 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
838 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
839 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
840 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
841 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
843 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
844 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
845 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
846 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
847 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
848 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
850 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
851 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
852 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
853 the file and save some space, as well as making exit from Gnus faster.
854 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
855 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
857 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
858 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
859 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
860 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
861 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
862 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
863 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
864 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
865 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
866 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
867 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
868 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
870 @vindex gnus-startup-file
871 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
872 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
873 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
875 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
876 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
877 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
878 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
879 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
880 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
881 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
882 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
883 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
884 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
887 (defun turn-off-backup ()
888 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
890 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
891 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
894 @vindex gnus-init-file
895 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
896 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
897 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
898 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
899 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
900 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
901 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
902 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
903 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
912 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
913 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
914 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
915 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
916 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
919 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
920 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
923 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
924 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
925 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
927 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
928 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
929 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
930 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
931 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
932 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
935 @node The Active File
936 @section The Active File
938 @cindex ignored groups
940 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
941 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
942 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
944 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
945 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
946 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
947 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
948 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
949 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
950 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
953 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
954 @c if you set it to anything else.
956 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
958 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
959 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
960 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
962 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
963 you actually subscribe to.
965 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
966 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
967 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
968 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
970 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
971 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
972 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
973 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
974 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
975 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
977 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
978 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
979 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
980 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
981 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
982 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
984 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
985 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
987 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
988 secondary select methods.
991 @node Startup Variables
992 @section Startup Variables
997 @vindex gnus-load-hook
998 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
999 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1000 times you start Gnus.
1002 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1003 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1004 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1006 @item gnus-startup-hook
1007 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1008 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1010 @item gnus-started-hook
1011 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1012 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1015 @item gnus-started-hook
1016 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1017 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1018 generating the group buffer.
1020 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1021 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1022 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1023 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1024 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1025 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1026 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1027 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1029 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1030 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1031 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1032 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1033 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1034 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1036 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1037 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1038 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1040 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1041 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1042 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1044 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1045 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1046 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1047 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1052 @node The Group Buffer
1053 @chapter The Group Buffer
1054 @cindex group buffer
1056 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1057 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1058 long as Gnus is active.
1062 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1063 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1064 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1065 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1066 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1067 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1068 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1069 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1075 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1076 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1077 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1078 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1079 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1080 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1081 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1082 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1083 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1084 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1085 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1086 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1087 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1088 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1089 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1090 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1091 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1095 @node Group Buffer Format
1096 @section Group Buffer Format
1099 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1100 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1101 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1105 @node Group Line Specification
1106 @subsection Group Line Specification
1107 @cindex group buffer format
1109 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1110 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1112 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1115 25: news.announce.newusers
1116 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1121 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1122 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1123 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1124 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1126 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1127 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1128 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1129 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1130 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1131 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1133 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1135 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1136 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1137 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1138 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1141 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1142 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1143 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1145 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1150 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1153 Whether the group is subscribed.
1156 Level of subscribedness.
1159 Number of unread articles.
1162 Number of dormant articles.
1165 Number of ticked articles.
1168 Number of read articles.
1171 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1172 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1175 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1178 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1187 Newsgroup description.
1190 @samp{m} if moderated.
1193 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1202 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1206 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1209 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1210 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1211 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1212 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1213 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.emacs.gnus}.
1216 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1218 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1222 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1226 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1227 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1228 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1229 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1230 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1231 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1236 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1237 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1238 group, or a bogus native group.
1241 @node Group Modeline Specification
1242 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1243 @cindex group modeline
1245 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1246 The mode line can be changed by setting
1247 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). It
1248 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1252 The native news server.
1254 The native select method.
1258 @node Group Highlighting
1259 @subsection Group Highlighting
1260 @cindex highlighting
1261 @cindex group highlighting
1263 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1264 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1265 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1266 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1267 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1269 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1273 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-1 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))))
1274 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-2 '((t (:foreground "SeaGreen" :bold t))))
1275 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-3 '((t (:foreground "SpringGreen" :bold t))))
1276 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-4 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))))
1277 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-5 '((t (:foreground "SkyBlue" :bold t))))
1279 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1280 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1281 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1282 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1283 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1284 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1286 ,(custom-face-lookup "Red" nil nil t nil nil))
1287 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) .
1288 ,(custom-face-lookup "SeaGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1290 ,(custom-face-lookup "SpringGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1292 ,(custom-face-lookup "SteelBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
1294 ,(custom-face-lookup "SkyBlue" nil nil t nil nil))))
1295 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1298 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1300 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1307 The number of unread articles in the group.
1311 Whether the group is a mail group.
1313 The level of the group.
1315 The score of the group.
1317 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1319 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1320 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1322 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1323 topic being inserted.
1326 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1327 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1328 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1330 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1331 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1332 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1333 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1334 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1337 @node Group Maneuvering
1338 @section Group Maneuvering
1339 @cindex group movement
1341 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1342 expected, hopefully.
1348 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1349 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1350 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1356 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1357 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1358 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1362 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1363 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1367 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1368 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1372 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1373 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1374 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1378 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1379 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1380 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1383 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1389 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1390 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1391 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1396 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1397 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1398 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1402 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1403 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1404 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1407 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1408 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1409 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1410 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1414 @node Selecting a Group
1415 @section Selecting a Group
1416 @cindex group selection
1421 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1422 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1423 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1424 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1425 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1426 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1427 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1428 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1429 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1430 negative, Gnus fetches the @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1434 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1435 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1436 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1437 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1438 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1442 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1443 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1444 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1445 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1446 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1447 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1448 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1449 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1450 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1451 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1454 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1455 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1456 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1457 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1458 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1461 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1462 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1463 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1464 doing any processing of its contents
1465 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1466 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1467 manner will have no permanent effects.
1471 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1472 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1473 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1474 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1475 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1476 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1477 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1478 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1481 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1482 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1483 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1484 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1489 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1490 full summary buffer.
1493 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1496 Select the most high-scored article in the group when entering the
1500 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1501 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1502 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1506 @node Subscription Commands
1507 @section Subscription Commands
1508 @cindex subscription
1516 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1517 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
1518 Toggle subscription to the current group
1519 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1525 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1526 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1527 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1528 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1534 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1535 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
1536 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1542 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1543 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1546 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1547 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1548 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1549 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1550 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1556 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1557 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1561 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1562 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1565 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1566 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1567 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1568 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1569 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1570 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1571 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1572 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1573 @file{.newsrc} file.
1577 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1587 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1588 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1589 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
1590 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1591 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1592 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
1597 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1598 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1599 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1603 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1604 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1605 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1607 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1608 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1609 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1610 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1611 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1612 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1619 @section Group Levels
1623 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1624 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1625 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1626 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1627 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1629 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1635 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1636 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1637 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1638 prompted for a level.
1641 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1642 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1643 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1644 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1645 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
1646 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1647 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1648 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1649 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1650 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
1651 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
1652 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
1653 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
1654 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
1655 reasons of efficiency.
1657 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1658 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1660 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1661 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1662 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1664 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1665 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1666 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1667 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1668 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1669 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1670 relevant valid ranges.
1672 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1673 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1674 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
1675 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1676 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1677 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1680 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1681 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1682 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1685 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1686 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1687 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1688 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1691 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1692 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1693 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1694 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1696 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1697 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
1698 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
1699 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
1700 to 5. The default is 6.
1704 @section Group Score
1709 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1710 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1711 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1714 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1715 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1716 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1717 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1718 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1719 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1720 part and the score is the least significant part.))
1722 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1723 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1724 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1725 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1726 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1727 action after each summary exit, you can add
1728 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1729 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1730 slow things down somewhat.
1733 @node Marking Groups
1734 @section Marking Groups
1735 @cindex marking groups
1737 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1738 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1739 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1740 bidding on those groups.
1742 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1743 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1744 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1752 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1753 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1759 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1760 Remove the mark from the current group
1761 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1765 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1766 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1770 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1771 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1775 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1776 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1780 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1781 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1782 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1785 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1787 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1788 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1789 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1790 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1791 the command to be executed.
1794 @node Foreign Groups
1795 @section Foreign Groups
1796 @cindex foreign groups
1798 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1799 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1800 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1801 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1808 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1809 @cindex making groups
1810 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1811 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1812 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1816 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1817 @cindex renaming groups
1818 Rename the current group to something else
1819 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
1820 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1826 @findex gnus-group-customize
1827 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
1831 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1832 @cindex renaming groups
1833 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1834 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1838 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1839 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1840 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1844 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1845 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1846 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1850 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1852 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1853 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1858 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1859 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1863 @cindex (ding) archive
1864 @cindex archive group
1865 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1866 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1867 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1868 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1869 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1870 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1871 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1875 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1877 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1878 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1879 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1880 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1884 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1886 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
1887 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1888 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1892 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1893 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1895 Make a group based on some file or other
1896 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1897 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1898 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1899 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
1900 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, and @code{forward}. If you run
1901 this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file type.
1902 @xref{Document Groups}.
1906 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1911 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1912 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1913 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1914 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
1915 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1916 @xref{Web Searches}.
1919 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1920 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1921 This function will delete the current group
1922 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1923 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1924 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1925 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
1926 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
1930 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1931 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1932 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1936 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1937 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1938 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1941 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1944 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1945 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1946 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1947 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1948 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers.
1951 @node Group Parameters
1952 @section Group Parameters
1953 @cindex group parameters
1955 The group parameters store information local to a particular group:
1960 If the group parameter list contains an element that looks like
1961 @code{(to-address . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used by
1962 the backend when doing followups and posts. This is primarily useful in
1963 mail groups that represent closed mailing lists---mailing lists where
1964 it's expected that everybody that writes to the mailing list is
1965 subscribed to it. Since using this parameter ensures that the mail only
1966 goes to the mailing list itself, it means that members won't receive two
1967 copies of your followups.
1969 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
1970 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
1971 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
1972 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
1973 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
1974 list address instead.
1978 If the group parameter list has an element that looks like
1979 @code{(to-list . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used when
1980 doing a @kbd{a} in that group. It is totally ignored when doing a
1981 followup---except that if it is present in a news group, you'll get mail
1982 group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
1984 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
1985 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group paramater,
1986 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
1987 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
1988 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
1990 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
1991 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
1992 sending the message.
1996 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
1997 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
1998 of whether it has any unread articles.
2000 @item broken-reply-to
2001 @cindex broken-reply-to
2002 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2003 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2004 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2005 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2006 broken behavior. So there!
2010 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2011 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2015 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list, Gnus will treat
2016 all responses as if they were responses to news articles. This can be
2017 useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a news group.
2021 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list and set to
2022 @code{t}, newly composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current
2023 group. If it is present and set to @code{none}, no @code{Gcc:} header
2024 will be generated, if it is present and a string, this string will be
2025 inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header (this symbol takes precedence
2026 over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later). @xref{Archived
2031 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2032 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2033 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2036 @cindex total-expire
2037 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2038 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2039 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2040 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2045 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2046 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2047 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2048 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2049 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2050 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2053 @cindex score file group parameter
2054 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2055 @file{file} into the current adaptive score file for the group in
2056 question. All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2059 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2060 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2061 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2062 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2065 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2066 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2067 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2068 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2071 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2072 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2076 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2079 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2084 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2085 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2086 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2089 @item @var{(variable form)}
2090 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2091 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2092 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2093 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2094 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2095 @code{eval}ed there.
2097 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2098 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2099 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2100 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2101 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2105 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2106 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2109 Here's an example group parameter list:
2112 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2117 @node Listing Groups
2118 @section Listing Groups
2119 @cindex group listing
2121 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2129 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2130 List all groups that have unread articles
2131 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2132 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2133 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2134 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2141 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2142 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2143 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2144 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2145 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2146 unsubscribed groups).
2150 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2151 List all unread groups on a specific level
2152 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2153 with no unread articles.
2157 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2158 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2159 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2160 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2165 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2166 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2170 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2171 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2172 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2176 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2177 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2181 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2182 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2183 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2184 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2185 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2186 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2187 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2188 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2192 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2193 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2194 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2198 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2199 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2200 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2204 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2205 @cindex visible group parameter
2206 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2207 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2208 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2209 get the same effect.
2211 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2212 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2213 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2214 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2215 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2218 @node Sorting Groups
2219 @section Sorting Groups
2220 @cindex sorting groups
2222 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2223 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2224 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2225 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2226 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2227 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2232 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2233 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2234 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2236 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2237 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2238 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2240 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2241 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2242 Sort by group level.
2244 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2245 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2246 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2248 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2249 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2250 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2251 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2253 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2254 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2255 Sort by number of unread articles.
2257 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2258 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2259 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2264 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2265 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2269 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2270 some sorting criteria:
2274 @kindex G S a (Group)
2275 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2276 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2277 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2280 @kindex G S u (Group)
2281 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2282 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2283 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2286 @kindex G S l (Group)
2287 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2288 Sort the group buffer by group level
2289 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2292 @kindex G S v (Group)
2293 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2294 Sort the group buffer by group score
2295 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2298 @kindex G S r (Group)
2299 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2300 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2301 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2304 @kindex G S m (Group)
2305 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2306 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2307 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2311 When given a prefix, all these commands will sort in reverse order.
2313 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2317 @kindex G P a (Group)
2318 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2319 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2320 group name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2323 @kindex G P u (Group)
2324 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2325 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by the number of
2326 unread articles (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2329 @kindex G P l (Group)
2330 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2331 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group level
2332 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2335 @kindex G P v (Group)
2336 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2337 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group score
2338 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2341 @kindex G P r (Group)
2342 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2343 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group rank
2344 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2347 @kindex G P m (Group)
2348 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2349 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2350 backend name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2356 @node Group Maintenance
2357 @section Group Maintenance
2358 @cindex bogus groups
2363 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2364 Find bogus groups and delete them
2365 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2369 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2370 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2371 If given a prefix, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2375 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2376 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2377 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2378 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2381 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2382 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2383 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2384 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2389 @node Browse Foreign Server
2390 @section Browse Foreign Server
2391 @cindex foreign servers
2392 @cindex browsing servers
2397 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2398 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2399 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2400 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2403 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2404 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2405 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2406 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2408 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2413 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2414 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2418 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2419 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2422 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2423 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2424 Enter the current group and display the first article
2425 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2428 @kindex RET (Browse)
2429 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2430 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2434 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2435 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2436 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2442 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2443 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2447 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2448 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2449 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2454 @section Exiting Gnus
2455 @cindex exiting Gnus
2457 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
2462 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2463 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
2464 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2465 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2469 @findex gnus-group-exit
2470 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
2471 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2475 @findex gnus-group-quit
2476 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2477 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2480 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2481 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2482 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
2483 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
2484 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2489 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2490 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2491 trying to customize meta-variables.
2496 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2497 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2498 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2504 @section Group Topics
2507 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2508 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2509 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2510 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2511 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2512 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2516 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
2517 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
2528 2: alt.religion.emacs
2531 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2533 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2534 13: comp.sources.unix
2537 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2539 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2540 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2541 is a toggling command.)
2543 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2544 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2545 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2546 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2549 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2550 the hook for the group mode:
2553 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2557 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2558 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2559 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2560 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2561 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2565 @node Topic Variables
2566 @subsection Topic Variables
2567 @cindex topic variables
2569 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2570 really neat, I think.
2572 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2573 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2574 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2587 Number of groups in the topic.
2589 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2591 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2594 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2595 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2596 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2599 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2600 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2602 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2603 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2604 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2607 @node Topic Commands
2608 @subsection Topic Commands
2609 @cindex topic commands
2611 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2612 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2613 definitions slightly.
2619 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2620 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2621 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2625 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2626 Move the current group to some other topic
2627 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2628 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2632 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2633 Copy the current group to some other topic
2634 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2635 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2639 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2640 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2641 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2642 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2646 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2647 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2648 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2652 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2653 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2654 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2658 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
2659 Toggle hiding empty topics
2660 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
2664 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2665 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2666 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2669 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2670 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2671 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2672 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2676 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2678 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2679 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2680 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2681 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2682 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2683 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2686 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2687 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2688 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2689 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2690 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2694 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2695 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2696 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2700 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2701 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2702 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2707 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2708 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2711 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2712 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2713 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2717 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2718 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2719 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2723 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2724 @cindex group parameters
2725 @cindex topic parameters
2727 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2728 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2734 @subsection Topic Sorting
2735 @cindex topic sorting
2737 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2743 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2744 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2745 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2746 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2749 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2750 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2751 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2752 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2755 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2756 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2757 Sort the current topic by group level
2758 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2761 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2762 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2763 Sort the current topic by group score
2764 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2767 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2768 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2769 Sort the current topic by group rank
2770 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2773 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2774 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2775 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2776 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2780 @xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
2783 @node Topic Topology
2784 @subsection Topic Topology
2785 @cindex topic topology
2788 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2794 2: alt.religion.emacs
2797 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2799 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2800 13: comp.sources.unix
2803 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2804 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2805 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
2810 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2811 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2815 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2816 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2817 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2818 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2819 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2820 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2822 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2823 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2824 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2827 @node Topic Parameters
2828 @subsection Topic Parameters
2829 @cindex topic parameters
2831 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2832 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
2833 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2835 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2836 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2837 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2838 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2844 2: alt.religion.emacs
2848 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2850 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2851 13: comp.sources.unix
2855 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
2856 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
2857 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
2858 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
2859 @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
2860 . "religion.SCORE")}.
2862 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2863 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2864 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2865 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
2866 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
2868 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
2869 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
2870 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
2871 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
2872 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
2873 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
2874 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
2875 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
2878 @node Misc Group Stuff
2879 @section Misc Group Stuff
2882 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2883 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
2884 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
2885 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
2892 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
2893 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
2894 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
2898 @findex gnus-group-post-news
2899 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
2900 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
2904 @findex gnus-group-mail
2905 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
2909 Variables for the group buffer:
2913 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
2914 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
2915 is called after the group buffer has been
2918 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
2919 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2920 is called after the group buffer is
2921 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
2924 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
2925 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2926 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
2927 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
2929 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2930 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2931 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
2932 whether they are empty or not.
2937 @node Scanning New Messages
2938 @subsection Scanning New Messages
2939 @cindex new messages
2940 @cindex scanning new news
2946 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
2947 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
2948 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
2949 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
2950 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
2951 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
2956 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
2957 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
2958 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
2959 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
2960 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
2961 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
2962 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
2964 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
2965 @cindex activating groups
2967 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
2968 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
2973 @findex gnus-group-restart
2974 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
2975 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
2976 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
2980 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
2981 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
2983 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
2984 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
2988 @node Group Information
2989 @subsection Group Information
2990 @cindex group information
2991 @cindex information on groups
2998 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
2999 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3002 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3003 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3004 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3005 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3006 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3007 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3008 for fetching the file.
3010 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3011 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3015 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3017 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3018 @cindex describing groups
3019 @cindex group description
3020 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3021 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3022 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3026 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3027 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3028 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3035 @findex gnus-version
3036 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3040 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3041 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3044 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3047 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3048 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3052 @node Group Timestamp
3053 @subsection Group Timestamp
3055 @cindex group timestamps
3057 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
3058 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3059 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3062 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3065 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3067 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3068 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3071 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3072 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3075 This will result in lines looking like:
3078 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3079 0: custom 19961002T012713
3082 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3083 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3087 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3088 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3093 @subsection File Commands
3094 @cindex file commands
3100 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3101 @vindex gnus-init-file
3102 @cindex reading init file
3103 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3104 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3108 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3109 @cindex saving .newsrc
3110 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3111 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3112 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3115 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3116 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3117 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3122 @node The Summary Buffer
3123 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3124 @cindex summary buffer
3126 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3127 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3129 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3130 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3132 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3135 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3136 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3137 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3138 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3139 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3140 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
3141 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3142 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3143 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3144 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3145 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3146 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3147 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3148 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3149 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3150 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3151 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3152 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3153 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3154 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3155 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3156 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3157 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3158 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3159 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3160 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3161 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3165 @node Summary Buffer Format
3166 @section Summary Buffer Format
3167 @cindex summary buffer format
3171 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3172 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3173 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3179 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3180 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3181 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3184 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3185 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3186 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3187 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3188 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3189 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
3190 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3191 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
3192 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
3193 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
3194 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead.
3196 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3197 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3198 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3199 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3202 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3203 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3205 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3206 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3207 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3208 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3209 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3211 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3213 The following format specification characters are understood:
3221 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3222 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3223 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3225 Full @code{From} header.
3227 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3229 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3230 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3231 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3232 may be more thorough.
3234 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3237 Number of lines in the article.
3239 Number of characters in the article.
3241 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3243 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3244 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3246 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3247 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3249 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3250 for adopted articles.
3252 One space for each thread level.
3254 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3260 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3262 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3263 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3264 default level. If the difference between
3265 @code{gnus-summary-default-level} and the score is less than
3266 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3274 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3276 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3282 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3283 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3285 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3286 article has any children.
3292 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3293 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3294 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3295 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3296 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3297 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3300 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3301 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
3302 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3303 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3304 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3305 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3307 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3308 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3310 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
3313 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3314 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3316 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3317 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar. Set
3318 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you like. The default
3319 is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3321 Here are the elements you can play with:
3327 Unprefixed group name.
3329 Current article number.
3333 Number of unread articles in this group.
3335 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
3338 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3339 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3340 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3341 and no unselected ones.
3343 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3344 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3346 Subject of the current article.
3348 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
3350 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
3352 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3354 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3356 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3358 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3362 @node Summary Highlighting
3363 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3367 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3368 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3369 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3370 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3371 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3373 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3374 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3375 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3376 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3378 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3379 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3380 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
3381 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3383 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3384 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3385 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3386 list where the elements are of the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
3387 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
3388 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
3390 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3391 ((> score default) . bold))
3393 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3394 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
3398 @node Summary Maneuvering
3399 @section Summary Maneuvering
3400 @cindex summary movement
3402 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3403 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3405 None of these commands select articles.
3410 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3411 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3412 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3413 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3414 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3418 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3419 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3420 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3421 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3422 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3427 @kindex G j (Summary)
3428 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3429 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
3430 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3433 @kindex G g (Summary)
3434 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3435 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
3436 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3439 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3440 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3441 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3442 to the group buffer.
3444 Variables related to summary movement:
3448 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3449 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3450 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
3451 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
3452 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
3453 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
3454 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
3455 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
3456 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
3457 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
3458 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
3459 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
3460 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
3461 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
3463 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3464 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3465 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3466 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3467 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3468 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) This variable is not
3469 particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3471 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3472 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3473 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3474 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3475 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3477 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3478 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3479 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3480 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3481 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3482 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3483 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3484 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3490 @node Choosing Articles
3491 @section Choosing Articles
3492 @cindex selecting articles
3495 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3496 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3500 @node Choosing Commands
3501 @subsection Choosing Commands
3503 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3504 and they all select and display an article.
3508 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3509 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3510 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3511 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3516 @kindex G n (Summary)
3517 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3518 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
3519 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3524 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3525 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
3526 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3531 @kindex G N (Summary)
3532 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3533 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3538 @kindex G P (Summary)
3539 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3540 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3543 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3544 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3545 Go to the next article with the same subject
3546 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3549 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3550 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3551 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3552 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3556 @kindex G f (Summary)
3558 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3559 Go to the first unread article
3560 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3564 @kindex G b (Summary)
3566 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3567 Go to the article with the highest score
3568 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3573 @kindex G l (Summary)
3574 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3575 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3578 @kindex G o (Summary)
3579 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3581 @cindex article history
3582 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3583 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3584 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3585 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
3586 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
3587 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
3591 @node Choosing Variables
3592 @subsection Choosing Variables
3594 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3597 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3598 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3599 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3600 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3601 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3602 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3604 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3605 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3606 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3607 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3609 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3610 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3611 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3612 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3613 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3614 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3615 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3616 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3617 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3618 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3619 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3620 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3621 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3622 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3627 @node Paging the Article
3628 @section Scrolling the Article
3629 @cindex article scrolling
3634 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3635 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3636 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3637 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3638 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3641 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3642 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3643 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3646 @kindex RET (Summary)
3647 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3648 Scroll the current article one line forward
3649 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3653 @kindex A g (Summary)
3655 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3656 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3657 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3658 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3659 the way it came from the server.
3664 @kindex A < (Summary)
3665 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3666 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3667 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3672 @kindex A > (Summary)
3673 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3674 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3678 @kindex A s (Summary)
3680 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3681 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3682 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3686 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
3687 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
3692 @node Reply Followup and Post
3693 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3696 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3697 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3701 @node Summary Mail Commands
3702 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3704 @cindex composing mail
3706 Commands for composing a mail message:
3712 @kindex S r (Summary)
3714 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3715 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
3716 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
3717 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3718 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3723 @kindex S R (Summary)
3724 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3725 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
3726 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3727 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3728 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3731 @kindex S w (Summary)
3732 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
3733 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
3734 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
3735 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
3736 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
3739 @kindex S W (Summary)
3740 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
3741 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
3742 message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This command uses
3743 the process/prefix convention.
3746 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3747 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3748 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
3749 Forward the current article to some other person
3750 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3751 headers of the forwarded article.
3756 @kindex S m (Summary)
3757 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3758 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
3759 Send a mail to some other person
3760 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3763 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3764 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3765 @cindex bouncing mail
3766 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3767 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3768 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3769 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3770 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3771 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
3772 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3773 very well fail, though.
3776 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3777 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3778 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3779 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3780 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
3781 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
3782 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
3783 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
3784 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
3785 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
3787 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
3788 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
3789 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
3790 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
3791 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
3793 This command understands the process/prefix convention
3794 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3797 @kindex S O m (Summary)
3798 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
3799 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
3800 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
3801 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3804 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
3805 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
3806 @cindex crossposting
3807 @cindex excessive crossposting
3808 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
3809 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
3811 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
3812 This command is provided as a way to fight back agains the current
3813 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
3814 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
3815 command understands the process/prefix convention
3816 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
3821 @node Summary Post Commands
3822 @subsection Summary Post Commands
3824 @cindex composing news
3826 Commands for posting a news article:
3832 @kindex S p (Summary)
3833 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
3834 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
3835 Post an article to the current group
3836 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
3841 @kindex S f (Summary)
3842 @findex gnus-summary-followup
3843 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
3844 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
3848 @kindex S F (Summary)
3850 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
3851 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
3852 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
3853 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
3854 process/prefix convention.
3857 @kindex S n (Summary)
3858 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
3859 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
3860 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
3863 @kindex S n (Summary)
3864 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
3865 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
3866 message through mail and include the original message
3867 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
3868 the process/prefix convention.
3871 @kindex S o p (Summary)
3872 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
3873 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
3874 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3875 headers of the forwarded article.
3878 @kindex S O p (Summary)
3879 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
3881 @cindex making digests
3882 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
3883 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
3884 process/prefix convention.
3887 @kindex S u (Summary)
3888 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
3889 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
3890 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
3891 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
3895 @node Canceling and Superseding
3896 @section Canceling Articles
3897 @cindex canceling articles
3898 @cindex superseding articles
3900 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
3901 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
3903 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
3905 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
3907 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
3908 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
3909 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
3910 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
3911 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
3912 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3914 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
3915 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
3918 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when cancelling. If you
3919 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
3920 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
3922 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
3923 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
3924 your original article.
3926 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
3928 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
3929 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
3930 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
3933 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
3934 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
3935 have posted almost the same article twice.
3937 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
3938 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
3939 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
3940 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
3941 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
3942 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
3943 header by substituting one of those words for the word
3944 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
3945 you would do normally. The previous article will be
3946 canceled/superseded.
3948 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
3951 @node Marking Articles
3952 @section Marking Articles
3953 @cindex article marking
3954 @cindex article ticking
3957 There are several marks you can set on an article.
3959 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
3960 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
3961 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
3963 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
3966 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
3967 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
3968 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
3972 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
3976 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
3977 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
3981 @node Unread Articles
3982 @subsection Unread Articles
3984 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
3989 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
3990 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
3992 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
3993 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
3994 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
3995 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
3996 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4000 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4001 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4003 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4004 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4005 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4008 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4009 Markes as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4011 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4016 @subsection Read Articles
4017 @cindex expirable mark
4019 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4024 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4025 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4026 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4029 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4030 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4033 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4034 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4035 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4038 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4039 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4042 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4043 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4046 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4047 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4050 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4051 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4054 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4055 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4058 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4059 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4062 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4063 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4067 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4068 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4069 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4073 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4074 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4076 One more special mark, though:
4080 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4081 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4083 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4084 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4085 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4086 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
4092 @subsection Other Marks
4093 @cindex process mark
4096 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4102 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4103 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4104 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4105 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4106 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}
4109 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4110 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4111 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4112 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4115 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4116 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4117 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}
4120 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4121 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4122 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4123 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4126 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4127 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4128 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4129 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4130 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4133 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4134 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4135 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4136 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4137 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4138 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4142 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4143 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4144 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4146 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4147 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4148 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4152 @subsection Setting Marks
4153 @cindex setting marks
4155 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4160 @kindex M c (Summary)
4161 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4162 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4163 @cindex mark as unread
4164 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4165 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4171 @kindex M t (Summary)
4172 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4173 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4174 @xref{Article Caching}
4179 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4180 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4181 Mark the current article as dormant
4182 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}
4186 @kindex M d (Summary)
4188 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4189 Mark the current article as read
4190 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4194 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4195 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4196 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
4201 @kindex M k (Summary)
4202 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
4203 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
4204 and then select the next unread article
4205 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
4209 @kindex M K (Summary)
4210 @kindex C-k (Summary)
4211 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
4212 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
4213 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4216 @kindex M C (Summary)
4217 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4218 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
4219 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4222 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4223 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4224 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4225 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4228 @kindex M H (Summary)
4229 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4230 Catchup the current group to point
4231 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4234 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4235 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4236 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4237 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
4240 @kindex M V k (Summary)
4241 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
4242 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
4243 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
4247 @kindex M e (Summary)
4249 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
4250 Mark the current article as expirable
4251 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
4254 @kindex M b (Summary)
4255 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
4256 Set a bookmark in the current article
4257 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
4260 @kindex M B (Summary)
4261 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
4262 Remove the bookmark from the current article
4263 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
4266 @kindex M V c (Summary)
4267 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
4268 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
4269 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4272 @kindex M V u (Summary)
4273 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
4274 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
4275 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
4278 @kindex M V m (Summary)
4279 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
4280 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
4281 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
4282 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4285 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
4286 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
4287 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
4288 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
4289 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
4290 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
4291 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
4292 The default is @code{t}.
4295 @node Setting Process Marks
4296 @subsection Setting Process Marks
4297 @cindex setting process marks
4304 @kindex M P p (Summary)
4305 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
4306 Mark the current article with the process mark
4307 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
4308 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
4312 @kindex M P u (Summary)
4313 @kindex M-# (Summary)
4314 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
4315 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
4318 @kindex M P U (Summary)
4319 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
4320 Remove the process mark from all articles
4321 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
4324 @kindex M P i (Summary)
4325 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
4326 Invert the list of process marked articles
4327 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
4330 @kindex M P R (Summary)
4331 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
4332 Mark articles by a regular expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
4335 @kindex M P r (Summary)
4336 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
4337 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
4340 @kindex M P t (Summary)
4341 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4342 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4343 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4346 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4347 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4348 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4349 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4352 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4353 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4354 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4355 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4358 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4359 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4360 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4363 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4364 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4365 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4366 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4369 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4370 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4371 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4374 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4375 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4376 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4377 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4380 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4381 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4382 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4383 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4386 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4387 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4388 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4389 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4392 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4393 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4394 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4395 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4404 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4405 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4406 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4409 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
4410 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
4411 additional articles.
4417 @kindex / / (Summary)
4418 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4419 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4420 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4423 @kindex / a (Summary)
4424 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4425 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4426 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4430 @kindex / u (Summary)
4432 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4433 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
4434 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4435 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4436 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4439 @kindex / m (Summary)
4440 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4441 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have not been marked
4442 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4445 @kindex / t (Summary)
4446 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
4447 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
4448 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}). If given a prefix, limit to
4449 articles younger than that number of days.
4452 @kindex / n (Summary)
4453 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4454 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4455 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4456 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4459 @kindex / w (Summary)
4460 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4461 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4462 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4466 @kindex / v (Summary)
4467 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4468 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4469 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4473 @kindex M S (Summary)
4474 @kindex / E (Summary)
4475 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4476 Display all expunged articles
4477 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4480 @kindex / D (Summary)
4481 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4482 Display all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4485 @kindex / d (Summary)
4486 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4487 Hide all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4490 @kindex / T (Summary)
4491 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
4492 Include all the articles in the current thread.
4495 @kindex / c (Summary)
4496 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4497 Hide all dormant articles that have no children
4498 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4501 @kindex / C (Summary)
4502 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4503 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4504 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4505 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4513 @cindex article threading
4515 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
4516 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
4517 hierarchical fashion.
4519 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
4520 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
4521 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
4522 or simply missing. Weird news propagration excarcerbates the problem,
4523 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
4524 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
4525 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
4527 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
4531 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
4534 A tree-like article structure.
4537 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
4540 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
4541 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
4542 summary buffer. We then typicall have many sub-threads that really
4543 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
4544 called loose threads.
4546 @item thread gathering
4547 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
4549 @item sparse threads
4550 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
4551 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
4557 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4558 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4562 @node Customizing Threading
4563 @subsection Customizing Threading
4564 @cindex customizing threading
4567 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
4568 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
4569 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
4570 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
4575 @subsubsection Loose Threads
4578 @cindex loose threads
4581 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4582 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4583 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4584 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4585 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4586 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4588 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
4589 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
4590 There are four possible values:
4594 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
4595 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
4596 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4597 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4598 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4603 @cindex adopting articles
4608 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4609 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4610 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4611 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4614 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4615 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4616 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4617 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4618 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4619 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4620 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4623 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4624 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4625 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4629 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4630 display them after one another.
4633 Don't gather loose threads.
4636 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4637 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4638 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4639 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
4640 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4641 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4642 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
4643 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
4644 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4645 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
4646 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4648 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4649 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
4650 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
4653 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4654 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4655 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4656 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4657 simplification is used.
4659 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4660 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4661 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4662 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4664 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4666 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4672 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4673 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4674 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4675 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4680 (mapconcat 'identity
4681 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4683 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4686 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4689 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4690 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4691 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
4692 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
4693 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
4694 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
4696 Useful functions to put in this list include:
4699 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
4700 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
4701 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
4703 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4704 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4707 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
4708 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
4709 Remove excessive whitespace.
4712 You may also write your own functions, of course.
4715 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4716 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4717 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
4718 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
4719 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
4720 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
4721 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
4722 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
4724 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4725 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4726 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
4727 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
4728 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
4729 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
4730 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
4731 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
4732 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
4736 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4737 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4738 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
4739 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
4741 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4742 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4743 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
4746 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
4750 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4751 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
4757 @node Filling In Threads
4758 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
4761 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
4762 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
4763 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
4764 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
4765 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
4766 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
4767 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
4768 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
4769 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
4770 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
4771 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
4772 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
4774 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
4775 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
4776 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
4778 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
4779 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
4780 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
4781 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
4782 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
4783 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
4784 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
4785 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
4786 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
4787 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
4788 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
4789 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
4790 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
4791 @code{nil} by default.
4796 @node More Threading
4797 @subsubsection More Threading
4800 @item gnus-show-threads
4801 @vindex gnus-show-threads
4802 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
4803 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
4804 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
4805 slower and more awkward.
4807 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4808 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4809 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
4812 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
4813 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
4814 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
4815 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
4816 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
4817 threads are expunged.
4819 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
4820 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
4821 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
4824 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4825 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4826 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
4827 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
4828 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
4831 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
4832 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
4833 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
4839 @node Low-Level Threading
4840 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
4844 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
4845 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
4846 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
4847 @code{(gnus-decode-rfc1522)}, which means that QPized headers will be
4848 slightly decoded in a hackish way. This is likely to change in the
4849 future when Gnus becomes @sc{MIME}ified.
4851 @item gnus-alter-header-function
4852 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
4853 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
4854 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
4855 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
4856 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
4857 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
4858 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
4859 meaningful. Here's one example:
4862 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
4864 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
4865 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
4867 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
4869 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
4876 @node Thread Commands
4877 @subsection Thread Commands
4878 @cindex thread commands
4884 @kindex T k (Summary)
4885 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
4886 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
4887 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
4888 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
4889 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
4894 @kindex T l (Summary)
4895 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
4896 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
4897 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
4898 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
4901 @kindex T i (Summary)
4902 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
4903 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
4904 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
4907 @kindex T # (Summary)
4908 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4909 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
4910 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4913 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
4914 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4915 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
4916 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4919 @kindex T T (Summary)
4920 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
4921 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
4924 @kindex T s (Summary)
4925 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
4926 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
4927 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
4930 @kindex T h (Summary)
4931 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
4932 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
4935 @kindex T S (Summary)
4936 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
4937 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
4940 @kindex T H (Summary)
4941 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
4942 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
4945 @kindex T t (Summary)
4946 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
4947 Re-thread the current article's thread
4948 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
4949 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
4952 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
4953 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
4954 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
4955 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
4959 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
4960 understand the numeric prefix.
4965 @kindex T n (Summary)
4966 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
4967 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
4970 @kindex T p (Summary)
4971 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
4972 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
4975 @kindex T d (Summary)
4976 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
4977 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
4980 @kindex T u (Summary)
4981 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
4982 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
4985 @kindex T o (Summary)
4986 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
4987 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
4990 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
4991 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
4992 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
4993 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
4994 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
4995 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
4996 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
4997 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
4998 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
4999 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5000 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5001 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5008 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5009 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5010 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5011 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5012 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5013 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5014 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5015 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5016 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which is a list of functions.
5017 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5018 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5019 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5020 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5021 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5023 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5024 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5025 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. If you use
5026 more than one function, the primary sort key should be the last function
5027 in the list. You should probably always include
5028 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5029 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5030 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5031 ascending article order.
5033 If you would like to sort by score, then by subject, and finally by
5034 number, you could do something like:
5037 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5038 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5039 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5040 gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score))
5043 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5044 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5045 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5046 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5047 which the articles arrived.
5049 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
5053 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5055 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
5056 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5059 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5060 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5061 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5062 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5065 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5066 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5067 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5068 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5069 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5070 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5071 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5072 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5073 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5074 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5075 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5076 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5077 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5079 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5083 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5084 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5085 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5090 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5091 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5092 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5093 @cindex article pre-fetch
5096 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5097 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5098 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5099 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5100 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5102 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5103 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
5105 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
5106 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
5107 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
5108 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
5109 connection is blocked.
5111 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
5112 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
5113 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
5114 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
5116 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
5117 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
5118 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
5119 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
5122 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
5125 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
5126 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
5127 happen automatically.
5129 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
5130 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
5131 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
5132 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
5133 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
5134 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
5135 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
5137 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
5138 @findex gnus-async-read-p
5139 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
5140 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
5141 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
5142 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
5143 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
5144 data structure as the only parameter.
5146 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
5149 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
5150 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
5151 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
5152 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
5155 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
5158 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
5159 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
5160 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
5162 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
5163 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
5164 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
5165 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
5169 Remove articles when they are read.
5172 Remove articles when exiting the group.
5175 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
5177 @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
5178 If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
5179 from the next group.
5182 @node Article Caching
5183 @section Article Caching
5184 @cindex article caching
5187 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
5188 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
5189 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
5190 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
5191 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
5193 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
5195 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5196 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
5197 @vindex gnus-use-cache
5198 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
5199 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
5200 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
5201 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
5202 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
5204 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
5205 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
5206 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
5207 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
5208 as dormant, and don't worry.
5210 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
5212 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
5213 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
5214 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
5215 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
5216 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
5217 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
5218 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
5219 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
5220 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
5221 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
5223 @findex gnus-jog-cache
5224 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
5225 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
5226 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
5227 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
5228 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
5229 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
5230 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
5231 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
5232 not then be downloaded by this command.
5234 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
5235 It is likely that you do not want caching on some groups. For instance,
5236 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
5237 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
5238 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space. To limit the caching,
5239 you could set the @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to
5240 @samp{^nnml}, for instance. This variable is @code{nil} by
5243 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
5244 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
5245 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
5246 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
5247 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
5248 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
5249 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
5250 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
5251 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
5255 @node Persistent Articles
5256 @section Persistent Articles
5257 @cindex persistent articles
5259 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
5260 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
5261 useful in my opinion.
5263 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
5264 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
5265 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
5266 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
5267 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
5268 the expiry going on at the news server.
5270 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
5271 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
5272 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
5278 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
5279 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
5282 @kindex M-* (Summary)
5283 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
5284 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
5285 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
5289 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
5291 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
5292 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
5293 interested in persistent articles:
5296 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
5300 @node Article Backlog
5301 @section Article Backlog
5303 @cindex article backlog
5305 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
5306 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
5307 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
5308 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
5309 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
5310 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
5311 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
5312 increase memory usage some.
5314 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
5315 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
5316 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
5317 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
5318 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
5319 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
5320 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
5322 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
5325 @node Saving Articles
5326 @section Saving Articles
5327 @cindex saving articles
5329 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
5330 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
5331 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
5332 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
5333 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
5335 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
5336 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
5337 unwanted headers before saving the article.
5339 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
5340 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
5341 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
5342 deleted before saving.
5348 @kindex O o (Summary)
5350 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
5351 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
5352 Save the current article using the default article saver
5353 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
5356 @kindex O m (Summary)
5357 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
5358 Save the current article in mail format
5359 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
5362 @kindex O r (Summary)
5363 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
5364 Save the current article in rmail format
5365 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
5368 @kindex O f (Summary)
5369 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
5370 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
5371 Save the current article in plain file format
5372 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
5375 @kindex O F (Summary)
5376 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
5377 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
5378 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
5381 @kindex O b (Summary)
5382 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
5383 Save the current article body in plain file format
5384 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
5387 @kindex O h (Summary)
5388 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
5389 Save the current article in mh folder format
5390 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
5393 @kindex O v (Summary)
5394 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
5395 Save the current article in a VM folder
5396 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
5399 @kindex O p (Summary)
5400 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
5401 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
5402 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
5405 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
5406 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
5407 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
5408 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
5409 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
5410 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
5411 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
5412 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
5413 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
5414 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
5415 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
5416 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
5420 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
5421 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
5422 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
5423 functions below, or you can create your own.
5427 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5428 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5429 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
5430 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5431 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
5432 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5433 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5435 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5436 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5437 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
5438 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
5439 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5440 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5442 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
5443 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
5444 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
5445 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5446 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
5447 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5448 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5450 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5451 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5452 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
5453 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5454 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5456 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5457 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5458 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
5459 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
5460 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
5463 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
5464 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
5465 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
5466 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
5467 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
5469 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5470 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5471 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
5472 reader to use this setting.
5475 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
5476 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
5477 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
5478 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
5481 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
5482 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
5483 available functions that generate names:
5487 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
5488 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
5489 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5491 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
5492 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5493 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5495 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
5496 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
5497 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5499 @item gnus-plain-save-name
5500 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5501 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5504 @vindex gnus-split-methods
5505 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
5506 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
5507 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
5508 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
5512 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
5513 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
5514 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
5515 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
5518 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
5519 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
5520 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5521 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5522 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5523 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5524 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5525 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5526 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5528 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5529 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5530 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5531 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5533 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5534 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5535 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
5538 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
5539 lots of mail groups called things like
5540 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
5541 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
5542 following will do just that:
5545 (defun my-save-name (group)
5546 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
5547 (substring group (match-end 0))))
5549 (setq gnus-split-methods
5550 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
5555 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5556 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5557 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5558 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5559 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5560 all the files in the toplevel directory
5561 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5562 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5563 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5564 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5566 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5567 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5568 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5569 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5570 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5573 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5577 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5578 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5581 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5582 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5583 the toplevel directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5584 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5587 @node Decoding Articles
5588 @section Decoding Articles
5589 @cindex decoding articles
5591 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5592 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5595 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5596 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
5597 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5598 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
5599 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5600 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5604 @cindex article series
5605 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5606 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5607 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5608 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5609 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5611 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5612 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5613 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5615 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
5616 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5617 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5619 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
5620 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
5621 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
5624 @node Uuencoded Articles
5625 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
5627 @cindex uuencoded articles
5632 @kindex X u (Summary)
5633 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
5634 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
5635 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
5638 @kindex X U (Summary)
5639 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
5640 Uudecodes and saves the current series
5641 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5644 @kindex X v u (Summary)
5645 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
5646 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
5649 @kindex X v U (Summary)
5650 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
5651 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
5652 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
5656 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
5657 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
5658 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
5659 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
5660 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5662 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
5663 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
5664 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
5665 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
5668 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
5669 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
5670 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
5671 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5672 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5673 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
5677 @node Shell Archives
5678 @subsection Shell Archives
5680 @cindex shell archives
5681 @cindex shared articles
5683 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
5684 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
5685 some commands to deal with these:
5690 @kindex X s (Summary)
5691 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
5692 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
5695 @kindex X S (Summary)
5696 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
5697 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
5700 @kindex X v s (Summary)
5701 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
5702 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
5705 @kindex X v S (Summary)
5706 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
5707 Unshars, views and saves the current series
5708 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
5712 @node PostScript Files
5713 @subsection PostScript Files
5719 @kindex X p (Summary)
5720 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
5721 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
5724 @kindex X P (Summary)
5725 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
5726 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
5727 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
5730 @kindex X v p (Summary)
5731 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
5732 View the current PostScript series
5733 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
5736 @kindex X v P (Summary)
5737 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
5738 View and save the current PostScript series
5739 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
5744 @subsection Other Files
5748 @kindex X o (Summary)
5749 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
5750 Save the current series
5751 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
5754 @kindex X b (Summary)
5755 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
5756 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
5757 doesn't really work yet.
5761 @node Decoding Variables
5762 @subsection Decoding Variables
5764 Adjective, not verb.
5767 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
5768 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
5769 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
5773 @node Rule Variables
5774 @subsubsection Rule Variables
5775 @cindex rule variables
5777 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
5778 variables are of the form
5781 (list '(regexp1 command2)
5788 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5789 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5791 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
5792 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
5795 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5796 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
5799 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5800 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5801 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
5802 user and default view rules.
5804 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5805 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5806 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
5811 @node Other Decode Variables
5812 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
5815 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5817 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5818 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
5819 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
5820 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
5821 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
5825 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
5826 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
5829 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
5830 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
5831 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
5834 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5835 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5836 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
5837 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
5838 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
5841 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5842 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5843 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
5845 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5846 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5847 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
5848 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
5849 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
5852 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5853 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5854 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
5856 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5857 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5858 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
5859 looking for files to display.
5861 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
5862 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
5863 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
5866 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5867 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5868 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
5871 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5872 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5873 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
5876 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5877 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5878 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
5881 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5882 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5883 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
5884 decoded articles as unread.
5886 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5887 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5888 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
5889 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
5891 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
5892 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
5893 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
5895 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5896 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5898 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
5899 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
5900 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
5901 @code{metamail} for viewing.
5903 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5904 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5905 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
5906 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
5907 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
5908 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
5909 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
5910 simply dropped them.
5915 @node Uuencoding and Posting
5916 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
5920 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5921 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5922 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
5923 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
5924 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
5925 for you when you post the article.
5927 @item gnus-uu-post-length
5928 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
5929 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
5930 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
5932 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
5933 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
5934 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
5935 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
5936 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
5937 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
5938 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
5940 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5941 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5942 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
5943 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
5944 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
5945 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
5946 Default is @code{t}.
5952 @subsection Viewing Files
5953 @cindex viewing files
5954 @cindex pseudo-articles
5956 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
5957 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
5958 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
5959 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
5960 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
5961 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
5962 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
5964 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
5965 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
5966 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
5967 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
5969 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
5970 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
5971 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
5973 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
5974 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
5975 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
5976 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
5977 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
5979 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
5980 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
5981 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
5982 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
5983 a list of parameters to that command.
5985 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
5986 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
5987 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
5989 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
5990 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
5991 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
5994 @node Article Treatment
5995 @section Article Treatment
5997 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
5998 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
5999 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6000 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6001 these articles easier.
6004 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6005 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look niced.
6006 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6007 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6008 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6009 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6010 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6014 @node Article Highlighting
6015 @subsection Article Highlighting
6018 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6019 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6024 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6025 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6026 Highlight the current article (@code{gnus-article-highlight}).
6029 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6030 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6031 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6032 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6033 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6034 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
6035 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6036 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6037 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6038 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6039 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
6042 @kindex W H c (Summary)
6043 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
6044 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
6046 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
6049 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6051 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6052 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
6053 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
6055 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6056 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6057 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6059 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6060 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6061 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6063 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6064 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6065 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
6066 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
6067 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
6068 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
6070 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6071 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6072 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6074 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6075 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6076 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6078 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6079 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6080 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6081 that it's a citation.
6083 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6084 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6085 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6087 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6088 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6089 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6091 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6092 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6093 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6094 cited text belonging to the attribution.
6100 @kindex W H s (Summary)
6101 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6102 @vindex gnus-signature-face
6103 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
6104 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
6105 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
6106 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
6107 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
6113 @node Article Fontisizing
6114 @subsection Article Fontisizing
6116 @cindex article emphasis
6118 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
6119 @kindex W e (Summary)
6120 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
6121 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*}. Gnus can make this look nicer by
6122 running the article through the @kbd{W e}
6123 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
6125 @vindex gnus-article-emphasis
6126 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
6127 @code{gnus-article-emphasis} variable. This is an alist where the first
6128 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
6129 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
6130 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
6131 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
6132 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
6136 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
6137 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
6138 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
6141 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
6142 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
6143 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
6144 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
6145 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
6146 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
6147 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
6148 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
6149 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
6150 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
6151 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
6152 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
6153 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
6155 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
6156 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
6157 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
6161 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
6165 @node Article Hiding
6166 @subsection Article Hiding
6167 @cindex article hiding
6169 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
6170 too much cruft in most articles.
6175 @kindex W W a (Summary)
6176 @findex gnus-article-hide
6177 Do maximum hiding on the summary buffer (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}).
6180 @kindex W W h (Summary)
6181 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
6182 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
6186 @kindex W W b (Summary)
6187 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6188 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
6189 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
6192 @kindex W W s (Summary)
6193 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
6194 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
6198 @kindex W W p (Summary)
6199 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
6200 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6201 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
6202 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
6203 signature has been hidden.
6206 @kindex W W P (Summary)
6207 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
6208 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
6209 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
6212 @kindex W W c (Summary)
6213 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
6214 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
6215 customizing the hiding:
6219 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6220 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6221 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
6222 50), hide the cited text.
6224 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6225 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6226 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
6229 @item gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
6230 @vindex gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
6231 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
6232 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
6233 by this format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
6238 Start point of the hidden text.
6240 End point of the hidden text.
6242 Length of the hidden text.
6245 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
6246 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
6247 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
6252 @kindex W W C (Summary)
6253 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
6254 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
6255 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
6256 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
6257 in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
6261 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
6262 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
6263 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
6265 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
6266 citation customization.
6269 @node Article Washing
6270 @subsection Article Washing
6272 @cindex article washing
6274 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
6275 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
6277 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
6278 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
6284 @kindex W l (Summary)
6285 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
6286 Remove page breaks from the current article
6287 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}).
6290 @kindex W r (Summary)
6291 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
6292 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
6293 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
6294 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
6295 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
6296 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
6298 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
6299 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
6300 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
6301 is rumoured to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
6304 @kindex W t (Summary)
6305 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
6306 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
6307 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
6310 @kindex W v (Summary)
6311 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
6312 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
6313 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
6316 @kindex W m (Summary)
6317 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
6318 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
6319 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
6322 @kindex W o (Summary)
6323 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
6324 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
6327 @kindex W d (Summary)
6328 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
6329 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}).
6332 @kindex W w (Summary)
6333 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
6334 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}). If you use this
6335 function in @code{gnus-article-display-hook}, it should be run fairly
6336 late and certainly after any highlighting.
6338 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
6342 @kindex W c (Summary)
6343 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
6344 Remove CR (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines)
6345 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
6348 @kindex W q (Summary)
6349 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
6350 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
6351 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
6352 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
6353 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
6357 @kindex W f (Summary)
6359 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
6360 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
6361 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
6362 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
6368 Look for and display any X-Face headers
6369 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
6370 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
6371 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
6372 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
6373 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
6374 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
6375 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
6376 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
6377 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
6378 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
6379 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
6380 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
6381 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
6385 @kindex W b (Summary)
6386 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
6387 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
6388 @xref{Article Buttons}
6391 @kindex W B (Summary)
6392 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
6393 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
6394 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
6397 @kindex W E l (Summary)
6398 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
6399 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
6400 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
6403 @kindex W E m (Summary)
6404 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
6405 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
6406 lines with a single empty line.
6407 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
6410 @kindex W E t (Summary)
6411 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
6412 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
6413 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
6416 @kindex W E a (Summary)
6417 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
6418 Do all the three commands above
6419 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
6422 @kindex W E A (Summary)
6423 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
6424 Remove all blank lines
6425 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
6428 @kindex W E s (Summary)
6429 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
6430 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
6431 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
6436 @node Article Buttons
6437 @subsection Article Buttons
6440 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
6441 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
6442 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
6443 button on these references.
6445 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
6446 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
6447 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
6452 @item gnus-button-alist
6453 @vindex gnus-button-alist
6454 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
6457 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6463 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
6464 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
6465 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
6468 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
6469 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
6470 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
6473 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
6474 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
6475 avoid false matches.
6478 This function will be called when you click on this button.
6481 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
6482 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
6486 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
6489 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
6492 @item gnus-header-button-alist
6493 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
6494 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
6495 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
6496 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
6499 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6502 @var{HEADER} is a regular expression.
6504 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
6505 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
6506 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
6507 default values of the variables above.
6509 @item gnus-article-button-face
6510 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
6511 Face used on buttons.
6513 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
6514 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
6515 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
6521 @subsection Article Date
6523 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
6524 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
6525 when the article was sent.
6530 @kindex W T u (Summary)
6531 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
6532 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
6533 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
6536 @kindex W T i (Summary)
6537 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
6539 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
6540 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
6543 @kindex W T l (Summary)
6544 @findex gnus-article-date-local
6545 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
6548 @kindex W T s (Summary)
6549 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
6550 @findex gnus-article-date-user
6551 @findex format-time-string
6552 Display the date using a user-defined format
6553 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
6554 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
6555 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
6556 for a list of possible format specs.
6559 @kindex W T e (Summary)
6560 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
6561 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
6562 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
6563 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
6564 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). If you want to have this line
6565 updated continually, you can put
6568 (gnus-start-date-timer)
6571 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
6572 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
6576 @kindex W T o (Summary)
6577 @findex gnus-article-date-original
6578 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
6579 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
6580 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
6581 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
6582 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
6587 @node Article Signature
6588 @subsection Article Signature
6590 @cindex article signature
6592 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6593 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
6594 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
6595 that says what is to be considered a signature is
6596 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
6597 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
6598 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
6599 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
6600 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
6603 (setq gnus-signature-separator
6604 '("^-- $" ; The standard
6605 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
6606 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
6607 ; line of dashes. Shame!
6608 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
6609 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
6610 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
6613 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
6616 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
6617 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
6622 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
6625 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
6628 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
6629 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
6631 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
6632 in question is not a signature.
6635 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
6636 listed above. Here's an example:
6639 (setq gnus-signature-limit
6640 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
6643 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
6644 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
6645 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
6646 signature after all.
6649 @node Article Commands
6650 @section Article Commands
6657 @kindex A P (Summary)
6658 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
6659 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
6660 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
6661 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
6662 run just before printing the buffer.
6667 @node Summary Sorting
6668 @section Summary Sorting
6669 @cindex summary sorting
6671 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
6672 can't really see why you'd want that.
6677 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
6678 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
6679 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
6682 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
6683 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
6684 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
6687 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
6688 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
6689 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
6692 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
6693 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
6694 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
6697 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
6698 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
6699 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
6702 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
6703 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
6704 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
6707 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
6708 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
6709 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
6710 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
6711 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
6715 @node Finding the Parent
6716 @section Finding the Parent
6717 @cindex parent articles
6718 @cindex referring articles
6723 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
6724 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
6725 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
6726 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
6727 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
6728 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
6729 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
6730 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
6731 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
6733 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
6734 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
6735 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
6736 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
6737 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
6741 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
6742 @kindex A R (Summary)
6743 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
6744 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
6747 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
6748 @kindex A T (Summary)
6749 Display the full thread where the current article appears
6750 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
6751 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
6752 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
6753 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
6754 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
6755 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
6757 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
6758 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
6759 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
6760 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
6761 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
6762 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
6765 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
6766 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
6768 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
6769 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
6770 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
6771 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
6772 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
6773 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
6774 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
6777 The current select method will be used when fetching by
6778 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
6779 by giving this command a prefix.
6781 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
6782 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
6783 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
6784 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
6785 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
6786 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
6789 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
6790 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
6791 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
6792 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
6793 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
6794 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
6797 @node Alternative Approaches
6798 @section Alternative Approaches
6800 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
6801 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
6804 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
6805 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
6810 @subsection Pick and Read
6811 @cindex pick and read
6813 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
6814 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
6815 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
6816 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
6818 @findex gnus-pick-mode
6819 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
6820 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
6821 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
6822 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
6823 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
6825 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
6830 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6831 Pick the article on the current line
6832 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}). If given a numerical prefix,
6833 go to that article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
6834 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
6837 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
6838 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
6839 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
6840 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
6844 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6845 Unpick the article (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6849 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6850 Unpick all articles (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6854 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6855 Pick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6859 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6860 Unpick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6864 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6865 Pick the region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6869 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6870 Unpick the region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6874 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6875 Pick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6879 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6880 Unpick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6884 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6885 Pick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6889 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-buffer
6890 Unpick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-buffer}).
6894 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
6895 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
6896 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
6897 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
6898 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
6899 will still be visible when you are reading.
6903 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
6906 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
6909 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
6910 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
6912 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
6913 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
6914 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
6916 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
6917 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
6918 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
6919 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
6920 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
6921 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
6922 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
6926 @subsection Binary Groups
6927 @cindex binary groups
6929 @findex gnus-binary-mode
6930 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
6931 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
6932 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
6933 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
6934 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
6935 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
6938 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
6939 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
6940 command, when you have turned on this mode
6941 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
6943 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
6944 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
6948 @section Tree Display
6951 @vindex gnus-use-trees
6952 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
6953 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
6954 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
6957 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
6960 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
6961 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
6962 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
6964 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6965 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6966 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers. The default
6967 is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list of valid specs, @pxref{Summary
6970 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
6971 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
6972 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
6973 default is @code{modeline}.
6975 @item gnus-tree-line-format
6976 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
6977 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
6978 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
6979 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
6980 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
6981 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
6987 The name of the poster.
6989 The @code{From} header.
6991 The number of the article.
6993 The opening bracket.
6995 The closing bracket.
7000 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
7002 Variables related to the display are:
7005 @item gnus-tree-brackets
7006 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
7007 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
7008 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
7009 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
7010 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
7012 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7013 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7014 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
7015 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
7019 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
7020 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
7021 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
7022 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
7023 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
7024 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
7025 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
7026 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
7027 other windows displayed next to it.
7029 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
7030 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
7031 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7032 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
7033 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
7034 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
7035 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
7039 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
7042 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
7052 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
7056 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
7057 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
7059 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
7061 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
7066 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
7067 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
7068 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
7071 (setq gnus-use-trees t
7072 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7073 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
7074 (gnus-add-configuration
7078 (summary 0.75 point)
7083 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
7086 @node Mail Group Commands
7087 @section Mail Group Commands
7088 @cindex mail group commands
7090 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
7091 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
7093 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
7094 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7099 @kindex B e (Summary)
7100 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
7101 Expire all expirable articles in the group
7102 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
7105 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
7106 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
7107 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
7108 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
7109 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
7110 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
7113 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
7114 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
7115 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
7116 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
7117 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
7118 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
7121 @kindex B m (Summary)
7123 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
7124 Move the article from one mail group to another
7125 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
7128 @kindex B c (Summary)
7130 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
7131 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
7132 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
7133 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
7136 @kindex B B (Summary)
7137 @cindex crosspost mail
7138 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
7139 Crosspost the current article to some other group
7140 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
7141 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
7142 be properly updated.
7145 @kindex B i (Summary)
7146 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
7147 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
7148 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
7149 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
7152 @kindex B r (Summary)
7153 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
7154 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
7155 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
7156 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
7157 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
7161 @kindex B w (Summary)
7163 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
7164 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
7165 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
7166 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
7167 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
7168 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
7171 @kindex B q (Summary)
7172 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
7173 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
7174 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
7175 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
7178 @kindex B p (Summary)
7179 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
7180 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
7181 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
7182 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
7183 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
7184 article from your news server (or rather, from
7185 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
7186 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
7187 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
7188 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
7189 just not have arrived yet.
7193 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
7194 @cindex moving articles
7195 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
7196 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
7197 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
7198 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
7199 suggestions you find reasonable.
7202 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
7203 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
7204 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
7205 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
7209 @node Various Summary Stuff
7210 @section Various Summary Stuff
7213 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
7214 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
7215 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
7216 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
7220 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
7221 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
7222 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
7224 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
7225 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
7226 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
7227 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
7228 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
7229 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
7232 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7233 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7234 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
7235 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
7236 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
7238 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7239 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7240 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
7241 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
7242 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
7243 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
7244 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
7245 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
7246 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
7247 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
7252 @node Summary Group Information
7253 @subsection Summary Group Information
7258 @kindex H f (Summary)
7259 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
7260 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
7261 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
7262 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
7263 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
7264 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
7265 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
7266 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
7267 be used for fetching the file.
7270 @kindex H d (Summary)
7271 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
7272 Give a brief description of the current group
7273 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
7274 rereading the description from the server.
7277 @kindex H h (Summary)
7278 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
7279 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
7280 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
7283 @kindex H i (Summary)
7284 @findex gnus-info-find-node
7285 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
7289 @node Searching for Articles
7290 @subsection Searching for Articles
7295 @kindex M-s (Summary)
7296 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
7297 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
7298 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
7301 @kindex M-r (Summary)
7302 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
7303 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
7304 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
7308 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
7309 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
7310 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
7311 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
7315 @kindex M-& (Summary)
7316 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
7317 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
7318 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
7321 @node Summary Generation Commands
7322 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
7327 @kindex Y g (Summary)
7328 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
7329 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
7332 @kindex Y c (Summary)
7333 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
7334 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
7335 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
7340 @node Really Various Summary Commands
7341 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
7346 @kindex C-d (Summary)
7347 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
7348 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
7349 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
7350 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
7351 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
7352 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
7353 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
7354 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
7358 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
7359 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
7360 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
7361 several documents into one biiig group
7362 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
7363 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
7364 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
7365 command understands the process/prefix convention
7366 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7369 @kindex C-t (Summary)
7370 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
7371 Toggle truncation of summary lines
7372 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
7373 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
7374 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
7378 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
7379 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
7380 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
7383 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
7384 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
7385 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
7386 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
7391 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
7392 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
7393 @cindex summary exit
7394 @cindex exiting groups
7396 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
7397 group and return you to the group buffer.
7403 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
7405 @findex gnus-summary-exit
7406 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
7407 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
7408 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
7409 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
7410 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
7411 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
7412 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
7413 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
7414 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
7415 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
7419 @kindex Z E (Summary)
7421 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
7422 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
7423 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
7427 @kindex Z c (Summary)
7429 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
7430 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
7431 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
7432 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
7435 @kindex Z C (Summary)
7436 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
7437 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
7438 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
7441 @kindex Z n (Summary)
7442 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
7443 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
7444 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
7447 @kindex Z R (Summary)
7448 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
7449 Exit this group, and then enter it again
7450 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
7451 all articles, both read and unread.
7455 @kindex Z G (Summary)
7456 @kindex M-g (Summary)
7457 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
7458 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
7459 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
7460 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
7461 articles, both read and unread.
7464 @kindex Z N (Summary)
7465 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
7466 Exit the group and go to the next group
7467 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
7470 @kindex Z P (Summary)
7471 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
7472 Exit the group and go to the previous group
7473 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
7476 @kindex Z s (Summary)
7477 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
7478 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
7479 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
7480 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
7481 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
7484 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
7485 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
7488 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
7489 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
7490 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
7491 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
7492 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
7493 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
7494 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
7495 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
7496 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
7497 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
7498 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
7499 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
7501 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
7503 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
7504 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
7505 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
7506 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
7507 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
7508 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
7509 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
7510 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
7511 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
7514 @node Crosspost Handling
7515 @section Crosspost Handling
7519 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
7520 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
7521 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
7522 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
7523 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
7524 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
7527 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
7528 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
7529 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
7530 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
7531 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
7533 @cindex cross-posting
7536 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
7537 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
7538 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
7539 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
7540 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
7541 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
7542 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
7543 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
7544 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
7545 the cross reference mechanism.
7547 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
7548 @cindex overview.fmt
7549 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
7550 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
7551 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
7552 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
7553 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
7554 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
7557 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
7558 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
7559 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
7564 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
7567 @node Duplicate Suppression
7568 @section Duplicate Suppression
7570 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
7571 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
7572 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
7573 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
7578 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
7579 is evil and not very common.
7582 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
7583 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
7586 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
7587 different @sc{nntp} servers.
7590 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
7593 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
7594 well, but these four are the most common situations.
7596 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
7597 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
7598 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
7599 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
7600 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
7601 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
7602 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
7605 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
7606 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
7607 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
7608 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
7609 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
7613 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
7614 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
7615 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
7617 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
7618 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
7619 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
7620 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
7621 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
7622 session are suppressed.
7624 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
7625 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
7626 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
7627 suppression list. The default is 10000.
7629 @item gnus-duplicate-file
7630 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
7631 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
7632 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
7635 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
7636 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
7637 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
7638 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
7639 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
7640 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
7641 to you to figure out, I think.
7644 @node The Article Buffer
7645 @chapter The Article Buffer
7646 @cindex article buffer
7648 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
7649 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
7650 tell Gnus otherwise.
7653 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
7654 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
7655 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
7656 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
7657 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
7661 @node Hiding Headers
7662 @section Hiding Headers
7663 @cindex hiding headers
7664 @cindex deleting headers
7666 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
7667 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
7669 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
7670 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
7671 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
7672 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
7673 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
7674 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
7675 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
7676 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
7677 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
7679 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
7683 @item gnus-visible-headers
7684 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
7685 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
7686 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
7687 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
7689 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
7690 the article and the subject, you'd say:
7693 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
7696 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
7699 @item gnus-ignored-headers
7700 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
7701 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
7702 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
7703 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
7704 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
7706 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
7707 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
7710 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
7713 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
7716 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
7717 variable will have no effect.
7721 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
7722 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
7723 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
7724 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
7725 the headers are to be displayed.
7727 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
7728 and then the subject, you might say something like:
7731 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
7734 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
7735 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
7737 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7738 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7739 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
7740 You can hide further boring headers by entering
7741 @code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers} into
7742 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}. What this function does depends on
7743 the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a list, but this
7744 list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is lists various
7745 @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove from sight.
7747 These conditions are:
7750 Remove all empty headers.
7752 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
7755 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
7756 @code{Newsgroups} header.
7758 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
7761 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
7764 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
7766 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
7769 To include the four first elements, you could say something like;
7772 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
7773 '(empty newsgroups followup-to reply-to))
7776 This is also the default value for this variable.
7780 @section Using @sc{mime}
7783 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
7784 while people stand around yawning.
7786 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
7787 while all newsreaders die of fear.
7789 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
7790 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
7791 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
7793 @vindex gnus-show-mime
7794 @vindex gnus-show-mime-method
7795 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
7796 @findex metamail-buffer
7797 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
7798 @code{gnus-show-mime-method}, which is @code{metamail-buffer} by
7799 default. This function calls the external @code{metamail} program to
7800 actually do the work. One common problem with this program is that is
7801 thinks that it can't display 8-bit things in the Emacs buffer. To tell
7802 it the truth, put something like the following in your
7803 @file{.bash_profile} file. (You do use @code{bash}, don't you?)
7806 export MM_CHARSET="iso-8859-1"
7809 For more information on @code{metamail}, see its manual page.
7811 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
7812 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
7813 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
7814 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
7815 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
7816 buffer. These can't be avoided.
7818 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the summary
7819 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
7820 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
7821 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
7822 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume
7823 button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you,
7824 and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the
7825 program to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly
7826 decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
7828 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
7831 @node Customizing Articles
7832 @section Customizing Articles
7833 @cindex article customization
7835 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7836 The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
7837 been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
7838 treatment of the article before it is displayed.
7840 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7841 By default this hook just contains @code{gnus-article-hide-headers},
7842 @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}, and
7843 @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight}, but there are thousands, nay
7844 millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
7845 functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
7846 @pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
7847 Date}. Note that the order of functions in this hook might affect
7848 things, so you may have to fiddle a bit to get the desired results.
7850 You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
7851 from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
7852 There is no information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can
7853 change everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead
7854 make them invisible if you want to make them go away.
7857 @node Article Keymap
7858 @section Article Keymap
7860 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
7861 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
7862 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
7863 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
7866 A few additional keystrokes are available:
7871 @kindex SPACE (Article)
7872 @findex gnus-article-next-page
7873 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
7876 @kindex DEL (Article)
7877 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
7878 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
7881 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
7882 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
7883 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
7884 @kbd{r}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
7885 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
7888 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
7889 @findex gnus-article-mail
7890 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
7891 given a prefix, include the mail.
7895 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
7896 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
7897 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
7901 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
7902 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
7903 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
7906 @kindex TAB (Article)
7907 @findex gnus-article-next-button
7908 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
7909 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
7912 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
7913 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
7914 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
7920 @section Misc Article
7924 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
7925 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
7926 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
7927 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
7930 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
7931 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
7932 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
7933 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
7934 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
7935 the contents of the article buffer.
7937 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7938 @item gnus-article-display-hook
7939 This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article, and is
7940 intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing highlights,
7941 hiding headers, and the like.
7943 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
7944 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
7945 Hook called in article mode buffers.
7947 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
7948 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
7949 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
7950 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
7952 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
7953 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
7954 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
7955 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. It accepts the same
7956 format specifications as that variable, with one extension:
7960 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
7961 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
7965 @vindex gnus-break-pages
7967 @item gnus-break-pages
7968 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
7969 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
7970 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
7971 paging will not be done.
7973 @item gnus-page-delimiter
7974 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
7975 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
7980 @node Composing Messages
7981 @chapter Composing Messages
7982 @cindex composing messages
7985 @cindex sending mail
7990 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
7991 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
7992 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
7993 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
7994 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
7995 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
7996 to make Gnus try to post using the foreign server.
7999 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
8000 * Post:: Posting and following up.
8001 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
8002 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
8003 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
8004 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
8005 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
8008 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
8009 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
8015 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
8018 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
8019 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
8020 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
8021 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
8023 @item gnus-add-to-list
8024 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
8025 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
8026 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
8034 Variables for composing news articles:
8037 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8038 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8039 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
8040 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
8041 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
8042 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
8043 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
8044 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
8045 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
8048 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8049 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8050 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
8051 file. It is 1000 by default.
8056 @node Posting Server
8057 @section Posting Server
8059 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
8060 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
8062 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
8064 @vindex gnus-post-method
8066 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
8067 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
8068 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
8069 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
8070 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
8073 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
8076 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
8077 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
8078 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
8079 the ``current'' server for posting.
8081 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
8082 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
8084 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
8085 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
8090 @section Mail and Post
8092 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
8096 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
8097 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
8098 @cindex mailing lists
8100 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
8101 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
8102 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
8103 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
8104 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
8105 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
8106 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
8107 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
8108 still a pain, though.
8112 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
8113 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
8114 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
8117 @findex ispell-message
8119 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
8123 @node Archived Messages
8124 @section Archived Messages
8125 @cindex archived messages
8126 @cindex sent messages
8128 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
8129 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
8130 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
8131 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
8134 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
8135 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
8136 use to store sent messages. The default is:
8140 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
8141 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
8142 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
8143 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
8146 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
8147 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
8148 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
8149 directory chosen, you could say something like:
8152 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
8153 '(nnfolder "archive"
8154 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
8155 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
8156 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
8159 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
8161 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
8162 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
8163 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
8165 This variable can be used to do the following:
8169 Messages will be saved in that group.
8170 @item a list of strings
8171 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
8172 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
8173 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
8175 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
8180 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
8182 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
8185 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
8187 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
8190 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
8192 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8193 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
8194 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
8195 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
8200 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8201 '((if (message-news-p)
8206 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
8207 messages in one file per month:
8210 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8211 '((if (message-news-p)
8213 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
8214 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
8217 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
8218 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
8220 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
8221 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
8222 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
8223 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
8224 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
8225 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
8226 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
8227 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
8228 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
8229 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
8231 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
8232 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
8233 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
8234 this will disable archiving.
8237 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
8238 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
8239 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
8240 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
8241 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
8244 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
8245 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
8246 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
8249 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
8250 but the latter is the preferred method.
8254 @c @node Posting Styles
8255 @c @section Posting Styles
8256 @c @cindex posting styles
8259 @c All them variables, they make my head swim.
8261 @c So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
8262 @c on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
8263 @c and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
8266 @c @vindex gnus-posting-styles
8267 @c One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
8268 @c variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
8269 @c came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
8270 @c a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
8275 @c (signature . "Peace and happiness")
8276 @c (organization . "What me?"))
8278 @c (signature . "Death to everybody"))
8279 @c ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
8280 @c (organization . "Emacs is it")))
8283 @c As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
8284 @c @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
8285 @c ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
8286 @c over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
8287 @c applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
8288 @c the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
8289 @c @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
8290 @c signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
8292 @c The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
8293 @c string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
8294 @c If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
8295 @c arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
8296 @c referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
8297 @c any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
8300 @c Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
8301 @c attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
8302 @c can be one of @code{signature}, @code{organization} or @code{from}. The
8303 @c attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
8304 @c a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
8307 @c The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
8308 @c return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
8309 @c list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
8311 @c So here's a new example:
8314 @c (setq gnus-posting-styles
8316 @c (signature . "~/.signature")
8317 @c (from . "user@@foo (user)")
8318 @c ("X-Home-Page" . (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
8319 @c (organization . "People's Front Against MWM"))
8321 @c (signature . my-funny-signature-randomizer))
8322 @c ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
8323 @c (signature . my-quote-randomizer))
8324 @c (posting-from-work-p
8325 @c (signature . "~/.work-signature")
8326 @c (from . "user@@bar.foo (user)")
8327 @c (organization . "Important Work, Inc"))
8329 @c (signature . "~/.mail-signature"))))
8336 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
8337 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
8338 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
8339 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
8340 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
8342 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
8343 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
8344 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
8345 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
8346 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
8350 @vindex nndraft-directory
8351 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
8352 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
8353 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
8354 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
8355 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
8356 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
8358 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
8359 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
8362 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
8363 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
8364 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
8365 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
8366 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
8367 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
8368 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
8369 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
8370 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
8371 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
8372 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
8373 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
8374 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
8375 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
8377 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
8378 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
8379 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
8381 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
8383 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
8384 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
8385 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
8387 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
8390 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
8391 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
8392 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
8393 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
8394 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
8395 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
8396 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
8399 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
8400 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
8401 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
8404 @node Rejected Articles
8405 @section Rejected Articles
8406 @cindex rejected articles
8408 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
8409 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
8410 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
8411 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
8413 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
8414 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
8415 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
8416 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
8417 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
8419 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
8420 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
8421 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
8424 @node Select Methods
8425 @chapter Select Methods
8426 @cindex foreign groups
8427 @cindex select methods
8429 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
8430 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
8431 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
8432 personal mail group.
8434 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
8435 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
8436 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
8437 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
8438 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
8439 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
8441 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
8442 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
8444 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
8447 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
8448 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
8449 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
8450 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
8451 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
8453 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
8456 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
8457 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
8458 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
8459 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
8460 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
8461 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
8465 @node The Server Buffer
8466 @section The Server Buffer
8468 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
8469 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
8470 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
8471 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
8472 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
8473 backend represents a virtual server.
8475 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
8476 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
8477 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
8478 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
8480 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
8481 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
8482 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
8483 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
8484 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
8485 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
8486 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
8488 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
8489 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
8492 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
8493 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
8494 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
8495 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
8496 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
8497 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
8498 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
8501 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
8502 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
8505 @node Server Buffer Format
8506 @subsection Server Buffer Format
8507 @cindex server buffer format
8509 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
8510 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
8511 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
8512 variable, with some simple extensions:
8517 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
8520 The name of this server.
8523 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
8526 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
8529 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
8530 The mode line can also be customized by using the
8531 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable. The following specs are
8542 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
8545 @node Server Commands
8546 @subsection Server Commands
8547 @cindex server commands
8553 @findex gnus-server-add-server
8554 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
8558 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
8559 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
8562 @kindex SPACE (Server)
8563 @findex gnus-server-read-server
8564 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
8568 @findex gnus-server-exit
8569 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
8573 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
8574 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
8578 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
8579 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
8583 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
8584 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
8588 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
8589 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
8593 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
8594 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
8595 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
8600 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
8601 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
8602 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
8603 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
8608 @node Example Methods
8609 @subsection Example Methods
8611 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
8614 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
8617 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
8623 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
8624 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
8627 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
8628 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
8630 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
8631 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
8635 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
8638 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
8639 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
8641 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
8642 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
8643 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
8647 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
8650 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
8653 Here's the method for a public spool:
8657 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
8658 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
8661 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
8662 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
8663 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
8664 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
8665 should probably look something like this:
8669 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
8670 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
8671 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
8672 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
8673 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
8678 @node Creating a Virtual Server
8679 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
8681 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
8682 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
8684 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
8685 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
8686 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
8688 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
8690 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
8691 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
8692 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
8693 will contain the following:
8703 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
8704 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
8705 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
8708 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
8709 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
8710 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
8713 @node Server Variables
8714 @subsection Server Variables
8716 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
8717 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
8718 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
8719 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
8720 won't change the "derived" variables.
8722 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
8723 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
8724 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
8725 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
8726 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
8727 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
8728 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
8729 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
8730 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
8734 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
8735 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
8736 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
8740 @node Servers and Methods
8741 @subsection Servers and Methods
8743 Wherever you would normally use a select method
8744 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
8745 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
8746 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
8750 @node Unavailable Servers
8751 @subsection Unavailable Servers
8753 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
8754 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
8755 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
8756 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
8757 actually the case or not.
8759 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
8760 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
8761 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
8762 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
8763 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
8764 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
8765 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
8766 it will regard that server as ``down''.
8768 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
8769 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
8771 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
8772 with the following commands:
8778 @findex gnus-server-open-server
8779 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
8780 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
8784 @findex gnus-server-close-server
8785 Close the connection (if any) to the server
8786 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
8790 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
8791 Mark the current server as unreachable
8792 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
8795 @kindex M-o (Server)
8796 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
8797 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
8798 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
8801 @kindex M-c (Server)
8802 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
8803 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
8804 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
8808 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
8809 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
8810 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
8816 @section Getting News
8817 @cindex reading news
8818 @cindex news backends
8820 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
8821 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
8822 or it can read from a local spool.
8825 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
8826 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
8831 @subsection @sc{nntp}
8834 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
8835 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
8836 server as the, uhm, address.
8838 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
8839 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
8840 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
8841 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
8843 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
8844 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
8845 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
8847 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
8852 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
8853 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
8854 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
8856 @cindex authentification
8857 @cindex nntp authentification
8858 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
8859 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
8860 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
8861 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
8862 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
8863 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
8864 present in this hook.
8866 @item nntp-authinfo-function
8867 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
8868 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
8869 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
8870 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
8871 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
8872 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
8873 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If
8874 none are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
8875 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is the same as the @code{ftp}
8876 @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp} manual page,
8877 but here are the salient facts:
8881 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
8884 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
8885 valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, and @samp{password}.
8889 Here's an example file:
8892 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
8893 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi
8896 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
8897 have to be first, for instance.
8899 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
8900 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
8901 user will be prompted for the password.
8903 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
8905 @item nntp-server-action-alist
8906 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
8907 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
8908 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
8909 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
8912 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
8916 You probably don't want to do that, though.
8918 The default value is
8921 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
8922 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
8925 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
8926 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
8928 @item nntp-maximum-request
8929 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
8930 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
8931 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
8932 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
8933 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
8934 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
8935 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
8937 @item nntp-connection-timeout
8938 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
8939 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
8940 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
8941 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
8942 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
8943 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
8944 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
8945 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
8946 no timeouts are done.
8948 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
8949 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
8950 @c @cindex PPP connections
8951 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
8952 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
8953 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
8954 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
8955 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
8956 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
8957 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
8958 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
8959 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
8960 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
8962 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
8963 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
8964 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
8965 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
8968 @item nntp-server-hook
8969 @vindex nntp-server-hook
8970 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
8973 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
8974 @findex nntp-open-telnet
8975 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
8976 @item nntp-open-connection-function
8977 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
8978 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Three pre-made
8979 functions are @code{nntp-open-network-stream}, which is the default, and
8980 simply connects to some port or other on the remote system. The other
8981 two are @code{nntp-open-rlogin}, which does an @samp{rlogin} on the
8982 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
8983 available there, and @code{nntp-open-telnet}, which does a @samp{telnet}
8984 to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet} to get to the
8987 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
8991 @item nntp-rlogin-program
8992 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
8993 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
8994 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
8996 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
8997 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
8998 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
9000 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9001 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9002 User name on the remote system.
9006 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
9009 @item nntp-telnet-command
9010 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
9011 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
9013 @item nntp-telnet-switches
9014 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
9015 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
9017 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
9018 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
9019 User name for log in on the remote system.
9021 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
9022 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
9023 Password to use when logging in.
9025 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
9026 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
9027 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
9030 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9031 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9032 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
9033 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
9035 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9036 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9037 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
9038 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
9039 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
9043 @item nntp-end-of-line
9044 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
9045 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
9046 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
9047 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
9049 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9050 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9051 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
9055 @vindex nntp-address
9056 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
9058 @item nntp-port-number
9059 @vindex nntp-port-number
9060 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
9063 @item nntp-buggy-select
9064 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
9065 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
9067 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
9068 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
9069 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
9070 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
9073 @item nntp-xover-commands
9074 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
9077 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
9078 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
9082 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
9083 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
9084 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
9085 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
9086 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
9087 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
9088 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
9089 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
9090 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
9091 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
9092 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
9094 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
9095 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
9096 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
9098 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9099 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9100 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
9101 server closes connection.
9103 @item nntp-record-commands
9104 @vindex nntp-record-commands
9105 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
9106 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
9107 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
9108 that doesn't seem to work.
9114 @subsection News Spool
9118 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
9119 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
9120 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
9123 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
9124 anything else) as the address.
9126 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
9127 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
9128 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
9129 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
9133 @item nnspool-inews-program
9134 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
9135 Program used to post an article.
9137 @item nnspool-inews-switches
9138 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
9139 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
9141 @item nnspool-spool-directory
9142 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
9143 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
9144 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
9146 @item nnspool-nov-directory
9147 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
9148 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
9149 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
9151 @item nnspool-lib-dir
9152 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
9153 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
9155 @item nnspool-active-file
9156 @vindex nnspool-active-file
9157 The path to the active file.
9159 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
9160 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
9161 The path to the group descriptions file.
9163 @item nnspool-history-file
9164 @vindex nnspool-history-file
9165 The path to the news history file.
9167 @item nnspool-active-times-file
9168 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
9169 The path to the active date file.
9171 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
9172 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
9173 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
9176 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9177 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9179 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
9180 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
9181 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
9187 @section Getting Mail
9188 @cindex reading mail
9191 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
9195 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
9196 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
9197 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
9198 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
9199 * Mail and Procmail:: Reading mail groups that procmail create.
9200 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
9201 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
9202 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
9203 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
9204 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
9205 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
9209 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
9210 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
9212 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
9213 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
9214 and things will happen automatically.
9216 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
9217 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
9220 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
9221 '((nnml "private")))
9224 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
9225 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
9226 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
9227 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
9228 like any other group.
9230 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
9233 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9234 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9235 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9239 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
9240 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
9241 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
9244 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
9245 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
9246 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
9249 @node Splitting Mail
9250 @subsection Splitting Mail
9251 @cindex splitting mail
9252 @cindex mail splitting
9254 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
9255 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
9256 to be split into groups.
9259 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9260 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9261 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9265 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
9266 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
9267 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
9268 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
9269 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
9270 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
9271 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
9274 ("list.\\1" "From:.*\\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
9277 If the first element is the special symbol @code{junk}, then messages
9278 that match the regexp will disappear into the aether. Use with
9281 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
9282 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
9283 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
9284 mail belongs in that group.
9286 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
9287 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
9288 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
9289 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
9290 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
9291 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
9293 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
9294 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
9295 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
9296 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
9297 thinks should carry this mail message.
9299 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
9300 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
9301 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
9302 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
9304 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
9305 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
9306 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
9307 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
9308 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
9310 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
9313 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
9314 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
9315 links. If that's the case for you, set
9316 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
9317 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
9319 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
9320 @kindex nnmail-split-history
9321 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
9322 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
9324 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
9325 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
9326 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
9327 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
9328 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
9329 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
9330 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
9331 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
9335 @node Mail Backend Variables
9336 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
9338 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
9342 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
9343 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
9344 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
9345 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
9347 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
9348 @item nnmail-spool-file
9352 @vindex nnmail-pop-password
9353 @vindex nnmail-pop-password-required
9354 The backends will look for new mail in this file. If this variable is
9355 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
9356 themselves. If you are using a POP mail server and your name is
9357 @samp{larsi}, you should set this variable to @samp{po:larsi}. If
9358 your name is not @samp{larsi}, you should probably modify that
9359 slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart & handsome
9360 devil! You can also set this variable to @code{pop}, and Gnus will try
9361 to figure out the POP mail string by itself. In any case, Gnus will
9362 call @code{movemail} which will contact the POP server named in the
9363 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable. If the POP server needs a
9364 password, you can either set @code{nnmail-pop-password-required} to
9365 @code{t} and be prompted for the password, or set
9366 @code{nnmail-pop-password} to the password itself.
9368 @code{nnmail-spool-file} can also be a list of mailboxes.
9370 Your Emacs has to have been configured with @samp{--with-pop} before
9371 compilation. This is the default, but some installations have it
9374 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
9375 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
9376 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
9377 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
9378 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
9379 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
9381 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
9382 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
9383 @item nnmail-use-procmail
9384 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will look in
9385 @code{nnmail-procmail-directory} for incoming mail. All the files in
9386 that directory that have names ending in @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix}
9387 will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
9390 @vindex nnmail-crash-box
9391 @item nnmail-crash-box
9392 When a mail backend reads a spool file, mail is first moved to this
9393 file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
9394 already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
9397 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9398 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9399 This is run in a buffer that holds all the new incoming mail, and can be
9400 used for, well, anything, really.
9402 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
9403 @item nnmail-split-hook
9404 @findex article-decode-rfc1522
9405 @findex RFC1522 decoding
9406 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
9407 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
9408 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
9409 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
9410 in the buffer will show up in any files. @code{gnus-article-decode-rfc1522}
9411 is one likely function to add to this hook.
9413 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9414 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9415 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9416 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9417 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
9418 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
9419 starting to handle the new mail) and
9420 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
9421 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
9422 default file modes the new mail files get:
9425 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9426 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
9428 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
9429 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
9432 @item nnmail-tmp-directory
9433 @vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
9434 This variable says where to move incoming mail to -- while processing
9435 it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
9436 inhabits (e.g., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
9437 it will be used instead.
9439 @item nnmail-movemail-program
9440 @vindex nnmail-movemail-program
9441 This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her home
9442 directory. The default is @samp{movemail}.
9444 This can also be a function. In that case, the function will be called
9445 with two parameters -- the name of the inbox, and the file to be moved
9448 @item nnmail-delete-incoming
9449 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
9450 @cindex incoming mail files
9451 @cindex deleting incoming files
9452 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
9453 file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{t} by
9456 @c This is @code{nil} by
9457 @c default for reasons of security.
9459 @c Since Red Gnus is an alpha release, it is to be expected to lose mail.
9460 (No Gnus release since (ding) Gnus 0.10 (or something like that) have
9461 lost mail, I think, but that's not the point. (Except certain versions
9462 of Red Gnus.)) By not deleting the Incoming* files, one can be sure not
9463 to lose mail -- if Gnus totally whacks out, one can always recover what
9466 You may delete the @file{Incoming*} files at will.
9468 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
9469 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
9470 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
9471 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
9472 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
9473 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
9474 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
9476 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
9477 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
9479 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
9481 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9482 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9483 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
9484 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
9485 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
9490 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
9491 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
9492 @cindex mail splitting
9493 @cindex fancy mail splitting
9495 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
9496 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
9497 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
9498 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
9499 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
9500 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
9502 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
9505 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
9506 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
9507 ;; from real errors.
9508 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
9510 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
9511 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
9512 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
9513 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
9514 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
9515 ;; Other mailing lists...
9516 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
9517 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
9519 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
9520 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
9524 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
9525 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
9526 the five possible split syntaxes:
9531 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name.
9534 @var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, the first element of
9535 which is a string, then store the message as specified by SPLIT, if
9536 header FIELD (a regexp) contains VALUE (also a regexp).
9539 @var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9540 @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
9541 matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
9542 be stored in one or more groups.
9545 @var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9546 @code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
9549 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
9553 @var{(: function arg1 arg2 ...)}: If the split is a list, and the first
9554 element is @code{:}, then the second element will be called as a
9555 function with @var{args} given as arguments. The function should return
9560 In these splits, @var{FIELD} must match a complete field name.
9561 @var{VALUE} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
9562 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
9563 field names or words. In other words, all @var{VALUE}'s are wrapped in
9564 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
9566 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
9567 @var{FIELD} and @var{VALUE} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
9568 are expanded as specified by the variable
9569 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
9570 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
9573 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
9574 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
9575 when all this splitting is performed.
9577 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
9578 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
9579 substitions in the group names), you can say things like:
9582 (any "debian-\\(\\w*\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
9585 @node Mail and Procmail
9586 @subsection Mail and Procmail
9591 Many people use @code{procmail} (or some other mail filter program or
9592 external delivery agent---@code{slocal}, @code{elm}, etc) to split
9593 incoming mail into groups. If you do that, you should set
9594 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
9595 backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
9597 If you have a combined @code{procmail}/POP/mailbox setup, you can do
9598 something like the following:
9600 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
9602 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
9603 (setq nnmail-spool-file
9604 '("/usr/spool/mail/my-name" "po:my-name"))
9607 This also means that you probably don't want to set
9608 @code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
9611 When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
9612 with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
9613 out that it carries by other means. None of the backends, except
9614 @code{nnmh}, actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
9615 exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
9616 a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
9618 This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) by hand what
9621 Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example:
9623 The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
9624 There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
9626 Go to the group buffer and type @kbd{G m}. When prompted, answer
9627 @samp{foo} for the name and @samp{nnmh} for the method. Repeat
9628 twice for the two other groups, @samp{bar} and @samp{mail.baz}. Be sure
9629 to include all your mail groups.
9631 That's it. You are now set to read your mail. An active file for this
9632 method will be created automatically.
9634 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
9635 @vindex nnmail-procmail-directory
9636 If you use @code{nnfolder} or any other backend that store more than a
9637 single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
9638 the file that Gnus sees. Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
9639 in @code{nnmail-procmail-directory}. To arrive at the file name to put
9640 the incoming mail in, append @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix} to the group
9641 name. The mail backends will read the mail from these files.
9643 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
9644 When Gnus reads a file called @file{mail.misc.spool}, this mail will be
9645 put in the @code{mail.misc}, as one would expect. However, if you want
9646 Gnus to split the mail the normal way, you could set
9647 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
9649 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
9650 If you use @code{procmail} to split things directly into an @code{nnmh}
9651 directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
9652 @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
9653 ever expiring the final article (i.e., the article with the highest
9654 article number) in a mail newsgroup. This is quite, quite important.
9656 Here's an example setup: The incoming spools are located in
9657 @file{~/incoming/} and have @samp{""} as suffixes (i.e., the incoming
9658 spool files have the same names as the equivalent groups). The
9659 @code{nnfolder} backend is to be used as the mail interface, and the
9660 @code{nnfolder} directory is @file{~/fMail/}.
9663 (setq nnfolder-directory "~/fMail/")
9664 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
9665 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/incoming/")
9666 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnfolder "")))
9667 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "")
9671 @node Incorporating Old Mail
9672 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
9674 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
9675 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
9676 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
9679 Doing so can be quite easy.
9681 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
9682 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
9683 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
9684 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
9685 your @code{nnml} groups.
9691 Go to the group buffer.
9694 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
9695 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
9698 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
9701 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
9702 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
9705 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
9706 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
9709 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
9710 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
9711 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
9712 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
9713 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
9715 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
9716 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
9717 using the new mail backend.
9721 @subsection Expiring Mail
9722 @cindex article expiry
9724 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
9725 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
9726 different approach to mail reading.
9728 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
9729 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
9730 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
9731 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
9732 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
9733 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
9736 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
9737 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
9738 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
9739 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
9740 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
9741 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
9742 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
9743 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
9745 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
9746 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
9747 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
9748 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
9749 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
9750 column in the summary buffer.
9752 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
9753 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
9754 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
9755 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
9758 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
9760 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
9761 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
9762 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
9765 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
9766 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
9767 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
9768 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
9769 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
9771 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
9772 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
9775 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
9776 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
9779 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
9780 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
9782 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
9783 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
9784 don't really mix very well.
9786 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
9787 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
9788 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
9789 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
9792 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
9793 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
9794 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
9795 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
9798 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
9800 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
9802 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
9804 ((string= group "mail.junk")
9806 ((string= group "important")
9812 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
9813 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
9815 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
9816 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
9817 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
9820 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
9821 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9823 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
9824 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
9825 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
9826 easier for procmail users.
9828 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
9829 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
9830 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
9831 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
9832 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
9833 caution. Even more dangerous is the
9834 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
9835 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
9836 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
9837 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
9838 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
9839 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
9840 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
9843 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
9847 @subsection Washing Mail
9848 @cindex mail washing
9849 @cindex list server brain damage
9850 @cindex incoming mail treatment
9852 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
9853 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
9854 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
9855 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
9856 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
9857 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
9859 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
9860 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
9861 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
9864 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
9865 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
9866 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
9867 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
9870 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9871 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9872 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
9873 grand, sweeping gestures. Functions to be used include:
9876 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
9877 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
9878 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
9879 Emacs running on MS machines.
9883 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
9884 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
9885 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
9886 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
9889 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
9890 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
9891 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
9892 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
9894 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
9895 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
9896 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
9897 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
9898 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
9899 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
9900 also be a list of regexp.
9902 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
9903 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
9906 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
9907 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
9910 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
9911 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
9912 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
9916 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
9917 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
9918 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
9922 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
9923 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
9924 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
9931 @subsection Duplicates
9933 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
9934 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
9935 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
9936 @cindex duplicate mails
9937 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
9938 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
9939 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
9940 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
9941 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
9942 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
9943 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
9944 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
9945 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
9946 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
9947 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
9948 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
9949 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
9951 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
9952 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
9953 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
9954 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
9956 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
9959 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
9960 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
9964 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
9965 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
9966 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
9967 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
9968 (any mail "mail.misc")
9975 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9976 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
9981 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
9982 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
9983 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
9984 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
9985 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
9988 @node Not Reading Mail
9989 @subsection Not Reading Mail
9991 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
9992 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
9993 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
9995 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
9996 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
9998 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
9999 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10000 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10001 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10002 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10003 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
10004 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
10005 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
10006 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
10007 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
10008 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
10010 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
10011 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
10015 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
10016 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
10018 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
10019 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
10020 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
10023 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
10024 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
10025 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
10026 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
10027 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
10031 @node Unix Mail Box
10032 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
10034 @cindex unix mail box
10036 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10037 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10038 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
10039 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
10040 which group it belongs in.
10042 Virtual server settings:
10045 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
10046 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10047 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
10049 @item nnmbox-active-file
10050 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10051 The name of the active file for the mail box.
10053 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
10054 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10055 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
10061 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
10065 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10066 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10067 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
10068 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
10069 article to say which group it belongs in.
10071 Virtual server settings:
10074 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
10075 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10076 The name of the rmail mbox file.
10078 @item nnbabyl-active-file
10079 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10080 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
10082 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10083 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10084 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
10089 @subsubsection Mail Spool
10091 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
10093 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
10094 format. It should be used with some caution.
10096 @vindex nnml-directory
10097 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
10098 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
10099 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
10100 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
10102 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
10105 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
10106 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
10107 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
10108 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
10109 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
10110 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
10111 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
10112 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
10114 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
10115 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
10116 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
10117 backend when it comes to reading mail.
10119 Virtual server settings:
10122 @item nnml-directory
10123 @vindex nnml-directory
10124 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
10126 @item nnml-active-file
10127 @vindex nnml-active-file
10128 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
10130 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
10131 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
10132 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
10135 @item nnml-get-new-mail
10136 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10137 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
10139 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
10140 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
10141 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
10143 @item nnml-nov-file-name
10144 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
10145 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
10147 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10148 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10149 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
10153 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
10154 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
10155 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
10156 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
10157 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
10158 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
10159 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
10164 @subsubsection MH Spool
10166 @cindex mh-e mail spool
10168 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
10169 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
10170 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
10171 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
10173 Virtual server settings:
10176 @item nnmh-directory
10177 @vindex nnmh-directory
10178 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
10180 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
10181 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10182 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
10185 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
10186 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
10187 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
10188 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
10189 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
10190 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
10191 to set this variable to @code{t}.
10196 @subsubsection Mail Folders
10198 @cindex mbox folders
10199 @cindex mail folders
10201 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
10202 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
10203 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
10206 Virtual server settings:
10209 @item nnfolder-directory
10210 @vindex nnfolder-directory
10211 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
10213 @item nnfolder-active-file
10214 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
10215 The name of the active file.
10217 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10218 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10219 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
10221 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
10222 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10223 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
10226 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
10227 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
10228 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
10229 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
10230 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
10231 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
10234 @node Other Sources
10235 @section Other Sources
10237 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
10238 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
10242 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
10243 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
10244 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
10245 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
10246 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
10247 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
10251 @node Directory Groups
10252 @subsection Directory Groups
10254 @cindex directory groups
10256 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
10257 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
10260 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
10261 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
10262 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
10263 backend to read directories. Big deal.
10265 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
10266 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
10267 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
10268 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
10269 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
10271 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
10273 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
10274 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
10275 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
10276 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
10279 @node Anything Groups
10280 @subsection Anything Groups
10283 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
10284 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
10285 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
10288 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
10289 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
10290 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
10291 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
10292 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
10293 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
10294 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
10295 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
10296 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
10297 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
10300 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
10301 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
10302 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
10303 in the article buffer, just as usual.
10305 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
10306 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
10307 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
10308 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
10310 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
10311 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
10312 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
10313 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
10314 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
10315 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
10316 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
10317 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
10322 @item nneething-map-file-directory
10323 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
10324 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
10325 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
10327 @item nneething-exclude-files
10328 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
10329 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
10330 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
10332 @item nneething-map-file
10333 @vindex nneething-map-file
10334 Name of the map files.
10338 @node Document Groups
10339 @subsection Document Groups
10341 @cindex documentation group
10344 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
10345 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
10352 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
10357 The standard Unix mbox file.
10359 @cindex MMDF mail box
10361 The MMDF mail box format.
10364 Several news articles appended into a file.
10367 @cindex rnews batch files
10368 The rnews batch transport format.
10369 @cindex forwarded messages
10372 Forwarded articles.
10376 @cindex MIME digest
10377 @cindex 1153 digest
10378 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
10379 @cindex RFC 341 digest
10380 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
10382 @item standard-digest
10383 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
10386 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
10389 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
10390 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
10391 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
10394 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
10395 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
10396 group. And that's it.
10398 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
10399 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
10400 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
10401 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
10402 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
10403 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
10404 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
10405 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
10406 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
10407 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
10409 Virtual server variables:
10412 @item nndoc-article-type
10413 @vindex nndoc-article-type
10414 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
10415 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
10416 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-digest}, @code{standard-digest},
10417 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs} or @code{guess}.
10419 @item nndoc-post-type
10420 @vindex nndoc-post-type
10421 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
10422 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
10427 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
10431 @node Document Server Internals
10432 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
10434 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
10435 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
10436 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
10437 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
10439 First, here's an example document type definition:
10443 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
10444 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
10447 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
10448 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
10449 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
10450 types can be defined with very few settings:
10453 @item first-article
10454 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
10455 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
10458 @item article-begin
10459 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
10460 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
10462 @item head-begin-function
10463 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
10466 @item nndoc-head-begin
10467 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
10470 @item nndoc-head-end
10471 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
10472 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
10474 @item body-begin-function
10475 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
10479 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
10482 @item body-end-function
10483 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
10487 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
10490 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
10491 regexp will be totally ignored.
10495 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
10496 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
10497 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
10498 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
10499 something that's palatable for Gnus:
10502 @item prepare-body-function
10503 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
10504 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
10505 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
10507 @item article-transform-function
10508 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
10509 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
10510 body of the article.
10512 @item generate-head-function
10513 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
10514 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
10515 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
10516 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
10520 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
10525 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10526 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10527 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
10528 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
10529 (head-end . "^ ?$")
10530 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
10531 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
10532 (subtype digest guess))
10535 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
10536 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
10537 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
10538 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
10539 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
10541 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
10542 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
10543 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
10544 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
10545 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
10546 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
10547 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
10548 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
10549 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
10550 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
10558 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
10559 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
10560 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
10562 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
10563 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
10564 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
10567 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
10568 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
10569 that interested in doing things properly.
10571 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
10572 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
10575 First some terminology:
10580 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
10581 get news and/or mail from.
10584 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
10585 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
10588 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
10592 @item message packets
10593 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
10594 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
10595 default, where @var{X} is a number.
10597 @item response packets
10598 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
10599 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
10600 default, where @var{X} is a number.
10610 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
10611 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
10612 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
10613 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
10616 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
10619 You put the packet in your home directory.
10622 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
10623 the native or secondary server.
10626 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
10627 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
10630 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
10634 You transfer this packet to the server.
10637 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
10640 You then repeat until you die.
10644 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
10645 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
10648 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
10649 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
10650 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
10654 @node SOUP Commands
10655 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
10657 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
10661 @kindex G s b (Group)
10662 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
10663 Pack all unread articles in the current group
10664 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
10665 process/prefix convention.
10668 @kindex G s w (Group)
10669 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
10670 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
10673 @kindex G s s (Group)
10674 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
10675 Send all replies from the replies packet
10676 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
10679 @kindex G s p (Group)
10680 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
10681 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
10684 @kindex G s r (Group)
10685 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
10686 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
10689 @kindex O s (Summary)
10690 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
10691 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
10692 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
10693 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10698 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
10703 @item gnus-soup-directory
10704 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
10705 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
10706 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
10708 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
10709 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
10710 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
10711 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
10713 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
10714 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
10715 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
10716 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
10718 @item gnus-soup-packer
10719 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
10720 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
10721 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
10723 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
10724 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
10725 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
10726 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
10728 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
10729 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
10730 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
10732 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
10733 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
10734 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
10735 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
10741 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
10744 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
10745 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
10746 you can read them at leisure.
10748 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
10752 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
10753 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
10754 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
10755 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
10757 @item nnsoup-directory
10758 @vindex nnsoup-directory
10759 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
10760 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
10762 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
10763 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
10764 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
10765 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
10767 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
10768 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
10769 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
10770 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
10771 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
10773 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
10774 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
10775 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
10776 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
10778 @item nnsoup-active-file
10779 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
10780 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
10781 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
10782 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
10783 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
10785 @item nnsoup-packer
10786 @vindex nnsoup-packer
10787 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
10788 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
10790 @item nnsoup-unpacker
10791 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
10792 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
10793 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
10795 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
10796 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
10797 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
10800 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
10801 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
10802 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
10805 @item nnsoup-always-save
10806 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
10807 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
10813 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
10815 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
10816 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
10817 more for that to happen.
10819 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
10820 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
10821 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
10824 In specific, this is what it does:
10827 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
10828 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
10831 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
10832 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
10833 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
10837 @subsection Web Searches
10841 @cindex InReference
10842 @cindex Usenet searches
10843 @cindex searching the Usenet
10845 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
10846 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
10847 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
10848 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
10849 searches without having to use a browser.
10851 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
10852 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
10853 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
10854 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
10855 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
10857 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
10858 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
10859 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
10860 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
10861 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
10862 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
10863 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
10864 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
10865 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
10866 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
10869 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
10870 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
10871 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
10872 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
10873 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
10874 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
10876 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
10877 to use @code{nnweb}.
10879 Virtual server variables:
10884 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
10885 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
10889 @vindex nnweb-search
10890 The search string to feed to the search engine.
10892 @item nnweb-max-hits
10893 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
10894 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
10897 @item nnweb-type-definition
10898 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
10899 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
10900 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
10905 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
10909 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
10912 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
10915 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
10919 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
10926 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
10927 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
10928 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
10931 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
10932 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
10933 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
10935 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
10941 @item nngateway-address
10942 @vindex nngateway-address
10943 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
10945 @item nngateway-header-transformation
10946 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
10947 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
10948 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
10949 transformation should be called, and defaults to
10950 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
10951 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
10954 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
10955 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
10956 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
10959 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
10962 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
10965 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
10970 So, to use this, simply say something like:
10973 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
10977 @node Combined Groups
10978 @section Combined Groups
10980 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
10984 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
10985 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
10989 @node Virtual Groups
10990 @subsection Virtual Groups
10992 @cindex virtual groups
10994 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
10997 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
10998 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
10999 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
11001 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
11002 regexp to match component groups.
11004 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
11005 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
11006 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
11007 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
11008 the virtual group.)
11010 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
11011 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
11014 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
11017 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
11018 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
11020 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
11021 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
11022 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
11023 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
11026 "^nntp\\+some\\.server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+some\\.server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
11029 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
11030 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
11031 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
11033 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
11034 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
11035 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
11036 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
11037 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
11039 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
11040 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
11041 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
11043 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
11044 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
11045 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
11046 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
11047 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
11048 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
11049 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
11050 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
11051 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
11052 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
11053 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
11056 @node Kibozed Groups
11057 @subsection Kibozed Groups
11061 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
11062 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
11063 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
11064 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
11066 @kindex G k (Group)
11067 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
11070 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
11071 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
11072 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
11073 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
11075 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
11076 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
11077 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
11079 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
11080 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
11081 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
11082 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
11083 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
11084 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
11085 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
11086 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
11088 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
11089 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
11090 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
11091 Stranger things have happened.
11093 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
11094 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
11096 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
11097 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
11098 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
11099 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
11100 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
11101 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
11103 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
11104 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
11107 @node Gnus Unplugged
11108 @section Gnus Unplugged
11113 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
11115 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
11116 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
11117 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
11118 read news. Believe it or not.
11120 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
11121 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
11122 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
11123 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
11124 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
11126 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
11127 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
11128 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
11129 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
11130 reading news on a machine.
11132 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
11136 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
11137 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
11141 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
11142 @file{.gnus.el} file:
11149 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
11151 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
11154 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
11155 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
11156 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
11157 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
11158 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
11159 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
11160 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
11165 @subsection Agent Basics
11167 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
11169 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
11170 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
11171 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
11172 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
11174 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
11175 connected to the net continously.
11177 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
11178 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
11180 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
11185 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
11186 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
11187 already fetched while in this mode.
11190 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
11191 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
11192 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged}.
11195 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
11196 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
11197 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
11198 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
11201 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
11202 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
11203 then you read the news offline.
11206 And then you go to step 2.
11209 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
11215 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
11216 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
11217 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
11218 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
11219 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
11220 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
11223 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}
11230 @node Agent Categories
11231 @subsection Agent Categories
11233 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
11234 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
11235 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
11236 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
11237 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
11238 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
11239 you're interested in the articles anyway.
11241 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
11242 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
11243 Gnus has its own buffer for creating and managing categories.
11246 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
11247 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
11248 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
11252 @node Category Syntax
11253 @subsubsection Category Syntax
11255 A category consists of two things.
11259 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
11260 are eligible for downloading; and
11263 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
11264 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
11265 score} is wholly unrelated to normal scores.)
11268 A predicate consists of predicates with logical operators sprinkled in
11271 Perhaps some examples are in order.
11273 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
11274 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
11280 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
11281 short (for some value of ``short'').
11283 Here's a more complex predicate:
11292 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
11293 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
11296 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
11297 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
11298 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
11300 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
11301 you want to do, you can write your own.
11305 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
11306 lines; default 100.
11309 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
11310 lines; default 200.
11313 True iff the article has a download score less than
11314 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
11317 True iff the article has a download score greater than
11318 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
11321 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
11322 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
11323 checksum and sees whether articles match.
11332 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
11333 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
11334 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
11337 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
11338 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
11339 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
11340 following headers can be scored on: @code{From}, @code{Subject},
11341 @code{Date}, @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars}, @code{Message-ID},
11342 and @code{References}.
11345 @node The Category Buffer
11346 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
11348 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
11349 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
11350 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
11352 The following commands are available in this buffer:
11356 @kindex q (Category)
11357 @findex gnus-category-exit
11358 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
11361 @kindex k (Category)
11362 @findex gnus-category-kill
11363 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
11366 @kindex c (Category)
11367 @findex gnus-category-copy
11368 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
11371 @kindex a (Category)
11372 @findex gnus-category-add
11373 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
11376 @kindex p (Category)
11377 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
11378 Edit the predicate of the current category
11379 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
11382 @kindex g (Category)
11383 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
11384 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
11385 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
11388 @kindex s (Category)
11389 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
11390 Edit the download score rule of the current category
11391 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
11394 @kindex l (Category)
11395 @findex gnus-category-list
11396 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
11400 @node Category Variables
11401 @subsubsection Category Variables
11404 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
11405 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
11406 Hook run in category buffers.
11408 @item gnus-category-line-format
11409 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
11410 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
11411 Variables}). Legal elements are:
11415 The name of the category.
11418 The number of groups in the category.
11421 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
11422 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
11423 Format of the category mode line.
11425 @item gnus-agent-short-article
11426 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
11427 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
11429 @item gnus-agent-long-article
11430 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
11431 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
11433 @item gnus-agent-low-score
11434 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
11435 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
11438 @item gnus-agent-high-score
11439 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
11440 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
11446 @node Agent Commands
11447 @subsection Agent Commands
11449 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
11450 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
11451 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
11455 * Group Agent Commands::
11456 * Summary Agent Commands::
11457 * Server Agent Commands::
11460 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
11461 following incantation:
11463 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
11465 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
11470 @node Group Agent Commands
11471 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
11475 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
11476 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
11477 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
11478 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
11481 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
11482 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
11483 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
11486 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
11487 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
11488 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
11489 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
11492 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
11493 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
11494 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
11495 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}). @xref{Drafts}
11498 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
11499 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
11500 Add the current group to an Agent category
11501 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}).
11506 @node Summary Agent Commands
11507 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
11511 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
11512 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
11513 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
11516 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
11517 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
11518 Remove the downloading mark from the article
11519 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
11522 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
11523 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
11524 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
11527 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
11528 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
11529 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
11534 @node Server Agent Commands
11535 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
11539 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
11540 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
11541 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
11542 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
11545 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
11546 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
11547 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
11548 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
11553 @node Outgoing Messages
11554 @subsection Outgoing Messages
11556 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
11557 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
11558 after posting, and edit them at will.
11560 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
11561 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
11562 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
11563 messages in the draft group.
11567 @node Agent Variables
11568 @subsection Agent Variables
11571 @item gnus-agent-directory
11572 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
11573 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
11574 @file{~/News/agent/}.
11576 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
11577 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
11578 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
11579 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
11580 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
11583 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
11584 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
11585 Hook run when connecting to the network.
11587 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
11588 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
11589 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
11594 @node Example Setup
11595 @subsection Example Setup
11597 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
11598 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
11599 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
11602 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over NNTP
11603 ;;; from your ISP's server.
11604 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "nntp.your-isp.com"))
11606 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
11607 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
11608 (setenv "MAILHOST" "pop.your-isp.com")
11609 (setq nnmail-spool-file "po:username")
11611 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
11612 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
11614 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
11618 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
11619 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
11622 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
11623 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
11624 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
11625 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
11626 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
11629 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
11630 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
11631 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
11632 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
11633 back all the killed groups.)
11635 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
11636 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
11637 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
11640 @node Batching Agents
11641 @subsection Batching Agents
11643 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
11644 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
11645 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
11649 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
11658 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
11659 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
11660 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
11663 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
11664 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
11665 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
11666 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
11667 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
11669 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
11670 before generating the summary buffer.
11672 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
11673 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
11674 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
11676 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
11677 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
11678 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
11679 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
11682 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
11683 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
11684 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
11685 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
11686 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
11687 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
11688 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
11689 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
11690 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
11691 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
11692 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
11693 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
11694 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
11695 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
11696 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
11697 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
11701 @node Summary Score Commands
11702 @section Summary Score Commands
11703 @cindex score commands
11705 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
11706 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
11707 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
11708 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
11709 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
11711 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
11712 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
11713 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
11714 score file the current one.
11716 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
11721 @kindex V s (Summary)
11722 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
11723 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
11726 @kindex V S (Summary)
11727 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
11728 Display the score of the current article
11729 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
11732 @kindex V t (Summary)
11733 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
11734 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
11735 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
11738 @kindex V R (Summary)
11739 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
11740 Run the current summary through the scoring process
11741 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
11742 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
11743 effect you're having.
11746 @kindex V a (Summary)
11747 @findex gnus-summary-score-entry
11748 Add a new score entry, and allow specifying all elements
11749 (@code{gnus-summary-score-entry}).
11752 @kindex V c (Summary)
11753 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
11754 Make a different score file the current
11755 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
11758 @kindex V e (Summary)
11759 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
11760 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
11761 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
11765 @kindex V f (Summary)
11766 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
11767 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
11768 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
11771 @kindex V F (Summary)
11772 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
11773 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
11774 after editing score files.
11777 @kindex V C (Summary)
11778 @findex gnus-score-customize
11779 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
11780 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
11784 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
11789 @kindex V m (Summary)
11790 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
11791 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
11792 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
11795 @kindex V x (Summary)
11796 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
11797 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
11798 expunge all articles below this score
11799 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
11802 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
11803 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
11806 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
11807 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
11811 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
11812 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
11814 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
11815 keys are available:
11819 Score on the author name.
11822 Score on the subject line.
11825 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
11828 Score on thread---the References line.
11834 Score on the number of lines.
11837 Score on the Message-ID.
11840 Score on followups.
11850 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
11851 what headers you are scoring on.
11863 Substring matching.
11866 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
11895 Greater than number.
11900 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
11901 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
11902 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
11906 Temporary score entry.
11909 Permanent score entry.
11912 Immediately scoring.
11917 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
11918 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
11919 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
11920 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
11922 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
11923 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
11924 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
11925 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
11926 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
11928 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
11929 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
11930 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
11931 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
11932 current score file.
11934 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
11935 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
11936 pretend they are keymaps or not.
11939 @node Group Score Commands
11940 @section Group Score Commands
11941 @cindex group score commands
11943 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
11948 @kindex W f (Group)
11949 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
11950 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
11951 all the time. This command will flush the cache
11952 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
11956 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
11958 @findex gnus-batch-score
11959 @cindex batch scoring
11961 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l gnus -f gnus-batch-score
11965 @node Score Variables
11966 @section Score Variables
11967 @cindex score variables
11971 @item gnus-use-scoring
11972 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
11973 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
11974 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
11976 @item gnus-kill-killed
11977 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
11978 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
11979 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
11980 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
11981 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
11982 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
11983 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
11985 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
11986 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
11987 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
11988 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
11989 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
11991 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
11992 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
11993 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
11994 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
11996 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
11997 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
11998 @cindex score cache
11999 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
12000 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
12001 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
12002 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
12003 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
12004 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
12007 @item gnus-save-score
12008 @vindex gnus-save-score
12009 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
12010 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
12011 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
12013 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
12014 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
12015 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
12016 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
12017 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
12018 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
12019 manually entered data.
12021 @item gnus-summary-default-score
12022 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
12023 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
12025 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
12026 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
12027 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
12028 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
12029 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
12030 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
12032 @item gnus-score-over-mark
12033 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
12034 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
12035 default. Default is @samp{+}.
12037 @item gnus-score-below-mark
12038 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
12039 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
12040 default. Default is @samp{-}.
12042 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
12043 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
12044 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
12045 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
12047 Predefined functions available are:
12050 @item gnus-score-find-single
12051 @findex gnus-score-find-single
12052 Only apply the group's own score file.
12054 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
12055 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
12056 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
12057 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
12058 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
12059 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
12060 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
12061 then a regexp match is done.
12063 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
12064 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
12066 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
12067 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
12068 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
12069 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
12071 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
12072 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
12073 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
12074 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
12075 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
12078 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
12079 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
12080 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
12081 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
12082 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
12083 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
12086 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
12087 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
12088 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
12089 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
12090 are expired. It's 7 by default.
12092 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
12093 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
12094 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
12095 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
12096 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
12097 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
12098 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
12101 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
12102 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
12103 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
12105 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
12106 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
12107 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
12108 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
12109 threading---according to the current value of
12110 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
12111 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
12112 simplified in this manner.
12117 @node Score File Format
12118 @section Score File Format
12119 @cindex score file format
12121 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
12122 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
12123 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
12125 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
12129 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
12131 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
12133 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
12135 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
12140 (mark-and-expunge -10)
12144 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
12145 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
12146 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
12147 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
12151 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
12152 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
12154 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
12155 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
12156 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
12158 Six keys are supported by this alist:
12163 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
12164 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
12165 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
12166 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
12167 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
12168 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
12169 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
12170 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
12171 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
12172 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
12173 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
12174 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
12175 to articles that matches these score entries.
12177 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
12178 score entry has one to four elements.
12182 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
12183 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
12187 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
12188 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
12189 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
12190 is successful. If this element is not present, the
12191 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
12192 instead. This is 1000 by default.
12195 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
12196 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
12197 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
12198 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
12199 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
12202 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
12203 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
12204 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
12205 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
12208 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
12209 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
12210 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
12211 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
12212 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
12213 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
12214 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
12215 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
12216 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
12217 instead, if you feel like.
12220 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
12221 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}. When matching on @code{Lines}, be
12222 careful because some backends (like @code{nndir}) do not generate
12223 @code{Lines} header, so every article ends up being marked as having 0
12224 lines. This can lead to strange results if you happen to lower score of
12225 the articles with few lines.
12228 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
12229 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
12230 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
12231 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
12232 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
12233 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
12234 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
12238 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
12239 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
12240 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
12241 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
12242 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
12243 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
12244 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
12245 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
12248 @item Head, Body, All
12249 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
12253 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
12254 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
12255 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
12256 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
12257 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
12258 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
12259 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
12263 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
12264 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{X}, then you add a
12265 @samp{thread} match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each
12266 article that has @var{X} in its @code{References} header. (These new
12267 @samp{thread} matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching
12268 articles.) This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an
12269 entire thread, even though some articles in the thread may not have
12270 complete @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
12271 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
12272 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
12276 @cindex Score File Atoms
12278 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12279 lower than this number will be marked as read.
12282 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12283 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
12285 @item mark-and-expunge
12286 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12287 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
12290 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
12291 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
12292 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
12293 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
12294 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
12297 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
12298 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
12301 @item exclude-files
12302 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
12303 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
12307 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
12308 ignored when handling global score files.
12311 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
12312 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
12313 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
12314 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
12317 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
12318 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
12319 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
12320 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
12322 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
12326 (mark-and-expunge -100)
12329 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
12330 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
12331 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
12332 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
12333 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
12335 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
12336 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
12337 ordinary scoring rules.
12340 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
12341 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
12342 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
12343 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
12344 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
12345 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
12346 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
12347 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
12348 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
12349 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
12350 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
12354 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
12355 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
12356 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
12357 file for a number of groups.
12360 @cindex local variables
12361 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
12362 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
12363 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
12364 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
12365 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
12369 @node Score File Editing
12370 @section Score File Editing
12372 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
12373 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
12374 with a mode for that.
12376 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
12377 additional commands:
12382 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
12383 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
12384 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
12385 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
12388 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
12389 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
12390 Insert the current date in numerical format
12391 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
12392 you were wondering.
12395 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
12396 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
12397 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
12398 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
12399 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
12404 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
12406 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
12407 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
12409 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
12410 e} to begin editing score files.
12413 @node Adaptive Scoring
12414 @section Adaptive Scoring
12415 @cindex adaptive scoring
12417 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
12418 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
12419 stupidity, to be precise.
12421 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
12422 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
12423 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
12424 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
12425 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
12426 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
12427 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
12428 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
12429 variable to @code{(word line)}.
12431 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
12432 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
12433 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
12434 might look something like this:
12437 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
12438 '((gnus-unread-mark)
12439 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
12440 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
12441 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
12442 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
12443 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
12444 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
12445 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
12446 (gnus-ancient-mark)
12447 (gnus-low-score-mark)
12448 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
12451 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
12452 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
12453 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
12454 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
12455 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
12456 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
12459 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
12460 will be applied to each article.
12462 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
12463 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
12464 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
12465 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
12467 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
12468 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
12469 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
12470 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
12472 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
12473 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
12474 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
12475 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
12477 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
12478 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
12479 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
12480 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
12481 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
12482 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
12484 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
12485 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
12486 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
12487 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
12488 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
12489 aspirins afterwards.)
12491 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
12492 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
12493 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
12495 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
12496 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
12497 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
12499 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
12500 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
12501 let you use different rules in different groups.
12503 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
12504 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
12505 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
12508 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
12509 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
12510 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
12511 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
12512 the length of the match is less than
12513 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
12514 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
12517 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
12518 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
12519 headers. If you adapt on words, the
12520 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
12521 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
12524 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
12525 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
12526 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
12527 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
12528 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
12531 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
12532 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
12533 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
12534 score with 30 points.
12536 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
12537 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
12538 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
12539 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
12540 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
12542 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
12543 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
12544 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
12545 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
12547 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
12548 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
12549 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
12550 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
12552 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
12553 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
12554 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
12556 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
12557 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
12558 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
12559 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
12562 @node Home Score File
12563 @section Home Score File
12565 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
12566 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
12567 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
12568 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
12570 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
12571 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
12572 could perhaps use the same home score file.
12574 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
12575 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
12580 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
12584 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
12585 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
12589 A list. The elements in this list can be:
12593 @var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
12594 the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
12597 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
12598 the home score file.
12601 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
12604 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
12609 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
12612 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12613 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
12616 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
12617 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
12620 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12621 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
12624 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
12626 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
12627 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
12628 their own home score files:
12631 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12632 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
12633 '("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
12634 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
12635 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE"))
12638 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
12639 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
12640 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
12641 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
12642 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
12644 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
12645 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
12646 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
12647 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
12648 precedence over this variable.
12651 @node Followups To Yourself
12652 @section Followups To Yourself
12654 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
12655 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
12656 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
12657 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
12658 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
12659 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
12663 @item gnus-score-followup-article
12664 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
12665 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
12668 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
12669 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
12670 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
12674 @vindex message-sent-hook
12675 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
12676 @code{message-sent-hook}.
12678 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
12679 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
12683 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
12684 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
12687 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
12688 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
12693 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
12697 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
12698 is system-dependent.
12702 @section Scoring Tips
12703 @cindex scoring tips
12709 @cindex scoring crossposts
12710 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
12711 the @code{Xref} header.
12713 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
12716 @item Multiple crossposts
12717 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
12718 more than, say, 3 groups:
12720 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
12723 @item Matching on the body
12724 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
12725 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
12726 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
12727 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
12728 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
12729 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
12730 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
12733 @item Marking as read
12734 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
12735 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
12736 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
12740 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
12742 @item Negated character classes
12743 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
12744 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
12745 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
12749 @node Reverse Scoring
12750 @section Reverse Scoring
12751 @cindex reverse scoring
12753 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
12754 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
12755 like this in your score file:
12759 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
12764 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
12765 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
12768 @node Global Score Files
12769 @section Global Score Files
12770 @cindex global score files
12772 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
12773 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
12774 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
12776 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
12777 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
12778 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
12780 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
12781 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
12782 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
12783 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
12784 files are applicable to which group.
12786 Say you want to use the score file
12787 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
12788 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
12791 (setq gnus-global-score-files
12792 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
12793 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
12796 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
12797 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
12798 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
12799 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
12800 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
12802 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
12803 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
12805 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
12806 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
12807 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
12808 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
12809 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
12810 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
12812 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
12818 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
12820 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
12822 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
12824 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
12825 lowered out of existence.
12827 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
12828 articles completely.
12831 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
12832 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
12833 old articles for a long time.
12836 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
12837 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
12838 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
12839 holding our breath yet?
12843 @section Kill Files
12846 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
12847 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
12848 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
12850 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
12851 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
12852 files into score files.
12854 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
12855 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
12856 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
12857 that isn't a very good idea.
12859 Normal kill files look like this:
12862 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12863 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
12867 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
12868 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
12870 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
12871 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
12874 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
12879 @kindex M-k (Summary)
12880 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
12881 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
12884 @kindex M-K (Summary)
12885 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
12886 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
12889 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
12894 @kindex M-k (Group)
12895 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
12896 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
12899 @kindex M-K (Group)
12900 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
12901 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
12904 Kill file variables:
12907 @item gnus-kill-file-name
12908 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
12909 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
12910 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
12911 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
12912 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
12913 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
12915 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
12916 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
12917 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
12918 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
12921 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
12922 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
12923 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
12924 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
12925 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
12926 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
12927 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
12928 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
12929 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
12931 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
12932 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
12933 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
12938 @node Converting Kill Files
12939 @section Converting Kill Files
12941 @cindex converting kill files
12943 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
12944 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
12945 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
12948 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
12949 You can fetch it from
12950 @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
12952 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
12953 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
12954 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
12962 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
12963 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
12964 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
12966 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
12967 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
12968 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
12969 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
12970 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
12971 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
12972 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
12973 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
12977 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
12978 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
12979 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
12980 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
12984 @node Using GroupLens
12985 @subsection Using GroupLens
12987 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
12989 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
12990 better bit in town at the moment.
12992 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
12996 @item gnus-use-grouplens
12997 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
12998 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
12999 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
13001 @item grouplens-pseudonym
13002 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
13003 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
13004 with the Better Bit Bureau.
13006 @item grouplens-newsgroups
13007 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
13008 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
13012 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
13013 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
13014 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
13015 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
13016 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
13017 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
13020 @node Rating Articles
13021 @subsection Rating Articles
13023 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
13024 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
13025 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
13026 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
13029 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
13034 @kindex r (GroupLens)
13035 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
13036 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
13039 @kindex k (GroupLens)
13040 @findex grouplens-score-thread
13041 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
13042 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
13043 threads in rec.humor.
13047 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
13048 the score of the article you're reading.
13053 @kindex n (GroupLens)
13054 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
13055 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
13058 @kindex , (GroupLens)
13059 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
13060 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
13064 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
13065 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
13068 @node Displaying Predictions
13069 @subsection Displaying Predictions
13071 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
13072 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
13073 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
13074 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
13075 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
13077 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
13078 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
13079 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
13080 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
13081 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
13082 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
13083 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
13084 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
13085 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
13086 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
13087 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
13088 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
13089 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
13091 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
13092 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
13093 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
13094 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
13096 The following are valid values for that variable.
13099 @item prediction-spot
13100 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
13103 @item confidence-interval
13104 A numeric confidence interval.
13106 @item prediction-bar
13107 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
13109 @item confidence-bar
13110 Numerical confidence.
13112 @item confidence-spot
13113 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
13115 @item prediction-num
13116 Plain-old numeric value.
13118 @item confidence-plus-minus
13119 Prediction +/- confidence.
13124 @node GroupLens Variables
13125 @subsection GroupLens Variables
13129 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
13130 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
13131 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
13132 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
13135 @item grouplens-bbb-host
13136 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
13139 @item grouplens-bbb-port
13140 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
13142 @item grouplens-score-offset
13143 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
13144 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
13147 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
13148 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
13149 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
13154 @node Advanced Scoring
13155 @section Advanced Scoring
13157 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
13158 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
13159 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
13160 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
13161 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
13163 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
13167 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
13168 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
13169 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
13173 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
13174 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
13176 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
13177 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
13178 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
13179 non-@code{nil} value.
13181 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
13182 operator, and various match operators.
13189 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
13190 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
13191 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
13196 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
13197 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
13198 then this operator will return @code{false}.
13203 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
13204 logical negation of the value of its argument.
13208 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
13209 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
13210 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
13211 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
13212 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
13213 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
13214 the ancestry you want to go.
13216 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
13217 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
13218 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
13219 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
13220 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
13223 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
13224 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
13226 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
13227 when he's talking about Gnus:
13231 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13232 ("subject" "Gnus"))
13238 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
13242 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13249 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
13250 really don't want to read what he's written:
13254 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13255 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
13259 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
13260 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
13261 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
13268 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
13269 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
13270 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
13271 ("body" "white.*socks"))
13275 The possibilities are endless.
13278 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
13279 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
13281 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
13282 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
13283 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
13284 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
13285 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
13286 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
13287 @samp{subject}) first.
13289 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
13290 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
13301 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
13302 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
13308 ("subject" "Gnus")))
13315 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
13316 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
13321 @section Score Decays
13322 @cindex score decays
13325 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
13326 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
13327 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
13328 use them in any sensible way.
13330 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
13331 @findex gnus-decay-score
13332 @vindex gnus-score-decay-function
13333 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
13334 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
13335 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
13336 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
13337 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-score-decay-function}
13338 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
13339 definition of that function:
13342 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
13343 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant' and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
13346 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
13348 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
13350 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
13353 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
13354 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
13355 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
13356 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
13360 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
13363 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
13366 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
13370 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
13371 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
13372 the new score, which should be an integer.
13374 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
13375 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
13382 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
13383 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
13384 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
13385 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
13386 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
13387 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
13388 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
13389 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
13390 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
13391 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
13392 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
13393 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
13394 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
13395 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
13396 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
13397 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
13398 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolited commercial email.
13399 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
13403 @node Process/Prefix
13404 @section Process/Prefix
13405 @cindex process/prefix convention
13407 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
13408 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
13410 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
13411 command to be performed on.
13415 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
13416 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
13417 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
13418 with the current one.
13420 @vindex transient-mark-mode
13421 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
13422 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
13424 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
13425 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
13428 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
13429 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
13431 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
13434 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
13435 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
13436 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
13437 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13439 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
13440 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
13441 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
13442 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
13443 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
13444 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
13445 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
13446 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
13450 @section Interactive
13451 @cindex interaction
13455 @item gnus-novice-user
13456 @vindex gnus-novice-user
13457 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
13458 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
13459 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
13460 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
13463 @item gnus-expert-user
13464 @vindex gnus-expert-user
13465 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
13466 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
13467 matter how strange.
13469 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
13470 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
13471 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
13472 is @code{t} by default.
13474 @item gnus-interactive-exit
13475 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
13476 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
13481 @node Symbolic Prefixes
13482 @section Symbolic Prefixes
13483 @cindex symbolic prefixes
13485 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
13486 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four charaters forward, and
13487 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
13488 rule of 900 to the current article.
13490 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
13491 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
13492 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
13493 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
13494 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
13495 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
13496 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
13498 @kindex M-i (Summary)
13499 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
13500 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
13501 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
13502 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
13503 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
13504 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
13505 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
13506 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
13508 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
13509 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
13510 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
13512 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
13516 @node Formatting Variables
13517 @section Formatting Variables
13518 @cindex formatting variables
13520 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
13521 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
13522 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
13523 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
13526 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
13527 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
13528 lots of percentages everywhere.
13531 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
13532 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
13533 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
13534 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
13537 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
13538 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
13539 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
13540 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
13541 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
13542 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
13543 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
13544 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
13546 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
13547 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
13549 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
13550 @findex gnus-update-format
13551 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
13552 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
13553 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
13554 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
13558 @node Formatting Basics
13559 @subsection Formatting Basics
13561 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
13562 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
13563 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
13565 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
13566 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
13567 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
13568 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
13569 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
13572 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
13573 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
13574 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
13575 less than 4 characters wide.
13578 @node Advanced Formatting
13579 @subsection Advanced Formatting
13581 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
13582 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
13583 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
13584 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
13586 These are the valid modifiers:
13591 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
13595 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
13600 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
13603 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
13608 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
13611 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
13614 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
13617 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
13621 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
13622 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
13623 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
13624 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
13625 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
13626 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
13627 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
13629 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
13630 last operation, padding.
13632 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
13633 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
13634 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
13635 @xref{Compilation}.
13638 @node User-Defined Specs
13639 @subsection User-Defined Specs
13641 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
13642 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
13643 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
13644 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
13645 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
13646 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
13647 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
13648 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
13649 should protect against that.
13651 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
13652 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
13653 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
13654 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
13658 @node Formatting Fonts
13659 @subsection Formatting Fonts
13661 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
13662 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
13663 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
13664 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
13667 Text inside the @samp{%[} and @samp{%]} specifiers will have their
13668 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
13669 default. If you say @samp{%1[}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
13670 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
13671 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
13672 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
13674 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
13677 ;; Create three face types.
13678 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
13679 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
13681 ;; We want the article count to be in
13682 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
13683 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
13684 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
13686 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
13687 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
13689 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
13690 (setq gnus-group-line-format
13691 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
13694 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
13695 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
13697 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
13698 mode-line variables.
13701 @node Windows Configuration
13702 @section Windows Configuration
13703 @cindex windows configuration
13705 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
13707 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
13708 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
13709 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
13710 @code{t} by default.
13712 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
13713 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
13714 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
13717 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
13718 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
13719 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
13723 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
13724 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
13725 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
13726 possible names is listed below.
13728 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
13729 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
13732 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
13736 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
13737 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
13738 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
13739 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
13740 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
13741 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
13742 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
13743 size spec per split.
13745 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
13748 Here's a more complicated example:
13751 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
13752 (summary 0.25 point)
13753 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
13757 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
13758 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
13759 occupy, not a percentage.
13761 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
13762 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
13763 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
13764 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
13765 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
13768 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
13771 (article (horizontal 1.0
13776 (summary 0.25 point)
13781 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
13782 @code{horizontal} thingie?
13784 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
13785 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
13786 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
13787 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
13788 the screen is to be given to this strip.
13790 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
13791 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
13792 lines from the splits.
13794 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
13798 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
13799 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
13800 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
13801 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
13802 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] ")"
13803 size = number | frame-params
13804 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
13807 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
13808 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
13809 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
13810 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
13812 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
13813 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
13814 @cindex window height
13815 @cindex window width
13816 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
13817 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
13818 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
13819 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
13820 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
13821 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
13823 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
13824 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
13825 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
13826 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
13828 @findex gnus-configure-frame
13829 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
13830 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
13831 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
13832 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
13833 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
13834 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
13835 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
13836 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
13837 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
13838 configuration list.
13841 (gnus-configure-frame
13845 (article 0.3 point))
13853 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
13854 @code{frame} split:
13857 (gnus-configure-frame
13860 (summary 0.25 point)
13862 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
13863 (user-position . t)
13864 (left . -1) (top . 1))
13869 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
13870 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
13871 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
13872 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
13873 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
13874 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
13875 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
13876 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
13879 Here's a list of all possible keys for
13880 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
13882 @code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
13883 @code{browse}, @code{message}, @code{pick}, @code{info},
13884 @code{summary-faq}, @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server},
13885 @code{edit-score}, @code{post}, @code{reply}, @code{forward},
13886 @code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft}, @code{pipe},
13887 @code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}, and @code{score-trace}.
13889 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
13890 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
13891 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
13895 (message (horizontal 1.0
13896 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
13898 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
13903 @findex gnus-add-configuration
13904 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
13905 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
13906 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
13907 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
13910 (gnus-add-configuration
13911 '(article (vertical 1.0
13913 (summary .25 point)
13917 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
13918 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
13919 Gnus has been loaded.
13921 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
13922 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
13923 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
13924 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
13925 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
13928 @node Faces and Fonts
13929 @section Faces and Fonts
13934 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
13935 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
13936 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
13941 @section Compilation
13942 @cindex compilation
13943 @cindex byte-compilation
13945 @findex gnus-compile
13947 Remember all those line format specification variables?
13948 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
13949 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
13950 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
13951 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
13952 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
13955 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
13956 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
13957 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
13958 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
13959 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
13960 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
13961 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
13965 @section Mode Lines
13968 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
13969 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
13970 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
13971 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
13972 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
13973 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
13974 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
13977 @cindex display-time
13979 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
13980 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
13981 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
13982 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
13983 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
13984 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
13985 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
13986 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
13989 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
13991 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
13992 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
13994 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
13995 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
13996 (length display-time-string)))))
13999 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
14000 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
14001 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
14002 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
14003 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
14006 @node Highlighting and Menus
14007 @section Highlighting and Menus
14009 @cindex highlighting
14012 @vindex gnus-visual
14013 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
14014 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
14015 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
14018 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
14019 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
14022 @item group-highlight
14023 Do highlights in the group buffer.
14024 @item summary-highlight
14025 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
14026 @item article-highlight
14027 Do highlights in the article buffer.
14029 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
14031 Create menus in the group buffer.
14033 Create menus in the summary buffers.
14035 Create menus in the article buffer.
14037 Create menus in the browse buffer.
14039 Create menus in the server buffer.
14041 Create menus in the score buffers.
14043 Create menus in all buffers.
14046 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
14047 buffers, you could say something like:
14050 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
14053 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
14056 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
14059 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
14060 in all Gnus buffers.
14062 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
14065 @item gnus-mouse-face
14066 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
14067 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
14068 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
14072 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
14076 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
14077 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
14078 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
14080 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
14081 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
14082 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
14084 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
14085 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
14086 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
14088 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
14089 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
14090 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
14092 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
14093 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
14094 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
14096 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
14097 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
14098 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
14109 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
14110 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
14111 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
14112 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
14113 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
14117 @vindex gnus-carpal
14118 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
14119 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
14120 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
14125 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
14126 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
14127 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
14129 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
14130 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
14131 Face used on buttons.
14133 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
14134 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
14135 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
14137 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
14138 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
14139 Buttons in the group buffer.
14141 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
14142 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
14143 Buttons in the summary buffer.
14145 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
14146 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
14147 Buttons in the server buffer.
14149 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
14150 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
14151 Buttons in the browse buffer.
14154 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
14155 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
14156 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
14164 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
14165 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
14166 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
14167 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
14168 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
14170 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
14171 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
14172 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
14174 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
14175 been idle for thirty minutes:
14178 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
14181 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
14185 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
14188 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
14189 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
14190 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
14192 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
14193 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
14194 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
14195 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
14197 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
14198 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
14199 @var{idle} minutes.
14201 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
14202 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
14205 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
14206 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
14207 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
14209 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
14210 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
14211 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
14212 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
14214 @vindex gnus-use-demon
14215 To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
14216 @code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
14218 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
14219 your @file{.gnus} file:
14221 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
14223 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
14226 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
14227 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
14228 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
14229 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
14230 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
14231 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
14232 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
14233 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
14234 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
14235 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
14236 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
14238 @findex gnus-demon-init
14239 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
14240 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
14241 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
14242 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
14243 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
14245 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you overdo it. Adding
14246 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
14247 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
14256 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
14257 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
14259 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
14260 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
14261 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
14262 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
14265 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
14266 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
14267 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
14268 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
14270 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
14271 this will make spam disappear.
14273 There are some variables to customize, of course:
14276 @item gnus-use-nocem
14277 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
14278 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
14281 @item gnus-nocem-groups
14282 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
14283 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
14284 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
14285 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
14287 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
14288 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
14289 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
14290 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
14291 "rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
14292 "jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
14293 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
14295 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
14298 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
14299 @cindex Chris Lewis
14300 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
14301 usenet abuse than anybody else.
14304 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
14305 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
14306 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
14308 @item jem@@xpat.com;
14310 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
14313 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
14314 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
14315 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
14318 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
14319 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
14320 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
14321 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
14322 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
14323 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
14324 @var{(issuer conditions ...)} elements in the list. Each condition is
14325 either a string (which is a regexp that matches types you want to use)
14326 or a list on the form @code{(not STRING)}, where @var{string} is a
14327 regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
14329 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
14330 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
14333 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
14336 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
14337 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
14340 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
14343 The specs are applied left-to-right.
14346 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
14347 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
14349 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
14350 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
14351 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
14352 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
14354 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
14355 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
14358 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
14360 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
14368 This might be dangerous, though.
14370 @item gnus-nocem-directory
14371 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
14372 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
14373 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
14375 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
14376 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
14377 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
14378 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
14379 might then see old spam.
14383 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
14384 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
14385 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
14386 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
14393 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
14394 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
14395 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
14397 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
14398 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
14399 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
14400 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
14401 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
14402 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
14403 @code{undo} function.
14405 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
14406 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
14407 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
14408 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
14409 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
14410 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
14411 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
14412 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
14413 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
14414 never be totally undoable.
14416 @findex gnus-undo-mode
14417 @vindex gnus-use-undo
14419 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
14420 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
14421 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
14422 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
14427 @section Moderation
14430 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
14431 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
14432 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
14435 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
14439 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
14442 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
14444 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
14449 You split your incoming mail by matching on
14450 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
14451 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
14454 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
14455 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
14458 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
14459 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
14463 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
14466 (setq gnus-moderated-list
14467 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
14471 @node XEmacs Enhancements
14472 @section XEmacs Enhancements
14475 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
14479 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
14480 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
14481 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
14482 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
14495 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
14496 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
14497 over your shoulder as you read news.
14500 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
14501 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
14502 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
14503 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
14504 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
14509 @subsubsection Picon Basics
14511 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
14520 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
14521 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
14522 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
14523 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
14524 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
14525 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
14526 @code{GIF} formats.
14529 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
14530 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
14531 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
14532 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string
14533 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
14535 @vindex gnus-picons-database
14536 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
14537 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at
14538 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
14539 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
14540 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
14543 @node Picon Requirements
14544 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
14546 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
14547 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
14550 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
14551 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
14552 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
14554 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
14555 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
14556 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
14557 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
14558 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
14562 @subsubsection Easy Picons
14564 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
14565 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
14568 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
14569 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
14570 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
14573 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
14574 containing the Picons databases.
14576 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
14579 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
14584 @subsubsection Hard Picons
14592 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
14593 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
14594 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
14595 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
14596 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
14601 @item gnus-picons-database
14602 @vindex gnus-picons-database
14603 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
14604 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
14605 subdirectories. This is only useful if
14606 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
14607 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
14609 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
14610 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
14611 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
14612 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
14613 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
14614 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
14615 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
14617 @item gnus-picons-display-where
14618 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
14619 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
14620 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
14621 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
14622 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
14623 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
14624 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
14626 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
14627 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
14628 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
14633 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
14634 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
14636 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
14637 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
14640 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
14641 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
14643 @item gnus-article-display-picons
14644 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
14645 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
14646 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to the
14647 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
14649 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
14650 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
14651 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
14652 should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
14656 Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
14657 for the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
14660 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
14664 @node Picon Useless Configuration
14665 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
14673 The following variables offer further control over how things are
14674 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
14675 don't need to worry about.
14679 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
14680 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
14681 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
14682 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
14684 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
14685 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
14686 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
14687 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
14689 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
14690 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
14691 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
14692 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
14693 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
14695 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
14696 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
14697 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
14698 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
14699 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
14700 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
14701 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
14703 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
14704 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
14705 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
14706 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
14708 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
14709 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
14710 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
14711 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
14712 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
14713 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
14714 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
14716 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
14717 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
14718 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
14719 Defaults to @code{nil}.
14721 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
14722 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
14723 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
14724 Defaults to @code{t}.
14726 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
14727 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
14728 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
14729 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
14731 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
14732 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
14733 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
14734 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
14736 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
14737 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
14738 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
14739 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
14740 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
14741 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
14742 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
14743 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
14754 @subsection Smileys
14759 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
14764 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
14765 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
14767 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
14768 @file{.gnus.el} file:
14771 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-smiley-display t)
14774 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
14775 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
14776 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
14777 text and maps that to file names.
14779 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
14780 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
14781 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
14782 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
14783 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
14784 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
14786 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
14787 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
14789 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
14790 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
14791 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
14793 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
14794 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
14798 @item smiley-data-directory
14799 @vindex smiley-data-directory
14800 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
14802 @item smiley-flesh-color
14803 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
14804 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
14806 @item smiley-features-color
14807 @vindex smiley-features-color
14808 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
14810 @item smiley-tongue-color
14811 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
14812 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
14814 @item smiley-circle-color
14815 @vindex smiley-circle-color
14816 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
14818 @item smiley-mouse-face
14819 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
14820 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
14826 @subsection Toolbar
14836 @item gnus-use-toolbar
14837 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
14838 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
14839 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
14840 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
14842 @item gnus-group-toolbar
14843 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
14844 The toolbar in the group buffer.
14846 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
14847 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
14848 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
14850 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
14851 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
14852 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
14858 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
14861 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
14862 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
14863 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
14864 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
14865 unusual directory structure.
14867 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
14868 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
14869 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
14870 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
14872 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
14873 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
14874 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
14875 Legal values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
14876 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
14877 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
14879 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
14880 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
14881 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
14895 @node Fuzzy Matching
14896 @section Fuzzy Matching
14897 @cindex fuzzy matching
14899 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
14900 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
14902 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
14903 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
14904 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
14906 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
14907 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
14908 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
14909 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
14910 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
14913 @node Thwarting Email Spam
14914 @section Thwarting Email Spam
14918 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
14920 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
14921 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
14922 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
14923 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
14924 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
14925 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
14926 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
14927 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
14930 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
14931 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
14932 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
14933 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
14934 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrouos hair on your toes!'')
14935 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
14939 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
14940 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
14942 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
14943 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
14944 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
14945 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
14946 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
14947 part of the mail address.)
14950 (setq message-default-news-headers
14951 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
14954 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
14955 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
14960 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
14961 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
14962 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
14968 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
14969 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
14970 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
14971 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
14973 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
14974 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
14975 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
14976 twarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
14977 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
14978 your fancy split rule in this way:
14983 (to "larsi" "misc")
14987 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
14988 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
14989 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
14990 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
14991 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
14993 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
14994 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, availiable FOR FREE
14995 at @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
14996 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
14997 cosmic balance somewhat.
14999 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
15000 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
15001 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
15002 to non-existant domains is yucky, in my opinion.
15005 @node Various Various
15006 @section Various Various
15012 @item gnus-home-directory
15013 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
15014 defaults to @file{~/}.
15016 @item gnus-directory
15017 @vindex gnus-directory
15018 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
15019 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
15020 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
15022 @item gnus-default-directory
15023 @vindex gnus-default-directory
15024 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
15025 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
15026 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
15027 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15028 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
15029 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
15032 @vindex gnus-verbose
15033 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
15034 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
15035 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
15036 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
15037 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
15039 @item gnus-verbose-backends
15040 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
15041 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
15042 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
15044 @item nnheader-max-head-length
15045 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
15046 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
15047 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
15048 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
15049 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
15050 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
15051 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
15052 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
15053 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
15055 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
15056 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
15057 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
15058 read when doing the operation described above.
15060 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15061 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15063 @cindex invalid characters in file names
15064 @cindex characters in file names
15065 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
15066 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
15067 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
15070 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15074 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
15075 Windows (phooey) systems.
15077 @item gnus-hidden-properties
15078 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
15079 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
15080 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
15081 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
15083 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
15084 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
15085 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
15086 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
15087 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
15089 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
15090 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
15091 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
15100 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
15101 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
15103 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
15105 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
15111 Not because of victories @*
15114 but for the common sunshine,@*
15116 the largess of the spring.
15120 but for the day's work done@*
15121 as well as I was able;@*
15122 not for a seat upon the dais@*
15123 but at the common table.@*
15128 @chapter Appendices
15131 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
15132 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
15133 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
15134 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
15135 * A Programmers Guide to Gnus:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
15136 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
15137 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
15145 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
15146 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
15148 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
15149 can point your (feh!) web browser to
15150 @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
15151 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
15152 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
15154 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
15155 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
15156 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
15157 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
15158 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
15159 appropriate name, don't you think?)
15161 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
15162 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
15163 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
15164 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
15166 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
15167 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
15168 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
15170 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
15171 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
15173 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
15174 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4''.
15176 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
15177 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
15178 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
15179 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
15180 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
15184 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
15185 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
15186 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
15187 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
15188 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
15189 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
15190 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
15197 What's the point of Gnus?
15199 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
15200 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
15201 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
15202 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
15203 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
15204 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
15205 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
15206 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
15207 keep track of millions of people who post?
15209 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
15210 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
15211 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
15212 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
15213 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
15214 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
15215 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
15216 every one of you to explore and invent.
15218 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
15219 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
15222 @node Compatibility
15223 @subsection Compatibility
15225 @cindex compatibility
15226 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
15227 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
15228 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
15233 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
15237 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
15240 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
15243 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
15244 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
15245 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
15246 important variables have their values copied into their global
15247 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
15248 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
15250 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
15251 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
15252 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
15253 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
15254 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
15258 @cindex highlighting
15259 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
15260 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
15261 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
15262 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
15263 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
15264 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
15267 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
15268 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
15269 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
15270 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
15272 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
15273 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
15274 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
15275 to stop doing it the old way.
15277 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
15279 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
15281 @cindex reporting bugs
15283 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
15284 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
15285 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
15289 @subsection Conformity
15291 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
15292 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
15299 There are no known breaches of this standard.
15303 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
15305 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
15306 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
15307 We do have some breaches to this one.
15312 Gnus does no MIME handling, and this standard-to-be seems to think that
15313 MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
15316 This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
15317 consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
15318 coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
15319 those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
15320 for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
15325 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
15326 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
15331 @subsection Emacsen
15337 Gnus should work on :
15342 Emacs 19.32 and up.
15345 XEmacs 19.14 and up.
15348 Mule versions based on Emacs 19.32 and up.
15352 Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
15353 reliably, at least.
15355 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
15356 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
15357 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
15362 @subsection Contributors
15363 @cindex contributors
15365 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
15366 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
15367 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
15368 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
15369 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
15370 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
15371 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
15372 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
15373 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
15374 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
15376 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
15382 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
15385 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
15386 well as numerous other things).
15389 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
15392 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
15395 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
15396 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
15399 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
15402 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
15403 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
15406 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
15409 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
15412 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
15415 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
15418 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinsky---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
15419 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
15422 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
15425 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
15428 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
15431 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
15435 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
15438 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
15441 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
15444 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports.
15448 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
15449 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
15451 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
15460 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
15464 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
15483 Massimo Campostrini,
15488 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
15493 Michael Welsh Duggan,
15496 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
15500 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
15505 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
15507 Michelangelo Grigni,
15510 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
15512 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
15517 François Felix Ingrand,
15518 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
15520 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
15528 Peter Skov Knudsen,
15529 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
15530 Thor Kristoffersen,
15532 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
15547 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
15548 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
15555 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
15560 John McClary Prevost,
15562 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
15567 Christian von Roques,
15574 Philippe Schnoebelen,
15575 Randal L. Schwartz,
15603 Katsumi Yamaoka. @c Yamaoka
15605 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
15606 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
15607 (550kB and counting).
15609 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
15612 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
15613 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
15617 @subsection New Features
15618 @cindex new features
15621 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
15622 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
15623 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
15626 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
15627 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
15628 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
15632 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
15634 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
15639 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
15640 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
15643 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
15644 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
15647 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
15650 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
15651 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
15652 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
15655 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
15656 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
15657 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
15658 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
15661 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
15662 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
15665 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
15666 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
15667 (@pxref{The Active File}).
15670 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
15671 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
15674 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
15675 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
15676 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
15679 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
15680 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
15681 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
15684 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
15685 the @file{.emacs} file.
15688 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
15689 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15692 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
15693 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
15696 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
15697 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
15700 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
15701 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
15704 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
15705 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
15708 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
15711 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
15712 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
15715 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
15716 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
15719 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
15720 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
15723 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
15726 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
15727 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
15730 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
15734 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
15738 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
15739 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
15742 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
15748 @node September Gnus
15749 @subsubsection September Gnus
15753 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
15757 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
15762 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
15763 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
15767 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
15768 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
15772 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
15776 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
15777 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
15780 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
15784 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
15787 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
15790 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
15793 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
15797 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
15798 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
15801 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
15805 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
15809 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
15813 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
15817 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
15820 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
15821 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
15824 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
15828 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
15829 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
15832 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
15835 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
15836 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
15837 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
15840 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
15844 The Gnus cache is much faster.
15847 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
15851 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
15852 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
15855 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
15856 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
15859 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
15860 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
15863 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
15864 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
15865 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
15868 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
15869 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
15872 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
15875 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
15878 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
15879 'gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head)
15883 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
15886 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
15889 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
15890 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
15893 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
15897 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
15900 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
15905 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
15908 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
15912 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
15915 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
15919 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
15922 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
15925 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
15926 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
15929 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
15930 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
15934 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
15935 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
15938 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
15942 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
15943 buffer to allow easier treatment.
15946 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
15949 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
15953 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
15957 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
15958 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
15961 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
15965 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
15966 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
15969 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
15970 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
15973 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
15977 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
15980 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
15981 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers t)
15985 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
15988 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
15994 @subsubsection Red Gnus
15996 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
16000 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
16007 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
16010 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
16011 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
16014 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
16015 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
16019 Article washing status can be displayed in the
16020 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
16023 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
16026 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
16027 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
16030 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
16034 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
16035 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
16039 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
16040 Server Internals}).
16043 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
16047 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
16050 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
16051 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
16054 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
16055 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
16056 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
16059 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
16060 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
16063 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
16064 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
16067 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
16071 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
16072 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
16075 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
16076 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
16079 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
16083 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
16086 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
16090 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
16091 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
16094 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
16095 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
16098 A new command for reading collections of documents
16099 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
16100 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
16103 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
16107 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
16108 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
16111 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
16112 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
16113 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
16116 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
16117 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
16121 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
16125 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
16129 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
16134 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
16138 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
16142 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
16143 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
16146 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
16149 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-emphasize)
16155 @node Newest Features
16156 @subsection Newest Features
16159 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
16162 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
16164 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
16165 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
16168 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
16173 Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
16176 Really do unbinhexing.
16179 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
16180 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
16183 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
16186 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
16189 facep is not declared.
16192 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
16193 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
16196 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
16201 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
16202 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
16203 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
16204 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
16205 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
16206 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
16207 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
16212 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
16215 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
16218 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
16220 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
16221 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
16223 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
16225 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
16227 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
16228 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
16230 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
16232 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
16233 be marked as unread.
16235 Orphan score entries dont show on "V t" score trace
16237 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
16239 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
16240 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
16242 expinged articles are counted when computing scores.
16244 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
16246 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
16247 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
16249 topics that contain just groups with ticked
16250 articles aren't displayed.
16252 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
16254 implement gnus-score-thread
16256 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
16257 make the mail groups killed.
16259 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
16261 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
16262 and articles have to be removed.
16264 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
16267 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
16269 finding short score file names takes forever.
16271 canceling articles in foreign groups.
16273 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
16275 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
16277 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
16279 nnweb doesn't work properly.
16281 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
16283 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
16284 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
16288 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
16290 really unbinhex binhex files.
16292 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
16293 bar and the Gnus bar.
16296 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
16297 `(canonize-message-id id)'
16298 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
16299 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
16300 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
16301 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
16306 nnml .overview directory with splits.
16310 postponed commands.
16312 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
16314 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
16317 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
16318 headers of the oldest orhpan with a 0 article number?
16320 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
16321 inherit copy prompts and save files.
16323 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
16325 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
16326 for backends that support that.
16328 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
16330 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
16331 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
16333 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
16334 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
16336 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
16338 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
16340 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
16342 server mode command: close/open all connections
16344 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
16345 has been changed before using it.
16347 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
16349 hide (sub)threads with low score.
16351 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
16353 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
16355 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
16356 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
16358 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
16359 contaion groups that match a regexp.
16361 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
16364 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
16367 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
16368 from subject lines.
16370 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
16372 nntp-ping-before-connect
16374 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
16376 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
16377 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
16379 message annotations.
16381 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
16383 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
16384 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
16386 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
16391 support qmail maildir spools
16393 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
16395 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
16397 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
16399 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
16400 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
16402 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
16404 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
16406 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
16407 finds and generate proper active ranges.
16409 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
16410 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
16412 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
16414 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
16416 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
16417 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
16419 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
16421 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
16423 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
16424 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
16427 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
16429 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
16431 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
16432 `C-c C-c' when posting.
16434 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
16437 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
16438 should be marker as expirable.
16440 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
16442 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
16443 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
16445 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
16446 Also consult Date headers.
16448 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
16450 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
16452 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
16453 Message-ID, delete the "original".
16455 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
16456 into a See-Also header.
16458 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
16460 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
16462 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
16463 should be listed as such and not as "K".
16465 generate font names dynamically.
16467 score file mode auto-alist.
16469 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
16470 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
16472 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
16473 absolutely all headers there is.
16475 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
16476 and pipe them to the process.
16478 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
16479 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
16480 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
16482 function for starting to edit a file to put into
16483 the current mail group.
16485 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
16487 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
16488 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
16490 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
16491 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
16493 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
16495 when replying to several process-marked articles,
16496 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
16498 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
16499 groups it has been mailed to.
16501 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
16503 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
16505 Command in the group buffer to respoll process-marked groups.
16507 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
16508 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
16510 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
16511 newlines) should be ignored.
16513 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
16514 groups in subtopics as well.
16516 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
16518 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
16521 add edit and forward secondary marks.
16523 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
16525 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
16527 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
16529 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
16531 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
16533 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
16534 or the formatted article.
16536 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
16538 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
16539 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
16541 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
16543 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
16545 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
16547 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
16548 even unread articles.
16550 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
16552 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
16554 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
16556 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
16558 cancelling articles in foreign groups.
16560 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
16563 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
16564 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
16566 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
16567 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
16569 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
16571 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
16573 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
16574 from a particular server? Hm.
16576 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
16577 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
16579 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
16581 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
16582 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
16584 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
16585 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
16587 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
16588 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
16589 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
16592 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
16593 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
16595 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
16597 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
16599 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
16601 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
16604 when following up mulitple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
16607 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
16608 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
16610 command to show and edit group scores
16612 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
16615 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
16617 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
16619 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
16620 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
16623 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
16624 that are of that length.
16626 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
16628 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
16630 asynchronous posting under nntp.
16632 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
16634 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
16636 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
16638 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
16639 a score lower than this number.
16641 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
16643 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
16645 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
16646 so that each copy can be edited separately.
16648 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
16650 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
16651 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
16653 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
16656 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
16657 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
16658 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
16659 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
16661 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
16664 command to remove all topic stuff.
16666 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
16667 and splitting the resulting digests.
16669 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
16671 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
16673 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
16674 matches an alist -- before saving.
16676 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
16678 variable to activate each group before entering them
16679 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
16681 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
16682 starting Gnus first if necessary.
16684 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
16685 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
16687 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
16689 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
16690 of several groups at once.
16692 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
16693 matches some regexp(s).
16695 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
16697 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
16699 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
16701 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
16703 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
16705 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
16707 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
16709 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
16710 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
16711 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
16712 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
16714 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
16715 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
16717 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
16719 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
16720 recently cited text.
16722 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
16724 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
16727 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
16728 server and just read the articles in the server
16730 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
16731 value of nnoo variables.
16733 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
16735 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
16736 listed in each group info.
16738 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
16741 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
16742 should only be applied to some groups.
16744 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
16745 mail-copies-to: never.
16747 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
16748 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
16750 the slave dribble files should autosave to the slave file names.
16752 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
16755 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
16758 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where appliccable.
16760 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
16763 group user-defined meta-parameters.
16767 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
16769 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
16770 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
16771 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
16772 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
16773 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
16775 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at
16776 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
16783 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
16784 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
16786 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
16787 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
16789 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
16790 "Return the date the group was last read."
16791 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
16796 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
16797 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
16798 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
16799 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
16803 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
16804 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
16806 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
16809 They could be used like this:
16813 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
16814 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
16815 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
16817 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
16819 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
16822 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
16825 One could also immagine the labels being used for highliting, or
16826 affect the summary line format.
16830 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
16832 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
16833 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
16835 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
16838 - For other directories, create a nneething summaru buffer.
16840 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
16842 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
16844 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
16846 - For other files, just find them normally.
16848 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
16849 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
16852 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
16853 tell him what you are doing.
16856 Currently, I get prompted:
16860 decend into sci.something ?
16864 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
16865 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only decending sci.something? If
16866 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
16867 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
16870 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
16871 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
16872 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
16873 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
16876 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
16877 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
16883 more than n blank lines
16885 more than m identical lines
16886 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
16888 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
16892 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
16893 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
16894 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
16895 "same" subject for threading purposes.
16898 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
16899 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
16900 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
16901 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
16904 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
16907 soup - bowl of soup
16908 score below - dim light bulb
16909 score over - bright light bulb
16912 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
16917 show-list-of-articles-in-group
16918 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
16919 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
16920 if (articles-selected)
16921 start-reading-selected-articles;
16922 junk-unread-articles;
16927 else if (key-pressed = '.')
16928 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
16929 select-thread-under-cursor;
16931 select-article-under-cursor;
16935 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
16936 if (more-pages-in-article)
16938 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
16945 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
16946 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
16947 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
16950 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
16951 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
16952 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
16953 the wildcard expression).
16956 It would be nice if it also handled
16958 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
16960 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
16965 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
16966 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
16967 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
16968 article versions) variable.
16970 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
16972 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
16973 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
16977 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
16980 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
16981 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
16982 (message-sent-hook).
16984 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
16987 * Enhancements to Gnus:
16991 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
16992 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
16995 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
16996 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
16997 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
17000 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
17001 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
17005 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
17008 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
17012 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
17013 the nnmail duplicate checking.
17016 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
17017 value of the signature file.
17020 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
17021 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
17024 (setq message-tab-alist
17025 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
17026 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
17028 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
17032 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
17035 a command to import a buffer into a group.
17038 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
17041 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
17042 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
17045 a command to process mark all unread articles.
17048 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
17049 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
17050 do more gathering by subject.
17053 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
17054 article numerical order.
17057 (gnus-thread-total-score
17058 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
17062 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
17065 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
17066 in the summary buffer.
17069 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
17070 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
17073 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
17074 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
17075 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
17076 and/or newsgroup name.
17079 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
17082 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
17085 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
17088 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
17089 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
17090 will automatically get the process mark.
17093 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
17094 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
17095 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
17098 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
17102 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
17103 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
17106 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
17107 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
17111 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
17112 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
17115 be able to post via DejaNews.
17118 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
17121 allow the user to specify the presedence of the secondary marks. Also
17122 allow them to be displayed separately.
17125 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
17126 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
17129 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
17130 articles that match a certain From header.
17133 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
17134 saving living summary buffers.
17137 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
17138 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
17141 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
17142 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
17145 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
17146 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
17149 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
17150 (goto-char (point-min))
17151 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
17152 (replace-match "`" t t))
17153 (goto-char (point-min))
17154 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
17155 (replace-match "'" t t))
17156 (goto-char (point-min))
17157 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
17158 (replace-match "\"" t t))
17159 (goto-char (point-min))
17160 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
17161 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
17166 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
17168 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
17169 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
17170 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
17171 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
17175 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
17178 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
17179 numbers and match on the age of the article.
17182 gnus-cacheable-groups
17186 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
17187 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
17188 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
17190 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
17191 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
17193 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
17194 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
17199 all commands that react to the process mark should push
17200 the current process mark set onto the stack.
17203 gnus-article-hide-pgp
17204 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
17206 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
17208 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
17209 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
17212 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
17213 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
17216 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
17220 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
17221 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
17224 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
17227 nndraft-request-group should tally autosave files.
17230 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
17233 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
17237 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
17243 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
17246 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
17250 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
17251 X characters in the body.
17254 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
17257 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
17260 format spec to "tab" to a position.
17263 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
17266 command to display all dormant articles.
17269 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
17272 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
17273 to something someone else has said.
17276 Read Netscape discussion groups:
17277 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
17280 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
17281 the displayed version.
17284 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
17288 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
17291 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
17292 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
17293 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
17297 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
17298 in the head or body.
17301 Allow breaking lengthy NNTP commands.
17304 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
17307 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
17308 in a special, unique buffer.
17311 Solve the halting problem.
17320 @section The Manual
17324 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
17325 either @code{texi2dvi}
17327 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
17328 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
17330 to get what you hold in your hands now.
17332 The following conventions have been used:
17337 This is a @samp{string}
17340 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
17343 This is a @file{file}
17346 This is a @code{symbol}
17350 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
17354 (setq flargnoze "yes")
17357 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
17360 (setq flumphel 'yes)
17363 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
17364 ever get them confused.
17368 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
17369 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
17370 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
17371 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
17372 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
17373 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
17374 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
17382 @section Terminology
17384 @cindex terminology
17389 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
17390 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
17391 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
17392 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
17393 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
17397 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
17398 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
17399 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
17400 not posting, and replying is not following up.
17404 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
17408 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
17413 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
17414 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
17415 is all done by the backends.
17419 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
17420 default, way of getting news.
17424 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
17425 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
17430 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
17431 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
17435 A message that has been posted as news.
17438 @cindex mail message
17439 A message that has been mailed.
17443 A mail message or news article
17447 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
17452 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
17457 A line from the head of an article.
17461 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
17462 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
17466 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
17467 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
17468 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
17469 normal @sc{head} format.
17473 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
17474 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
17475 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
17476 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
17477 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
17478 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
17480 @item killed groups
17481 @cindex killed groups
17482 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
17483 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
17485 @item zombie groups
17486 @cindex zombie groups
17487 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
17490 @cindex active file
17491 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
17492 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
17493 is rather large, as you might surmise.
17496 @cindex bogus groups
17497 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
17498 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
17499 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
17502 @cindex activating groups
17503 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
17504 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
17505 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
17509 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
17511 @item select method
17512 @cindex select method
17513 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
17516 @item virtual server
17517 @cindex virtual server
17518 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
17519 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
17520 whole is a virtual server.
17524 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
17525 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
17528 @item ephemeral groups
17529 @cindex ephemeral groups
17530 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
17531 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
17532 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
17535 @cindex solid groups
17536 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
17537 group buffer are solid groups.
17539 @item sparse articles
17540 @cindex sparse articles
17541 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
17542 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
17546 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
17547 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
17551 @cindex thread root
17552 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
17553 articles in the thread.
17557 An article that has responses.
17561 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
17565 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
17566 specified by RFC1153.
17572 @node Customization
17573 @section Customization
17574 @cindex general customization
17576 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
17577 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
17578 for some quite common situations.
17581 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
17582 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
17583 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
17584 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
17588 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
17589 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
17591 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
17592 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
17593 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
17597 @item gnus-read-active-file
17598 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
17599 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
17600 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
17601 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
17602 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
17604 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
17605 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
17606 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
17607 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
17611 @node Slow Terminal Connection
17612 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
17614 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
17615 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
17616 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
17620 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
17621 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
17622 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
17623 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
17624 horizontal and vertical recentering.
17626 @item gnus-visible-headers
17627 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
17628 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
17629 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
17630 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
17632 @item gnus-article-display-hook
17633 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
17635 (setq gnus-article-display-hook
17636 '(gnus-article-hide-headers gnus-article-hide-signature
17637 gnus-article-hide-citation))
17640 @item gnus-use-full-window
17641 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
17642 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
17643 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
17644 want to read them anyway.
17646 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
17647 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
17650 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
17651 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
17652 lines, which might save some time.
17656 @node Little Disk Space
17657 @subsection Little Disk Space
17660 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
17661 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
17665 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
17666 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
17667 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
17668 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
17671 @item gnus-save-killed-list
17672 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
17673 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
17674 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
17675 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
17681 @subsection Slow Machine
17682 @cindex slow machine
17684 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
17685 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
17687 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
17688 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
17690 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
17691 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
17692 summary buffer faster.
17694 Set @code{gnus-article-display-hook} to @code{nil} to make article
17695 processing a bit faster.
17699 @node Troubleshooting
17700 @section Troubleshooting
17701 @cindex troubleshooting
17703 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
17711 Make sure your computer is switched on.
17714 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
17715 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
17719 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
17720 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
17721 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
17722 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
17725 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
17729 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
17730 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
17731 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
17732 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
17733 something like that.
17736 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
17739 @cindex reporting bugs
17741 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
17743 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
17744 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
17745 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
17746 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
17748 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
17749 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
17750 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
17751 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
17754 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
17755 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
17756 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
17757 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
17758 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
17759 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
17761 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
17762 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
17763 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
17766 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
17767 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
17769 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
17770 @cindex ding mailing list
17771 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
17772 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
17776 @node A Programmers Guide to Gnus
17777 @section A Programmer@'s Guide to Gnus
17779 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
17780 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
17781 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
17782 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
17785 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
17786 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
17787 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
17788 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
17789 and general methods of operation.
17792 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
17793 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
17794 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
17795 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
17796 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
17797 * Group Info:: The group info format.
17798 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
17799 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
17800 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
17804 @node Gnus Utility Functions
17805 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
17806 @cindex Gnus utility functions
17807 @cindex utility functions
17809 @cindex internal variables
17811 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
17812 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
17813 Below is a list of the most common ones.
17817 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
17818 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
17819 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
17821 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
17822 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
17823 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
17825 @item gnus-group-real-name
17826 @findex gnus-group-real-name
17827 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
17830 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
17831 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
17832 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
17833 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
17835 @item gnus-get-info
17836 @findex gnus-get-info
17837 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
17839 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
17840 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
17841 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
17844 @item gnus-continuum-version
17845 @findex gnus-continuum-version
17846 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
17847 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
17850 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
17851 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
17852 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
17854 @item gnus-news-group-p
17855 @findex gnus-news-group-p
17856 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
17858 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
17859 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
17860 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
17862 @item gnus-server-to-method
17863 @findex gnus-server-to-method
17864 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
17866 @item gnus-server-equal
17867 @findex gnus-server-equal
17868 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
17870 @item gnus-group-native-p
17871 @findex gnus-group-native-p
17872 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
17874 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
17875 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
17876 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
17878 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
17879 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
17880 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
17882 @item group-group-find-parameter
17883 @findex group-group-find-parameter
17884 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
17885 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
17887 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
17888 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
17889 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
17891 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
17892 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
17893 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
17895 @item gnus-check-backend-function
17896 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
17897 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
17898 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
17901 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
17905 @item gnus-read-method
17906 @findex gnus-read-method
17907 Prompts the user for a select method.
17912 @node Backend Interface
17913 @subsection Backend Interface
17915 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
17916 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
17917 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
17918 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
17919 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
17920 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
17922 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
17923 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
17924 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
17925 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
17926 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
17927 been opened, the function should fail.
17929 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
17930 name. Take this example:
17934 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
17935 (nntp-port-number 4324))
17938 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
17939 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
17941 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
17942 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
17943 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
17945 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
17946 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
17947 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
17949 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
17950 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
17951 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
17952 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
17953 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
17954 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
17957 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
17958 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
17959 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
17960 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
17963 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
17966 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
17969 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
17970 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
17971 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
17972 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
17973 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
17974 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
17978 @node Required Backend Functions
17979 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
17983 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
17985 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
17986 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
17987 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
17988 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
17990 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
17991 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
17992 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
17993 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
17995 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
17996 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
17997 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
17998 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
17999 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
18000 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
18001 number, do maximum fetches.
18003 Here's an example HEAD:
18006 221 1056 Article retrieved.
18007 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
18008 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
18009 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
18010 Subject: Re: Something very droll
18011 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
18012 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
18014 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
18015 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
18016 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
18020 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
18021 these in the data buffer.
18023 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
18027 head = error / valid-head
18028 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
18029 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
18030 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
18031 header = <text> eol
18034 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
18035 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
18039 nov-buffer = *nov-line
18040 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
18041 field = <text except TAB>
18044 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
18048 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
18050 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
18051 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
18053 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
18054 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
18055 server. In fact, it should do so.
18057 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
18058 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
18061 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
18063 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
18064 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
18067 There should be no data returned.
18070 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
18072 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
18073 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
18074 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
18075 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
18077 There should be no data returned.
18080 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
18082 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
18083 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
18084 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
18085 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
18087 There should be no data returned.
18090 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
18092 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
18094 There should be no data returned.
18097 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
18099 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
18100 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
18101 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
18102 it would be nice if that were possible.
18104 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
18105 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
18106 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
18107 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
18108 into its article buffer.
18110 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
18111 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
18112 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
18113 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
18114 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
18115 on successful article retrieval.
18118 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
18120 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
18121 making @var{group} the current group.
18123 If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
18126 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
18129 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
18132 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
18133 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
18134 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
18135 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
18136 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
18137 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
18138 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
18139 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
18142 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
18143 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
18144 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
18148 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
18150 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
18151 a no-op on most backends.
18153 There should be no data returned.
18156 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
18158 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
18161 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
18164 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
18165 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
18168 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
18169 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
18172 active-file = *active-line
18173 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
18175 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
18178 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
18179 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
18180 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
18183 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
18185 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
18186 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
18187 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
18188 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
18189 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
18190 clear if the posting could not be completed.
18192 There should be no result data from this function.
18197 @node Optional Backend Functions
18198 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
18202 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
18204 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
18205 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
18206 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
18208 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
18209 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
18210 former is in the same format as the data from
18211 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
18212 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
18215 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
18219 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
18221 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
18222 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
18223 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
18224 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
18225 should return the (altered) group info.
18227 There should be no result data from this function.
18230 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
18232 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
18233 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
18234 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
18235 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
18236 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
18237 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
18238 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
18239 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
18241 There should be no result data from this function.
18244 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
18246 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
18247 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
18248 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
18249 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
18250 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
18252 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
18253 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
18254 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
18257 There should be no result data from this function.
18260 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
18262 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
18263 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
18264 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
18265 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
18266 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
18267 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
18268 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
18270 There should be no result data from this function.
18273 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
18275 The result data from this function should be a description of
18279 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
18281 description = <text>
18284 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
18286 The result data from this function should be the description of all
18287 groups available on the server.
18290 description-buffer = *description-line
18294 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
18296 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
18297 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
18298 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
18301 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
18303 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
18305 There should be no return data.
18308 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
18310 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
18311 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
18312 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
18313 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
18314 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
18317 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
18320 There should be no result data returned.
18323 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
18326 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
18327 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
18329 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
18330 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
18331 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
18332 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
18333 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
18334 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
18336 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
18337 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
18340 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
18341 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
18343 There should be no data returned.
18346 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
18348 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
18349 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
18350 this function in short order.
18352 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
18353 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
18355 There should be no data returned.
18358 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
18360 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
18361 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
18363 There should be no data returned.
18366 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
18368 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
18369 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
18370 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
18372 There should be no data returned.
18375 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
18377 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
18378 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
18380 There should be no data returned.
18385 @node Error Messaging
18386 @subsubsection Error Messaging
18388 @findex nnheader-report
18389 @findex nnheader-get-report
18390 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
18391 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
18392 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
18393 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
18394 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
18395 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
18398 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
18400 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
18403 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
18404 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
18405 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
18406 takes one argument---the server symbol.
18408 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
18409 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
18410 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
18413 @node Writing New Backends
18414 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
18416 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
18417 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
18418 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
18419 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
18420 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
18423 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
18424 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
18425 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
18427 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
18428 package called @code{nnoo}.
18430 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
18431 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
18437 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
18438 parameters. For instance:
18441 (nnoo-declare nndir
18445 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
18446 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
18449 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
18450 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
18451 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
18453 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
18454 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
18455 a function in those backends.
18458 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
18459 "Where nndir will look for groups."
18460 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
18463 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
18464 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
18465 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
18467 @item nnoo-define-basics
18468 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
18472 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
18476 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
18477 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
18478 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
18480 @item nnoo-map-functions
18481 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
18482 functions from the parent backends.
18485 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
18486 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
18487 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
18490 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
18491 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
18492 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
18493 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
18496 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
18497 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
18498 haven't already been defined.
18504 nnmh-request-newgroups)
18508 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
18509 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
18510 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
18515 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
18518 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
18519 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
18523 (require 'nnheader)
18527 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
18529 (nnoo-declare nndir
18532 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
18533 "Where nndir will look for groups."
18534 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
18536 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
18537 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
18540 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
18541 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
18542 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
18544 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
18545 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
18547 ;;; Interface functions.
18549 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
18551 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
18552 (setq nndir-directory
18553 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
18555 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
18556 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
18557 (push `(nndir-current-group
18558 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
18560 (push `(nndir-top-directory
18561 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
18563 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
18565 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
18566 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
18567 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
18568 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
18569 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
18573 nnmh-status-message
18575 nnmh-request-newgroups))
18581 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
18582 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
18584 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
18585 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
18586 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
18587 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
18589 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
18590 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
18595 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
18598 The abilities can be:
18602 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
18604 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
18606 This backend supports both mail and news.
18608 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
18611 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
18612 articles and groups.
18614 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
18615 true for almost all backends.
18616 @item prompt-address
18617 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
18618 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
18619 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
18623 @node Mail-like Backends
18624 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
18626 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
18627 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
18628 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
18629 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
18632 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
18633 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
18634 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
18637 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
18638 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
18641 This function takes four parameters.
18645 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
18648 @item exit-function
18649 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
18651 @item temp-directory
18652 Where the temporary files should be stored.
18655 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
18656 performed for one group only.
18659 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
18660 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
18661 find the article number assigned to this article.
18663 The function also uses the following variables:
18664 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
18665 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
18666 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
18667 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
18671 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
18672 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
18676 @node Score File Syntax
18677 @subsection Score File Syntax
18679 Score files are meant to be easily parsable, but yet extremely
18680 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
18681 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
18683 Here's a typical score file:
18687 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
18694 BNF definition of a score file:
18697 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
18698 element = rule / atom
18699 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
18700 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
18701 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
18702 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
18704 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
18705 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
18706 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
18707 date-header = "date"
18708 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
18709 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
18710 score = "nil" / <integer>
18711 date = "nil" / <natural number>
18712 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
18713 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
18714 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
18715 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
18716 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
18717 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
18718 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
18719 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
18720 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
18721 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
18722 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
18723 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
18724 exclude-files / read-only / touched
18725 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
18726 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
18727 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
18728 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
18729 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
18730 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
18731 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
18732 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
18733 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
18734 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
18735 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
18736 eval = "eval" space <form>
18737 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
18740 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
18743 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
18744 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
18745 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
18746 one looong line, then that's ok.
18748 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
18749 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
18753 @subsection Headers
18755 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
18756 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
18757 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
18758 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
18760 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
18761 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
18762 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
18763 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
18764 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
18765 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
18766 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
18768 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
18769 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
18770 @code{xref}. There are macros for accessing and setting these
18771 slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
18772 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
18774 The @code{xref} slot is really a @code{misc} slot. Any extra info will
18781 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
18782 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
18784 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
18785 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
18786 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
18787 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
18789 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
18793 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
18796 is transformed into
18799 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
18802 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
18803 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
18806 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
18809 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
18810 is slightly tricky:
18813 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
18819 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
18822 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
18828 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
18835 and is equal to the previous range.
18837 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
18838 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
18839 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
18843 range = simple-range / normal-range
18844 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
18845 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
18846 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
18847 number *[ " " contents ]
18850 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
18851 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
18852 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
18853 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
18854 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
18859 @subsection Group Info
18861 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
18862 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
18863 describes the group.
18865 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
18866 second is a more complex one:
18869 ("no.group" 5 (1 . 54324))
18871 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
18872 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
18874 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address "ding@@gnus.org")))
18877 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
18878 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
18879 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
18880 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
18881 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
18882 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
18883 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
18884 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
18885 this section is about.
18887 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
18888 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
18889 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
18891 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
18894 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
18895 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
18896 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
18897 group = quote <string> quote
18898 ralevel = rank / level
18899 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
18900 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
18901 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
18903 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
18904 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
18905 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
18906 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
18909 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
18910 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
18913 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
18914 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
18917 @item gnus-info-group
18918 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
18919 @findex gnus-info-group
18920 @findex gnus-info-set-group
18921 Get/set the group name.
18923 @item gnus-info-rank
18924 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
18925 @findex gnus-info-rank
18926 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
18927 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
18929 @item gnus-info-level
18930 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
18931 @findex gnus-info-level
18932 @findex gnus-info-set-level
18933 Get/set the group level.
18935 @item gnus-info-score
18936 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
18937 @findex gnus-info-score
18938 @findex gnus-info-set-score
18939 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
18941 @item gnus-info-read
18942 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
18943 @findex gnus-info-read
18944 @findex gnus-info-set-read
18945 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
18947 @item gnus-info-marks
18948 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
18949 @findex gnus-info-marks
18950 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
18951 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
18953 @item gnus-info-method
18954 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
18955 @findex gnus-info-method
18956 @findex gnus-info-set-method
18957 Get/set the group select method.
18959 @item gnus-info-params
18960 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
18961 @findex gnus-info-params
18962 @findex gnus-info-set-params
18963 Get/set the group parameters.
18966 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
18967 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
18969 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
18970 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
18971 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
18972 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
18975 @node Extended Interactive
18976 @subsection Extended Interactive
18977 @cindex interactive
18978 @findex gnus-interactive
18980 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
18981 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
18982 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
18985 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
18986 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
18991 The best thing to do would have been to implement
18992 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
18993 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
18994 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
18995 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
18996 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
18997 @code{interactive}.
18999 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
19004 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
19005 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
19009 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
19010 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
19011 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
19014 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
19018 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
19022 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
19028 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
19029 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
19033 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
19034 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
19035 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
19037 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
19038 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
19039 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
19040 Gnus, that's very useful.
19042 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
19043 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
19044 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
19045 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
19046 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
19047 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
19048 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
19049 following function:
19052 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
19056 (,function ,@@args))
19060 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
19061 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
19062 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
19065 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
19066 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
19067 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
19069 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
19070 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
19071 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
19074 @node Various File Formats
19075 @subsection Various File Formats
19078 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
19079 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
19083 @node Active File Format
19084 @subsubsection Active File Format
19086 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
19087 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
19090 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
19093 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
19094 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
19095 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
19096 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
19097 no.general 1000 900 y
19100 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
19103 active = *group-line
19104 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
19105 group = <non-white-space string>
19107 high-number = <non-negative integer>
19108 low-number = <positive integer>
19109 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
19112 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
19113 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
19116 @node Newsgroups File Format
19117 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
19119 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
19120 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
19121 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
19124 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
19125 Here's the definition:
19129 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
19130 group = <non-white-space string>
19132 description = <string>
19137 @node Emacs for Heathens
19138 @section Emacs for Heathens
19140 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
19141 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
19142 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
19143 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
19144 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
19145 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
19146 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
19150 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
19151 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
19156 @subsection Keystrokes
19160 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
19163 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
19166 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
19167 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
19168 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
19169 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
19170 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
19171 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
19173 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
19174 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
19175 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
19176 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
19177 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
19178 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
19179 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
19181 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
19182 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
19183 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
19184 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
19185 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
19186 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
19187 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
19189 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
19190 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
19191 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
19192 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
19193 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
19199 @subsection Emacs Lisp
19201 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
19202 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
19203 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
19204 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
19206 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
19207 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
19208 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
19209 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
19210 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
19211 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
19212 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
19215 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
19216 write the following:
19219 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
19222 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
19223 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
19224 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
19227 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
19228 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
19229 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
19230 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
19231 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
19233 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
19234 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
19235 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
19239 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
19243 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
19246 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
19247 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
19250 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
19253 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
19254 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
19257 @include gnus-faq.texi