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9 @c * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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265 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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274 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
276 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
277 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
278 are preserved on all copies.
280 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
281 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
282 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
283 permission notice identical to this one.
285 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
286 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
295 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
297 Copyright (C) 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
299 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
300 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
301 are preserved on all copies.
304 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
305 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
306 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
307 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
310 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
311 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
312 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
313 permission notice identical to this one.
315 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
316 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
322 @title T-gnus 6.14 Manual
324 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
327 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
328 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
330 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
331 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
332 are preserved on all copies.
334 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
335 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
336 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
337 permission notice identical to this one.
339 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
340 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
349 @top The gnus Newsreader
353 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
354 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
355 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
358 T-gnus provides MIME features based on SEMI API. So T-gnus supports
359 your right to read strange messages including big images or other
360 various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
361 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
362 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
363 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
365 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.14.
376 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
377 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
379 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
380 being accused of plagiarism:
382 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
383 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
384 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
385 can even read news with it!
387 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
388 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
389 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
390 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
391 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
397 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
398 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
399 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
400 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
401 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
402 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
403 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
404 * Various:: General purpose settings.
405 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
406 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
407 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
408 * Key Index:: Key Index.
411 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
415 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
416 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
417 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
418 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
419 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
420 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
421 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
422 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
423 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
424 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
425 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
429 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
430 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
431 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
435 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
436 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
437 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
438 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
439 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
440 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
441 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
442 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
443 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
444 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
445 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
446 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
447 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
448 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
449 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
450 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
451 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
455 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
456 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
457 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
461 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
462 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
463 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
464 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
465 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
469 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
470 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
471 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
472 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
476 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
477 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
478 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
479 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
480 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
481 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
482 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
483 * Threading:: How threads are made.
484 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
485 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
486 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
487 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
488 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
489 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
490 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
491 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
492 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
493 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
494 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
495 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
496 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
497 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
498 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
499 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
500 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
501 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
502 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
503 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
505 Summary Buffer Format
507 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
508 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
509 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
510 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
514 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
515 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
517 Reply, Followup and Post
519 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
520 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
521 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
522 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
526 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
527 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
528 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
532 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
533 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
534 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
538 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
539 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
541 Customizing Threading
543 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
544 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
545 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
546 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
550 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
551 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
552 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
553 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
554 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
555 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
559 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
560 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
561 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
565 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
566 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
567 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
568 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
569 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
570 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
571 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
572 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
574 Alternative Approaches
576 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
577 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
579 Various Summary Stuff
581 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
582 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
583 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
584 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
588 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
589 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
590 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
591 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
592 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
596 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
597 * Post:: Posting and following up.
598 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
599 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
600 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
601 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
602 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
603 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
607 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
608 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
609 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
610 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
611 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
612 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
613 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
617 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
618 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
619 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
620 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
621 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
622 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
623 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
627 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
628 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
632 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
633 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
634 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
635 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
636 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
637 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
638 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
639 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
640 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
641 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
642 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
643 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
644 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
648 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
649 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
650 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
652 Choosing a Mail Backend
654 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
655 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
656 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
657 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
658 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
659 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
663 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
664 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
665 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
666 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
670 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
671 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
672 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
673 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
674 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
675 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
679 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
683 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
684 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
685 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
689 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
690 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
691 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
695 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
696 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
700 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
701 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
702 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
703 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
704 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
705 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
706 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
707 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
708 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
712 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
713 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
714 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
718 * Group Agent Commands::
719 * Summary Agent Commands::
720 * Server Agent Commands::
724 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
725 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
726 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
727 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
728 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
729 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
730 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
731 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
732 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
733 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
734 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
735 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
736 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
737 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
738 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
739 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
743 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
744 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
745 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
746 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
750 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
751 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
752 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
756 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
757 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
758 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
759 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
760 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
761 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
762 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
763 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
764 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
765 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
766 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
767 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
768 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
769 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
770 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
771 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
772 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
773 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
777 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
778 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
779 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
780 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
781 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
785 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
786 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
787 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
788 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
792 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
793 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
794 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
795 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
796 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
800 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
801 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
802 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
803 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
804 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
805 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
806 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
807 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
811 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
812 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
813 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
814 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
815 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
816 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
817 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
818 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
819 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
820 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
824 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
825 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
826 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
827 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
831 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
832 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
833 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
834 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
838 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
839 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
840 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
841 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
842 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
843 * Group Info:: The group info format.
844 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
845 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
846 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
850 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
851 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
852 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
853 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
854 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
855 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
859 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
860 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
864 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
865 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
871 @chapter Starting gnus
876 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
877 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
880 @findex gnus-other-frame
881 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
882 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
883 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
885 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
886 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
887 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
889 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
890 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
893 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
894 * The First Time:: What does gnus do the first time you start it?
895 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
896 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one gnus active at a time.
897 * Fetching a Group:: Starting gnus just to read a group.
898 * New Groups:: What is gnus supposed to do with new groups?
899 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
900 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
901 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
902 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
903 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
907 @node Finding the News
908 @section Finding the News
911 @vindex gnus-select-method
913 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
914 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
915 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
916 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
919 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
920 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
923 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
926 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
929 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
932 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
933 certainly be much faster.
935 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
937 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
938 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
939 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
940 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
941 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
942 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
944 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
945 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
946 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
947 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
949 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
950 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
951 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
952 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
953 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
954 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
955 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
956 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
957 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
960 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
962 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
963 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
964 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
965 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
966 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
967 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
969 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
971 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
972 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
973 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
974 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
975 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
976 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
979 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
980 would typically set this variable to
983 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
988 @section The First Time
989 @cindex first time usage
991 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
992 be subscribed by default.
994 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
995 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
996 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
997 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1000 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1001 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1002 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1004 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1005 help you with most common problems.
1007 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1008 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1012 @node The Server is Down
1013 @section The Server is Down
1014 @cindex server errors
1016 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1017 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1018 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1020 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1021 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1022 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1023 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1024 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1025 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1026 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1028 @findex gnus-no-server
1029 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1031 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1032 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1033 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1034 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1035 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1036 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1041 @section Slave Gnusae
1044 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1045 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1046 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1047 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1049 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1050 @code{.newsrc} file.
1052 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1053 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1054 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1055 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1056 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1057 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1058 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1060 Anyways, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1061 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1062 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1063 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1064 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1065 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1066 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1067 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1069 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1070 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1073 @node Fetching a Group
1074 @section Fetching a Group
1075 @cindex fetching a group
1077 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1078 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1079 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1080 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1081 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1082 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1088 @cindex subscription
1090 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1091 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1092 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1093 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1094 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1095 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1096 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1097 @code{always}, then gnus will query the backends for new groups even
1098 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1101 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1102 * Subscription Methods:: What gnus should do with new groups.
1103 * Filtering New Groups:: Making gnus ignore certain new groups.
1107 @node Checking New Groups
1108 @subsection Checking New Groups
1110 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1111 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1112 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1113 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1114 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1115 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1116 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1117 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1118 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1119 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1121 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1122 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1123 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1124 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1125 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1126 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1127 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1128 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1129 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1130 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1131 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1133 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1134 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1135 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1136 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1137 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1138 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1141 @node Subscription Methods
1142 @subsection Subscription Methods
1144 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1145 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1146 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1148 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1149 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1151 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1155 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1156 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1157 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1158 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1159 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1161 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1162 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1163 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1164 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1166 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1167 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1168 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1170 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1171 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1172 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1173 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1174 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1175 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1176 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1177 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1178 up. Or something like that.
1180 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1181 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1182 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1183 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1184 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1186 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1187 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1188 Kill all new groups.
1190 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1191 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1192 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1193 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1194 topic parameter that looks like
1200 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1203 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1208 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1209 A closely related variable is
1210 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1211 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1212 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1213 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1216 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1217 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1218 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1219 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1222 @node Filtering New Groups
1223 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1225 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1226 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1227 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1230 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1233 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1234 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1235 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1236 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1237 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1238 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1239 subscribing these groups.
1240 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1241 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1243 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1244 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1245 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1246 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1247 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1248 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1249 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1250 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1252 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1253 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1254 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1255 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1256 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1257 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1258 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1259 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1260 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1261 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1263 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1264 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1267 @node Changing Servers
1268 @section Changing Servers
1269 @cindex changing servers
1271 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1272 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1273 very flaky and you want to use another.
1275 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1276 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1280 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1281 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1282 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1283 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1286 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1287 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1288 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1289 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1291 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1292 @findex gnus-change-server
1293 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1294 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1295 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1296 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1297 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1299 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1300 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1301 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1302 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1303 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1305 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1306 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1307 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1308 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1309 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1310 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1312 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1313 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1314 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1318 @section Startup Files
1319 @cindex startup files
1324 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1325 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1327 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1328 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1329 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1330 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1331 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1332 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1333 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1335 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1336 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1337 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1338 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1339 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1340 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1342 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1343 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1344 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1345 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1346 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1347 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1348 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1349 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1350 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1351 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1353 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1354 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1355 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1356 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1357 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1358 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1359 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1360 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1361 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1362 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1363 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1364 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1366 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1367 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1368 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1369 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1371 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1372 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1373 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1374 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1375 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1376 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1377 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1378 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1379 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1380 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1383 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1384 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1386 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1387 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1390 @vindex gnus-init-file
1391 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1392 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1393 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1394 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1395 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1396 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1397 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1398 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1399 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1405 @cindex dribble file
1408 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1409 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1410 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1411 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1412 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1415 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1416 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1419 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1420 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1421 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1423 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1424 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1425 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1426 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1427 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1428 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1430 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1431 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1432 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1435 @node The Active File
1436 @section The Active File
1438 @cindex ignored groups
1440 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1441 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1442 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1444 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1445 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1446 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1447 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1448 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1449 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1450 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1453 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1454 @c if you set it to anything else.
1456 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1458 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1459 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1460 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1462 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1463 you actually subscribe to.
1465 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1466 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1467 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1468 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1470 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1471 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1472 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1473 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1474 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1475 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1477 Some news servers (Leafnode and old versions of INN, for instance) do
1478 not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these servers, @code{nil}
1479 is probably the most efficient value for this variable.
1481 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1482 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1483 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1484 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1485 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1486 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1488 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1489 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1491 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1492 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1494 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1495 secondary select methods.
1498 @node Startup Variables
1499 @section Startup Variables
1503 @item gnus-load-hook
1504 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1505 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1506 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1507 times you start gnus.
1509 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1510 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1511 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1513 @item gnus-startup-hook
1514 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1515 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1517 @item gnus-started-hook
1518 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1519 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1522 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1523 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1524 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1525 generating the group buffer.
1527 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1528 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1529 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1530 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1531 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1532 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1533 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1534 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1536 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1537 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1538 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1539 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1540 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1541 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1543 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1544 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1545 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1547 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1548 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1549 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1551 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1552 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1553 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1554 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1559 @node The Group Buffer
1560 @chapter The Group Buffer
1561 @cindex group buffer
1563 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1564 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1565 long as gnus is active.
1569 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1570 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1571 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1572 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1573 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1574 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1575 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1576 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1582 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1583 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1584 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1585 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1586 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1587 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1588 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1589 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1590 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1591 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1592 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1593 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1594 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1595 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1596 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1597 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1598 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1602 @node Group Buffer Format
1603 @section Group Buffer Format
1606 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1607 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1608 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1612 @node Group Line Specification
1613 @subsection Group Line Specification
1614 @cindex group buffer format
1616 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1617 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1619 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1622 25: news.announce.newusers
1623 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1628 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1629 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1630 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1631 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1633 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1634 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1635 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1636 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1637 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1638 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1640 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1642 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1643 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1644 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1645 never examined by gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1648 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1649 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1650 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1652 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1657 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1660 Whether the group is subscribed.
1663 Level of subscribedness.
1666 Number of unread articles.
1669 Number of dormant articles.
1672 Number of ticked articles.
1675 Number of read articles.
1678 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1679 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1682 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1685 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1694 Newsgroup description.
1697 @samp{m} if moderated.
1700 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1709 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1713 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1716 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1717 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1718 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1719 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1720 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1723 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1725 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1729 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1733 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1734 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1735 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1736 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1737 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1738 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1743 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1744 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1745 group, or a bogus native group.
1748 @node Group Modeline Specification
1749 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1750 @cindex group modeline
1752 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1753 The mode line can be changed by setting
1754 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1755 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1759 The native news server.
1761 The native select method.
1765 @node Group Highlighting
1766 @subsection Group Highlighting
1767 @cindex highlighting
1768 @cindex group highlighting
1770 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1771 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1772 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1773 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1774 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1776 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1780 (cond (window-system
1781 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1782 (defface my-group-face-1
1783 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1784 (defface my-group-face-2
1785 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1786 (defface my-group-face-3
1787 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1788 (defface my-group-face-4
1789 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1790 (defface my-group-face-5
1791 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1793 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1794 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1795 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1796 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1797 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1798 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1801 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1803 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1810 The number of unread articles in the group.
1814 Whether the group is a mail group.
1816 The level of the group.
1818 The score of the group.
1820 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1822 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1823 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1825 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1826 topic being inserted.
1829 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1830 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1831 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1833 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1834 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1835 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1836 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1837 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1840 @node Group Maneuvering
1841 @section Group Maneuvering
1842 @cindex group movement
1844 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1845 expected, hopefully.
1851 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1852 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1853 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1859 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1860 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1861 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1865 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1866 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1870 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1871 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1875 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1876 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1877 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1881 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1882 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1883 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1886 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1892 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1893 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1894 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1899 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1900 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1901 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1905 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1906 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1907 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1910 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1911 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1912 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1913 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1917 @node Selecting a Group
1918 @section Selecting a Group
1919 @cindex group selection
1924 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1925 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1926 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1927 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1928 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1929 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1930 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1931 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1932 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1933 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
1937 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1938 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1939 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1940 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1941 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1945 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1946 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1947 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1948 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1949 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1950 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1951 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1952 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1953 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1954 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1957 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1958 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1959 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1960 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1961 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1964 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1965 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1966 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1967 doing any processing of its contents
1968 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1969 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1970 manner will have no permanent effects.
1974 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1975 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
1976 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1977 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
1978 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1979 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1980 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1981 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1984 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1985 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1986 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1987 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1992 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1993 full summary buffer.
1996 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1999 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
2004 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2005 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
2006 Useful functions include:
2009 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2010 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2011 don't select the article.
2013 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2014 Select the first unread article.
2016 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2017 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2021 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2022 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2023 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2027 @node Subscription Commands
2028 @section Subscription Commands
2029 @cindex subscription
2037 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2038 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2039 Toggle subscription to the current group
2040 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2046 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2047 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2048 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2049 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2055 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2056 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2057 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2063 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2064 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2067 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2068 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2069 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2070 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2071 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2077 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2078 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2082 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2083 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2086 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2087 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2088 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2089 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2090 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2091 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2092 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2093 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2094 @file{.newsrc} file.
2098 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2108 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2109 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2110 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2111 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2112 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2113 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2118 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2119 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2120 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2124 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2125 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2126 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2128 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2129 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2130 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2131 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2132 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2133 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2140 @section Group Levels
2144 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2145 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2146 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2147 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2148 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2150 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2156 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2157 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2158 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2159 prompted for a level.
2162 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2163 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2164 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2165 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2166 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2167 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2168 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2169 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2170 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2171 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2172 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2173 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2174 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2175 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2176 reasons of efficiency.
2178 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2179 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2181 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2182 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2183 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2185 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2186 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2187 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2188 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2189 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2190 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2191 relevant valid ranges.
2193 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2194 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2195 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2196 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2197 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2198 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2201 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2202 one with the best level.
2204 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2205 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2206 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2209 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2210 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2211 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2212 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2215 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2216 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2217 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2218 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2220 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2221 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2222 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2223 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2224 to 5. The default is 6.
2228 @section Group Score
2233 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2234 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2235 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2238 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2239 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2240 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2241 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2242 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2243 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2244 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2245 least significant part.))
2247 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2248 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2249 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2250 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2251 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2252 action after each summary exit, you can add
2253 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2254 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2255 slow things down somewhat.
2258 @node Marking Groups
2259 @section Marking Groups
2260 @cindex marking groups
2262 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2263 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2264 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2265 bidding on those groups.
2267 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2268 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2269 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2277 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2278 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2284 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2285 Remove the mark from the current group
2286 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2290 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2291 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2295 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2296 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2300 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2301 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2305 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2306 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2307 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2310 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2312 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2313 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2314 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2315 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2316 the command to be executed.
2319 @node Foreign Groups
2320 @section Foreign Groups
2321 @cindex foreign groups
2323 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2324 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2325 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2326 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2333 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2334 @cindex making groups
2335 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2336 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2337 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2341 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2342 @cindex renaming groups
2343 Rename the current group to something else
2344 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2345 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2351 @findex gnus-group-customize
2352 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2356 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2357 @cindex renaming groups
2358 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2359 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2363 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2364 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2365 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2369 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2370 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2371 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2375 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2377 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2378 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2383 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2384 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2388 @cindex (ding) archive
2389 @cindex archive group
2390 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2391 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2392 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2393 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2394 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2395 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2396 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2400 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2402 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2403 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2404 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2405 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2409 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2411 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2412 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2413 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2417 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2418 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2420 Make a group based on some file or other
2421 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2422 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2423 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
2424 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
2425 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
2426 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2427 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2431 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2432 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2433 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2434 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2438 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2443 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2444 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2445 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2446 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2447 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2448 @xref{Web Searches}.
2450 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2451 to a particular group by using a match string like
2452 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2455 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2456 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2457 This function will delete the current group
2458 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2459 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2460 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2461 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2462 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2466 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2467 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2468 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2472 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2473 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2474 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2477 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2480 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2481 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2482 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2483 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2484 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2485 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2489 @node Group Parameters
2490 @section Group Parameters
2491 @cindex group parameters
2493 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2494 Here's an example group parameter list:
2497 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2501 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2502 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2503 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2504 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2506 The following group parameters can be used:
2511 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2514 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2517 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2518 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2519 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2520 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2521 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2523 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2524 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2525 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2526 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2527 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2528 list address instead.
2532 Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
2535 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2538 It is totally ignored
2539 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2540 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2542 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2543 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2544 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2545 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2546 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2548 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2549 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2550 sending the message.
2554 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2555 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2556 of whether it has any unread articles.
2558 @item broken-reply-to
2559 @cindex broken-reply-to
2560 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2561 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2562 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2563 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2564 broken behavior. So there!
2568 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2569 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2573 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2574 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2575 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2580 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2581 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2582 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2583 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2584 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2585 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2586 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2590 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2591 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2592 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2595 @cindex total-expire
2596 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2597 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2598 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2599 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2604 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2605 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2606 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2607 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2608 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2609 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2612 @cindex score file group parameter
2613 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2614 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2615 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2618 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2619 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2620 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2621 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2624 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2625 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2626 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2627 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2630 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2631 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2635 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2638 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2643 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2644 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2645 gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2649 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2650 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2651 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2653 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2654 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2655 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2656 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2657 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2658 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2659 @code{eval}ed there.
2661 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2662 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2663 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2664 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2665 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2668 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2669 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2670 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2671 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2672 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2674 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2675 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2676 like this in the group parameters:
2681 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2686 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2687 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2691 @node Listing Groups
2692 @section Listing Groups
2693 @cindex group listing
2695 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2703 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2704 List all groups that have unread articles
2705 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2706 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2707 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2708 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2715 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2716 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2717 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2718 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2719 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2720 unsubscribed groups).
2724 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2725 List all unread groups on a specific level
2726 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2727 with no unread articles.
2731 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2732 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2733 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2734 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2739 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2740 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2744 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2745 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2746 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2750 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2751 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2755 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2756 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2757 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2758 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2759 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2760 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2761 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2762 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2766 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2767 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2768 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2772 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2773 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2774 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2778 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2779 @cindex visible group parameter
2780 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2781 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2782 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2783 get the same effect.
2785 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2786 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2787 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2788 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2789 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2792 @node Sorting Groups
2793 @section Sorting Groups
2794 @cindex sorting groups
2796 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2797 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2798 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2799 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2800 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2801 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2806 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2807 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2808 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2810 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2811 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2812 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2814 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2815 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2816 Sort by group level.
2818 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2819 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2820 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2822 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2823 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2824 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2825 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2827 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2828 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2829 Sort by number of unread articles.
2831 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2832 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2833 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2838 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2839 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2843 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2844 some sorting criteria:
2848 @kindex G S a (Group)
2849 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2850 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2851 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2854 @kindex G S u (Group)
2855 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2856 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2857 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2860 @kindex G S l (Group)
2861 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2862 Sort the group buffer by group level
2863 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2866 @kindex G S v (Group)
2867 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2868 Sort the group buffer by group score
2869 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2872 @kindex G S r (Group)
2873 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2874 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2875 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2878 @kindex G S m (Group)
2879 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2880 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2881 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2885 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
2886 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2888 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2889 commands will sort in reverse order.
2891 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2895 @kindex G P a (Group)
2896 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2897 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2898 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2901 @kindex G P u (Group)
2902 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2903 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2904 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2907 @kindex G P l (Group)
2908 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2909 Sort the groups by group level
2910 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2913 @kindex G P v (Group)
2914 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2915 Sort the groups by group score
2916 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2919 @kindex G P r (Group)
2920 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2921 Sort the groups by group rank
2922 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2925 @kindex G P m (Group)
2926 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2927 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
2928 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2934 @node Group Maintenance
2935 @section Group Maintenance
2936 @cindex bogus groups
2941 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2942 Find bogus groups and delete them
2943 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2947 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2948 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2949 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2950 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
2951 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
2955 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2956 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2957 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2958 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2961 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2962 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2963 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2964 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2969 @node Browse Foreign Server
2970 @section Browse Foreign Server
2971 @cindex foreign servers
2972 @cindex browsing servers
2977 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2978 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2979 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2980 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2983 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2984 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2985 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2986 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2988 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2993 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2994 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2998 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2999 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3002 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3003 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3004 Enter the current group and display the first article
3005 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3008 @kindex RET (Browse)
3009 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3010 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3014 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3015 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3016 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3022 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3023 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3027 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3028 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3029 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3034 @section Exiting gnus
3035 @cindex exiting gnus
3037 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3042 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3043 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3044 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3045 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3049 @findex gnus-group-exit
3050 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3051 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3055 @findex gnus-group-quit
3056 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3057 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3060 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3061 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3062 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3063 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3064 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3069 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3070 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3071 trying to customize meta-variables.
3076 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3077 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3078 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3084 @section Group Topics
3087 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3088 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3089 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3090 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3091 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3092 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3096 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3097 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
3108 2: alt.religion.emacs
3111 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3113 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3114 13: comp.sources.unix
3117 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3119 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3120 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3121 is a toggling command.)
3123 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3124 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
3125 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3126 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3129 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3130 the hook for the group mode:
3133 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3137 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3138 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3139 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3140 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3141 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3145 @node Topic Variables
3146 @subsection Topic Variables
3147 @cindex topic variables
3149 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
3150 really neat, I think.
3152 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3153 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3154 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3167 Number of groups in the topic.
3169 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3171 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3174 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3175 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3176 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3179 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3180 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3182 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3183 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3184 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3187 @node Topic Commands
3188 @subsection Topic Commands
3189 @cindex topic commands
3191 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3192 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3193 definitions slightly.
3199 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3200 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3201 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3205 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3206 Move the current group to some other topic
3207 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3208 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3212 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3213 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3217 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3218 Copy the current group to some other topic
3219 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3220 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3224 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3225 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3226 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3227 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3228 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3229 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3230 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3233 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3234 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3238 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3239 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3240 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3244 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3245 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3246 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3250 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3251 Toggle hiding empty topics
3252 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3256 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3257 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3258 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3261 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3262 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3263 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3264 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3268 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3270 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3271 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3272 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3273 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3276 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3277 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3278 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3279 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3283 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3285 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3286 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3287 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3288 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3289 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3290 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3293 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3294 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3295 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the expiry
3296 process (if any) (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}).
3300 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3301 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3302 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3306 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3307 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3308 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3313 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3314 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3317 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3318 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3319 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3323 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3324 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3325 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3329 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3330 @cindex group parameters
3331 @cindex topic parameters
3333 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3334 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3340 @subsection Topic Sorting
3341 @cindex topic sorting
3343 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3349 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3350 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3351 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3352 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3355 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3356 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3357 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3358 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3361 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3362 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3363 Sort the current topic by group level
3364 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3367 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3368 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3369 Sort the current topic by group score
3370 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3373 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3374 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3375 Sort the current topic by group rank
3376 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3379 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3380 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3381 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
3382 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3386 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3389 @node Topic Topology
3390 @subsection Topic Topology
3391 @cindex topic topology
3394 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3400 2: alt.religion.emacs
3403 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3405 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3406 13: comp.sources.unix
3409 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3410 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3411 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3416 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3417 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3421 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3422 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3423 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3424 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3425 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3426 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3428 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3429 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3430 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3433 @node Topic Parameters
3434 @subsection Topic Parameters
3435 @cindex topic parameters
3437 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3438 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3439 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3441 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3446 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3447 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3448 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3453 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3454 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3455 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3456 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3462 2: alt.religion.emacs
3466 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3468 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3469 13: comp.sources.unix
3473 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3474 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3475 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3476 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3477 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3478 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3480 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3481 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3482 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3483 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3484 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3486 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3487 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3488 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3489 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3490 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3491 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3492 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3493 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3496 @node Misc Group Stuff
3497 @section Misc Group Stuff
3500 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3501 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and gnus.
3502 * Group Timestamp:: Making gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3503 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the gnus files.
3510 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3511 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3512 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
3516 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3517 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3518 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3522 @findex gnus-group-mail
3523 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3527 Variables for the group buffer:
3531 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3532 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3533 is called after the group buffer has been
3536 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3537 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3538 is called after the group buffer is
3539 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3542 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3543 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3544 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3545 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3547 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3548 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3549 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3550 whether they are empty or not.
3555 @node Scanning New Messages
3556 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3557 @cindex new messages
3558 @cindex scanning new news
3564 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3565 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3566 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3567 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3568 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3569 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3574 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3575 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3576 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3577 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3578 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3579 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3580 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3582 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3583 @cindex activating groups
3585 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3586 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3591 @findex gnus-group-restart
3592 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3593 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3594 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
3598 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3599 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3601 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3602 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3606 @node Group Information
3607 @subsection Group Information
3608 @cindex group information
3609 @cindex information on groups
3616 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3617 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3620 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3621 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3622 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3623 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3624 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3625 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3626 for fetching the file.
3628 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
3629 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3633 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3635 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3636 @cindex describing groups
3637 @cindex group description
3638 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3639 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3640 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3644 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3645 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3646 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3653 @findex gnus-version
3654 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3658 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3659 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3662 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3665 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3666 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3670 @node Group Timestamp
3671 @subsection Group Timestamp
3673 @cindex group timestamps
3675 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
3676 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3677 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3680 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3683 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3685 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3686 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3689 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3690 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3693 This will result in lines looking like:
3696 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3697 0: custom 19961002T012713
3700 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3701 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3705 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3706 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3711 @subsection File Commands
3712 @cindex file commands
3718 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3719 @vindex gnus-init-file
3720 @cindex reading init file
3721 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3722 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3726 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3727 @cindex saving .newsrc
3728 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3729 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3730 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3733 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3734 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3735 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3740 @node The Summary Buffer
3741 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3742 @cindex summary buffer
3744 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3745 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3747 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3748 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3750 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3753 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3754 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3755 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3756 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3757 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3758 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3759 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3760 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3761 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3762 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3763 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3764 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3765 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3766 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3767 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3768 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3769 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3770 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
3771 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3772 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3773 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3774 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3775 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3776 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3777 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3778 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3779 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3780 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3784 @node Summary Buffer Format
3785 @section Summary Buffer Format
3786 @cindex summary buffer format
3790 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3791 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3792 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3798 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3799 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3800 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3801 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3804 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3805 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3806 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3807 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3808 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3809 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
3810 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3811 fast, and too simplistic solution;
3812 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
3813 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
3814 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
3815 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
3816 other function instead:
3819 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3820 'mail-extract-address-components)
3823 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3824 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3825 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3826 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3829 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3830 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3832 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3833 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3834 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3835 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3836 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3838 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3840 The following format specification characters are understood:
3846 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
3847 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
3849 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3850 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3851 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3853 Full @code{From} header.
3855 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3857 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3858 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3860 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3861 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3862 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3863 may be more thorough.
3865 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3868 Number of lines in the article.
3870 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported in some
3871 methods (like nnfolder).
3873 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3875 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3876 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3878 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3879 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3881 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3882 for adopted articles.
3884 One space for each thread level.
3886 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3891 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3892 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3896 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3898 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3899 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3900 default level. If the difference between
3901 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3902 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3910 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3912 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3918 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3919 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3921 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3922 article has any children.
3928 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3929 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3930 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3931 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3932 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3933 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3936 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3937 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
3938 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3939 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3940 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3941 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3943 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3944 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3946 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
3949 @node To From Newsgroups
3950 @subsection To From Newsgroups
3954 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
3955 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
3956 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
3957 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
3958 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
3962 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
3963 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
3964 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
3968 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3969 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
3972 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
3973 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
3976 @findex gnus-extra-header
3977 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
3978 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
3979 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
3982 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
3986 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
3987 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
3988 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
3989 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
3990 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
3991 headers are used instead.
3995 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
3996 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
3997 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
3998 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4001 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4002 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4003 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4004 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4006 In summary, you'd typically do something like the following:
4009 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4011 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4012 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4013 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
4014 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4018 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4019 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4026 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4027 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4030 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4031 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4033 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4034 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4035 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4036 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4038 Here are the elements you can play with:
4044 Unprefixed group name.
4046 Current article number.
4048 Current article score.
4052 Number of unread articles in this group.
4054 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4057 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4058 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4059 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4060 and no unselected ones.
4062 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4063 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4065 Subject of the current article.
4067 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4069 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4071 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4073 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4075 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4077 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4081 @node Summary Highlighting
4082 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4086 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4087 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4088 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4089 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4090 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4092 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4093 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4094 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4095 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4097 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4098 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4099 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4100 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4102 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4103 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4104 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4105 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4106 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4107 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4110 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4111 ((> score default) . bold))
4113 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4114 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4118 @node Summary Maneuvering
4119 @section Summary Maneuvering
4120 @cindex summary movement
4122 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4123 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4125 None of these commands select articles.
4130 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4131 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4132 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4133 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4134 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4138 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4139 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4140 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4141 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4142 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4147 @kindex G j (Summary)
4148 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4149 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4150 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4153 @kindex G g (Summary)
4154 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4155 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4156 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4159 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4160 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4161 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4162 to the group buffer.
4164 Variables related to summary movement:
4168 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4169 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4170 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4171 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4172 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4173 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4174 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4175 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4176 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
4177 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4178 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4179 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4180 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4181 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4183 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4184 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4185 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4186 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4187 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4188 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4189 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4191 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4193 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4194 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4195 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4196 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4197 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4199 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4200 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4201 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4202 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4203 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4204 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4205 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4206 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4209 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4210 the given number of lines from the top.
4215 @node Choosing Articles
4216 @section Choosing Articles
4217 @cindex selecting articles
4220 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4221 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4225 @node Choosing Commands
4226 @subsection Choosing Commands
4228 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4229 and they all select and display an article.
4233 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4234 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4235 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4236 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4241 @kindex G n (Summary)
4242 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4243 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4244 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4249 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4250 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4251 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4256 @kindex G N (Summary)
4257 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4258 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4263 @kindex G P (Summary)
4264 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4265 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4268 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4269 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4270 Go to the next article with the same subject
4271 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4274 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4275 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4276 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4277 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4281 @kindex G f (Summary)
4283 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4284 Go to the first unread article
4285 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4289 @kindex G b (Summary)
4291 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4292 Go to the article with the highest score
4293 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4298 @kindex G l (Summary)
4299 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4300 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4303 @kindex G o (Summary)
4304 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4306 @cindex article history
4307 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4308 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4309 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4310 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4311 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4312 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4316 @node Choosing Variables
4317 @subsection Choosing Variables
4319 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4322 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4323 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4324 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4325 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4326 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4327 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4329 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4330 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4331 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4332 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4334 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4335 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4336 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4337 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4338 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4339 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4340 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4341 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4342 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4343 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4344 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4345 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4346 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4347 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4352 @node Paging the Article
4353 @section Scrolling the Article
4354 @cindex article scrolling
4359 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4360 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4361 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4362 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4363 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4366 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4367 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4368 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4371 @kindex RET (Summary)
4372 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4373 Scroll the current article one line forward
4374 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4377 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4378 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4379 Scroll the current article one line backward
4380 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4384 @kindex A g (Summary)
4386 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4387 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4388 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4389 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4390 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4391 the way it came from the server.
4393 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4394 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4395 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4398 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4403 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4408 @kindex A < (Summary)
4409 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4410 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4411 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4416 @kindex A > (Summary)
4417 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4418 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4422 @kindex A s (Summary)
4424 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4425 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4426 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4430 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4431 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4436 @node Reply Followup and Post
4437 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4440 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4441 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4442 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4443 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
4447 @node Summary Mail Commands
4448 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4450 @cindex composing mail
4452 Commands for composing a mail message:
4458 @kindex S r (Summary)
4460 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4461 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4462 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4463 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4464 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4469 @kindex S R (Summary)
4470 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4471 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4472 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4473 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4474 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4477 @kindex S w (Summary)
4478 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4479 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4480 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4481 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4482 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4485 @kindex S W (Summary)
4486 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4487 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4488 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4489 the process/prefix convention.
4492 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4493 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4494 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4495 Forward the current article to some other person
4496 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4497 headers of the forwarded article.
4502 @kindex S m (Summary)
4503 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4504 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4505 Send a mail to some other person
4506 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4509 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4510 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4511 @cindex bouncing mail
4512 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4513 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4514 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4515 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4516 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4517 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
4518 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4519 very well fail, though.
4522 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4523 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4524 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4525 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4526 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4527 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4528 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4529 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4530 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4531 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4533 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4534 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4535 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4536 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4537 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4539 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4540 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4543 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4544 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4545 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4546 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4547 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4550 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4551 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4552 @cindex crossposting
4553 @cindex excessive crossposting
4554 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4555 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4557 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4558 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4559 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4560 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4561 command understands the process/prefix convention
4562 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4566 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4569 @node Summary Post Commands
4570 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4572 @cindex composing news
4574 Commands for posting a news article:
4580 @kindex S p (Summary)
4581 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4582 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4583 Post an article to the current group
4584 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4589 @kindex S f (Summary)
4590 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4591 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4592 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4596 @kindex S F (Summary)
4598 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4599 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4600 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4601 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4602 process/prefix convention.
4605 @kindex S n (Summary)
4606 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4607 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4608 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4611 @kindex S N (Summary)
4612 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4613 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4614 message through mail and include the original message
4615 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4616 the process/prefix convention.
4619 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4620 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4621 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4622 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4623 headers of the forwarded article.
4626 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4627 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4629 @cindex making digests
4630 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4631 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4632 process/prefix convention.
4635 @kindex S u (Summary)
4636 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4637 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4638 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4639 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4642 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4645 @node Summary Message Commands
4646 @subsection Summary Message Commands
4650 @kindex S y (Summary)
4651 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
4652 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
4653 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
4654 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
4655 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4660 @node Canceling and Superseding
4661 @subsection Canceling Articles
4662 @cindex canceling articles
4663 @cindex superseding articles
4665 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4666 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4668 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4670 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4672 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4673 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4674 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4675 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4676 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4677 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4679 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4680 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4683 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4684 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4685 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4687 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4688 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4689 your original article.
4691 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4693 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4694 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4695 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4698 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4699 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4700 have posted almost the same article twice.
4702 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4703 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4704 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4705 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4706 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4707 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4708 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4709 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4710 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4711 canceled/superseded.
4713 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4716 @node Marking Articles
4717 @section Marking Articles
4718 @cindex article marking
4719 @cindex article ticking
4722 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4724 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4725 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4726 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4728 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4731 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4732 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4733 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4737 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4741 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4742 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
4743 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4747 @node Unread Articles
4748 @subsection Unread Articles
4750 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4755 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4756 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4758 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4759 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4760 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4761 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4762 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4766 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4767 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4769 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4770 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4771 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4774 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4775 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4777 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4782 @subsection Read Articles
4783 @cindex expirable mark
4785 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4790 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4791 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4792 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4795 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4796 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4799 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4800 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4801 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4804 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4805 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4808 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4809 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4812 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4813 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4816 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4817 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4820 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4821 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4824 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4825 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4828 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4829 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4833 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4834 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4835 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4839 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4840 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4842 One more special mark, though:
4846 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4847 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4849 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4850 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4851 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4852 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
4858 @subsection Other Marks
4859 @cindex process mark
4862 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4868 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4869 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4870 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4871 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4872 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
4875 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4876 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4877 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4878 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4881 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4882 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4883 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4886 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4887 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4888 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4889 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4892 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4893 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4894 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4895 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4896 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4899 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4900 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4901 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4902 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4903 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4904 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4908 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4909 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4910 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4912 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4913 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4914 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4918 @subsection Setting Marks
4919 @cindex setting marks
4921 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4926 @kindex M c (Summary)
4927 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4928 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4929 @cindex mark as unread
4930 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4931 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4937 @kindex M t (Summary)
4938 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4939 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4940 @xref{Article Caching}.
4945 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4946 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4947 Mark the current article as dormant
4948 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4952 @kindex M d (Summary)
4954 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4955 Mark the current article as read
4956 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4960 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4961 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4962 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
4967 @kindex M k (Summary)
4968 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
4969 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
4970 and then select the next unread article
4971 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
4975 @kindex M K (Summary)
4976 @kindex C-k (Summary)
4977 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
4978 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
4979 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4982 @kindex M C (Summary)
4983 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4984 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
4985 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4988 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4989 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4990 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4991 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4994 @kindex M H (Summary)
4995 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4996 Catchup the current group to point
4997 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5000 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5001 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5002 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5003 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5006 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5007 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5008 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5009 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5013 @kindex M e (Summary)
5015 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5016 Mark the current article as expirable
5017 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5020 @kindex M b (Summary)
5021 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5022 Set a bookmark in the current article
5023 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5026 @kindex M B (Summary)
5027 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5028 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5029 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5032 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5033 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5034 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5035 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5038 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5039 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5040 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5041 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5044 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5045 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5046 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5047 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5048 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5051 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5052 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5053 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5054 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5055 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5056 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5057 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5058 The default is @code{t}.
5061 @node Generic Marking Commands
5062 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5064 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5065 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5066 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5067 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5068 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5071 Multiply these five behaviours with five different marking commands, and
5072 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5075 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5076 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5077 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5078 to list in this manual.
5080 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5081 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5082 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5083 article, you could say something like:
5086 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5087 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5088 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5094 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5095 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5099 @node Setting Process Marks
5100 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5101 @cindex setting process marks
5108 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5109 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5110 Mark the current article with the process mark
5111 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5112 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5116 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5117 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5118 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5119 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5122 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5123 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5124 Remove the process mark from all articles
5125 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5128 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5129 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5130 Invert the list of process marked articles
5131 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5134 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5135 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5136 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5137 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5140 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5141 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5142 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5143 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5146 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5147 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5148 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5151 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5152 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5153 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5154 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5157 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5158 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5159 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5160 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5163 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5164 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5165 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5166 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5169 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5170 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5171 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5174 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5175 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5176 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5177 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5180 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5181 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5182 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5185 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5186 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5187 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5188 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5191 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5192 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5193 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5194 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5197 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5198 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5199 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5200 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5203 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5204 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5205 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5206 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5215 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5216 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5217 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5220 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5221 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5222 additional articles.
5228 @kindex / / (Summary)
5229 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5230 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5231 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5234 @kindex / a (Summary)
5235 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5236 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5237 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5240 @kindex / x (Summary)
5241 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5242 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5243 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5244 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}).
5248 @kindex / u (Summary)
5250 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5251 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5252 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5253 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5254 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5257 @kindex / m (Summary)
5258 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5259 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5260 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5263 @kindex / t (Summary)
5264 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5265 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5266 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5267 articles younger than that number of days.
5270 @kindex / n (Summary)
5271 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5272 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5273 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5274 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5277 @kindex / w (Summary)
5278 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5279 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5280 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5284 @kindex / v (Summary)
5285 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5286 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5287 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5291 @kindex M S (Summary)
5292 @kindex / E (Summary)
5293 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5294 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5295 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5298 @kindex / D (Summary)
5299 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5300 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5301 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5304 @kindex / * (Summary)
5305 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5306 Include all cached articles in the limit
5307 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5310 @kindex / d (Summary)
5311 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5312 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5313 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5316 @kindex / M (Summary)
5317 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5318 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5321 @kindex / T (Summary)
5322 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5323 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5326 @kindex / c (Summary)
5327 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5328 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5329 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5332 @kindex / C (Summary)
5333 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5334 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5335 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5336 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5344 @cindex article threading
5346 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5347 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5348 hierarchical fashion.
5350 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5351 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5352 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5353 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
5354 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5355 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5356 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5358 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5362 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5365 A tree-like article structure.
5368 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5371 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5372 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5373 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5374 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5375 called loose threads.
5377 @item thread gathering
5378 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5380 @item sparse threads
5381 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5382 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
5388 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
5389 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
5393 @node Customizing Threading
5394 @subsection Customizing Threading
5395 @cindex customizing threading
5398 * Loose Threads:: How gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
5399 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
5400 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
5401 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
5406 @subsubsection Loose Threads
5409 @cindex loose threads
5412 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
5413 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
5414 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
5415 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
5416 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
5417 read or killed the root in a previous session.
5419 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
5420 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
5421 There are four possible values:
5425 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
5426 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
5427 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5428 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5429 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5434 @cindex adopting articles
5439 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
5440 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
5441 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
5442 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
5445 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
5446 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
5447 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
5448 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
5449 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
5450 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
5451 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5454 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
5455 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
5456 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
5460 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
5461 display them after one another.
5464 Don't gather loose threads.
5467 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5468 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5469 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
5470 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
5471 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5472 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5473 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
5474 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
5475 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
5476 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
5477 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
5479 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
5480 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
5481 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
5484 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5485 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5486 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
5487 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
5488 simplification is used.
5490 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5491 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5492 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
5493 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
5495 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
5497 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5503 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
5504 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
5505 "answer" "reference" "announce"
5506 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
5511 (mapconcat 'identity
5512 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
5514 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
5517 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
5520 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5521 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5522 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
5523 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
5524 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
5525 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
5527 Useful functions to put in this list include:
5530 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
5531 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
5532 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
5534 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5535 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5538 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
5539 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
5540 Remove excessive whitespace.
5543 You may also write your own functions, of course.
5546 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5547 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5548 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
5549 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
5550 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
5551 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
5552 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
5553 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
5555 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5556 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5557 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
5558 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
5559 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
5560 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
5561 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
5562 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
5563 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
5567 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5568 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5569 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
5570 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
5572 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5573 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5574 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
5577 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
5581 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5582 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
5588 @node Filling In Threads
5589 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
5592 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
5593 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
5594 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
5595 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
5596 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
5597 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
5598 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
5599 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
5600 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
5601 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
5602 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
5603 expired by the server, there's not much gnus can do about that.
5605 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
5606 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
5607 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
5609 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
5610 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
5611 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
5612 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
5613 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
5614 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
5615 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
5616 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
5617 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
5618 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
5619 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
5620 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
5621 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
5622 @code{nil} by default.
5627 @node More Threading
5628 @subsubsection More Threading
5631 @item gnus-show-threads
5632 @vindex gnus-show-threads
5633 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
5634 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
5635 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
5636 slower and more awkward.
5638 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5639 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5640 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
5643 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
5644 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5645 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5646 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5647 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5648 threads are expunged.
5650 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5651 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5652 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5655 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5656 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5657 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5658 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
5659 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
5662 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5663 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5664 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5667 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5668 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5669 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
5670 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
5671 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
5672 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
5673 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
5674 Setting this variable to an alternate value
5675 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
5676 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
5677 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
5682 @node Low-Level Threading
5683 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5687 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5688 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5689 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
5690 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
5691 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
5692 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
5694 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5695 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5696 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5697 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5698 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5699 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5700 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5701 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5702 meaningful. Here's one example:
5705 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5707 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5708 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5710 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5712 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5719 @node Thread Commands
5720 @subsection Thread Commands
5721 @cindex thread commands
5727 @kindex T k (Summary)
5728 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5729 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5730 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5731 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5732 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5737 @kindex T l (Summary)
5738 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5739 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5740 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5741 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5744 @kindex T i (Summary)
5745 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5746 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5747 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5750 @kindex T # (Summary)
5751 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5752 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5753 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5756 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5757 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5758 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5759 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5762 @kindex T T (Summary)
5763 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5764 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5767 @kindex T s (Summary)
5768 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5769 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5770 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5773 @kindex T h (Summary)
5774 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5775 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5778 @kindex T S (Summary)
5779 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5780 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5783 @kindex T H (Summary)
5784 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5785 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5788 @kindex T t (Summary)
5789 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5790 Re-thread the current article's thread
5791 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5792 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5795 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5796 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5797 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5798 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5802 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5803 understand the numeric prefix.
5808 @kindex T n (Summary)
5809 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5810 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5813 @kindex T p (Summary)
5814 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5815 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5818 @kindex T d (Summary)
5819 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5820 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5823 @kindex T u (Summary)
5824 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5825 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5828 @kindex T o (Summary)
5829 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5830 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5833 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5834 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5835 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5836 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5837 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5838 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5839 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5840 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5841 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5842 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5843 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5844 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5851 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5852 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5853 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5854 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5855 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5856 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5857 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5858 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5859 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
5860 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
5861 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
5863 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5864 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5865 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5866 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5867 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5869 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5870 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5871 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
5873 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
5874 last function in the list. You should probably always include
5875 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5876 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5877 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5878 ascending article order.
5880 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
5881 by number, you could do something like:
5884 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5885 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5886 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5887 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
5890 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5891 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5892 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5893 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5894 which the articles arrived.
5896 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
5900 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5902 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
5903 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5906 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5907 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5908 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5909 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5912 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5913 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5914 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5915 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5916 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5917 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5918 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5919 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5920 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5921 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5922 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5923 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5924 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5926 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5930 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5931 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5932 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5937 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5938 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5939 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5940 @cindex article pre-fetch
5943 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5944 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5945 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5946 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5947 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5949 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5950 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
5952 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
5953 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
5954 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
5955 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
5956 connection is blocked.
5958 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
5959 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
5960 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
5961 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
5963 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
5964 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
5965 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
5966 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
5969 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
5972 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
5973 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
5974 happen automatically.
5976 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
5977 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
5978 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
5979 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
5980 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
5981 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
5982 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
5984 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
5985 @findex gnus-async-read-p
5986 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
5987 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
5988 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
5989 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
5990 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
5991 data structure as the only parameter.
5993 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
5996 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
5997 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
5998 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
5999 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6002 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6005 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6006 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
6007 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6009 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6010 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6011 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6012 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6016 Remove articles when they are read.
6019 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6022 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6024 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6025 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6026 @c from the next group.
6029 @node Article Caching
6030 @section Article Caching
6031 @cindex article caching
6034 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6035 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6036 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6037 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6038 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6040 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6042 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6043 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6044 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6045 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6046 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6047 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6048 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
6049 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6051 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6052 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6053 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6054 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6055 as dormant, and don't worry.
6057 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6059 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6060 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6061 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6062 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6063 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6064 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6065 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6066 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6067 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6068 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6070 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6071 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6072 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6073 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6074 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6075 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6076 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6077 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6078 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6079 not then be downloaded by this command.
6081 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6082 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6083 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6084 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6085 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6086 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6088 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6089 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6090 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6091 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6092 variables, the group is not cached.
6094 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6095 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6096 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6097 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6098 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6099 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
6100 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6101 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6102 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6106 @node Persistent Articles
6107 @section Persistent Articles
6108 @cindex persistent articles
6110 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6111 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6112 useful in my opinion.
6114 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6115 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6116 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6117 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6118 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6119 the expiry going on at the news server.
6121 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6122 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6123 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6129 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6130 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6133 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6134 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6135 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6136 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6140 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6142 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6143 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6144 interested in persistent articles:
6147 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6151 @node Article Backlog
6152 @section Article Backlog
6154 @cindex article backlog
6156 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6157 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6158 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
6159 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6160 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6161 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6162 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
6163 increase memory usage some.
6165 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6166 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
6167 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6168 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
6169 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6170 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6171 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6173 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6176 @node Saving Articles
6177 @section Saving Articles
6178 @cindex saving articles
6180 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6181 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6182 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6183 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6184 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6186 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6187 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
6188 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6190 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6191 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6192 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6193 deleted before saving.
6199 @kindex O o (Summary)
6201 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6202 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6203 Save the current article using the default article saver
6204 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6207 @kindex O m (Summary)
6208 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6209 Save the current article in mail format
6210 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6213 @kindex O r (Summary)
6214 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6215 Save the current article in rmail format
6216 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6219 @kindex O f (Summary)
6220 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6221 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6222 Save the current article in plain file format
6223 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6226 @kindex O F (Summary)
6227 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6228 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6229 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6232 @kindex O b (Summary)
6233 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6234 Save the current article body in plain file format
6235 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6238 @kindex O h (Summary)
6239 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6240 Save the current article in mh folder format
6241 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6244 @kindex O v (Summary)
6245 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6246 Save the current article in a VM folder
6247 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6250 @kindex O p (Summary)
6251 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6252 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6253 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6256 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6257 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6258 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6259 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6260 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6261 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6262 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6263 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6264 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6265 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6266 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6267 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6271 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6272 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6273 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6274 functions below, or you can create your own.
6278 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6279 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6280 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6281 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6282 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6283 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6284 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6286 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6287 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6288 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6289 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6290 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6291 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6293 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6294 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6295 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6296 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6297 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6298 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6299 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6301 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6302 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6303 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6304 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6305 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6307 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6308 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6309 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6310 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6311 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6314 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6315 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6316 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6317 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6318 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6320 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6321 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6322 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6323 reader to use this setting.
6326 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6327 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6328 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6329 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6332 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6333 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6334 available functions that generate names:
6338 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6339 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6340 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6342 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6343 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6344 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6346 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6347 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6348 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6350 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6351 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6352 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6355 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6356 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6357 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6358 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6359 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
6363 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
6364 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
6365 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
6366 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
6369 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
6370 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
6371 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
6372 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
6373 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
6374 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
6375 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
6376 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
6377 called returns a string or a list of strings.
6379 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
6380 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
6381 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
6382 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
6384 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
6385 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
6386 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
6389 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
6390 lots of mail groups called things like
6391 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
6392 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
6393 following will do just that:
6396 (defun my-save-name (group)
6397 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
6398 (substring group (match-end 0))))
6400 (setq gnus-split-methods
6401 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
6406 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6407 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
6408 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
6409 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
6410 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
6411 all the files in the top level directory
6412 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
6413 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
6414 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
6415 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
6417 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
6418 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
6419 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
6420 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
6421 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
6424 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
6428 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
6429 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
6432 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
6433 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
6434 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
6435 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
6438 @node Decoding Articles
6439 @section Decoding Articles
6440 @cindex decoding articles
6442 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
6443 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
6446 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
6447 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
6448 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
6449 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
6450 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
6451 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
6455 @cindex article series
6456 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
6457 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
6458 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
6459 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
6460 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
6462 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
6463 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
6464 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
6466 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
6467 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
6468 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
6470 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
6471 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
6472 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
6475 @node Uuencoded Articles
6476 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
6478 @cindex uuencoded articles
6483 @kindex X u (Summary)
6484 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
6485 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
6486 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
6489 @kindex X U (Summary)
6490 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
6491 Uudecodes and saves the current series
6492 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6495 @kindex X v u (Summary)
6496 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
6497 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
6500 @kindex X v U (Summary)
6501 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
6502 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
6503 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
6507 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
6508 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
6509 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
6510 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
6511 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6513 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
6514 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
6515 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
6516 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
6519 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
6520 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
6521 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
6522 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
6523 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
6524 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
6528 @node Shell Archives
6529 @subsection Shell Archives
6531 @cindex shell archives
6532 @cindex shared articles
6534 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
6535 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
6536 some commands to deal with these:
6541 @kindex X s (Summary)
6542 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
6543 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
6546 @kindex X S (Summary)
6547 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
6548 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
6551 @kindex X v s (Summary)
6552 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
6553 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
6556 @kindex X v S (Summary)
6557 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
6558 Unshars, views and saves the current series
6559 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
6563 @node PostScript Files
6564 @subsection PostScript Files
6570 @kindex X p (Summary)
6571 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
6572 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
6575 @kindex X P (Summary)
6576 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
6577 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
6578 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
6581 @kindex X v p (Summary)
6582 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
6583 View the current PostScript series
6584 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
6587 @kindex X v P (Summary)
6588 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
6589 View and save the current PostScript series
6590 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
6595 @subsection Other Files
6599 @kindex X o (Summary)
6600 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
6601 Save the current series
6602 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
6605 @kindex X b (Summary)
6606 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
6607 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
6608 doesn't really work yet.
6612 @node Decoding Variables
6613 @subsection Decoding Variables
6615 Adjective, not verb.
6618 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
6619 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
6620 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
6624 @node Rule Variables
6625 @subsubsection Rule Variables
6626 @cindex rule variables
6628 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
6629 variables are of the form
6632 (list '(regexp1 command2)
6639 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6640 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6642 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
6643 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
6646 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6647 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
6650 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6651 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6652 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
6653 user and default view rules.
6655 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6656 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6657 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6662 @node Other Decode Variables
6663 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6666 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6668 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6669 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6670 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6671 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6672 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6676 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6677 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6680 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6681 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6682 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6685 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6686 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6687 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6688 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6689 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6692 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6693 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6694 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6696 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6697 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6698 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6699 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6700 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6703 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6704 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6705 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6707 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6708 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6709 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6710 looking for files to display.
6712 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6713 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6714 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6717 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6718 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6719 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6722 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6723 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6724 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6727 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6728 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6729 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6732 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6733 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6734 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6735 decoded articles as unread.
6737 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6738 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6739 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6740 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6742 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6743 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6744 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6746 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6747 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6749 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6750 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6751 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6752 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6754 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6755 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6756 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6757 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6758 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6759 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
6760 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6761 simply dropped them.
6766 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6767 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6771 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6772 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6773 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6774 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6775 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6776 for you when you post the article.
6778 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6779 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6780 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6781 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6783 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6784 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6785 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6786 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6787 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6788 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6789 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6791 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6792 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6793 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6794 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6795 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6796 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6797 Default is @code{t}.
6803 @subsection Viewing Files
6804 @cindex viewing files
6805 @cindex pseudo-articles
6807 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
6808 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6809 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6810 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
6811 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6812 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6813 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6815 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6816 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6817 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6818 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6820 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6821 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6822 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6824 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6825 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6826 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6827 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6828 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6830 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6831 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6832 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6833 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6834 a list of parameters to that command.
6836 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6837 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6838 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6840 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6841 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6842 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6845 @node Article Treatment
6846 @section Article Treatment
6848 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6849 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6850 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6851 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6852 these articles easier.
6855 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6856 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6857 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6858 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6859 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6860 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6861 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6862 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
6866 @node Article Highlighting
6867 @subsection Article Highlighting
6868 @cindex highlighting
6870 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6871 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6876 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6877 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6878 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6879 Do much highlighting of the current article
6880 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
6881 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
6884 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6885 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6886 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6887 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6888 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6889 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
6890 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
6891 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6892 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6893 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6894 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6895 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
6898 @kindex W H c (Summary)
6899 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
6900 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
6902 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
6905 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6907 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6908 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
6909 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
6911 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6912 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6913 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6915 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6916 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6917 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6919 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6920 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6921 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
6922 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
6923 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
6924 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
6926 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6927 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6928 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6930 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6931 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6932 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6934 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6935 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6936 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6937 that it's a citation.
6939 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6940 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6941 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6943 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6944 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6945 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6947 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6948 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6949 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6950 cited text belonging to the attribution.
6956 @kindex W H s (Summary)
6957 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6958 @vindex gnus-signature-face
6959 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
6960 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
6961 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
6962 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
6963 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
6968 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
6971 @node Article Fontisizing
6972 @subsection Article Fontisizing
6974 @cindex article emphasis
6976 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
6977 @kindex W e (Summary)
6978 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
6979 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
6980 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
6981 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
6983 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
6984 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
6985 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
6986 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
6987 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
6988 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
6989 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
6990 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
6994 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
6995 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
6996 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7005 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7006 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7007 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7008 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7009 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7010 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7011 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7012 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7013 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7014 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7015 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7016 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7017 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7019 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7020 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7021 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7025 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7028 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7030 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7031 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7032 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7033 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7035 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7038 @node Article Hiding
7039 @subsection Article Hiding
7040 @cindex article hiding
7042 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7043 too much cruft in most articles.
7048 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7049 @findex gnus-article-hide
7050 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7051 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7052 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7055 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7056 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7057 Toggle hiding of headers (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7061 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7062 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7063 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7064 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7067 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7068 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7069 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7073 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7074 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7075 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7076 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}.
7077 These are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of
7078 all @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any
7079 leading @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping.
7083 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7084 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7085 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7086 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7091 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7092 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7093 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7094 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7095 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7096 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7097 articles that have signatures in them do:
7099 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7101 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7103 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7104 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7106 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7109 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7114 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7115 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7116 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7117 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7120 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7121 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7124 @cindex stripping advertisments
7125 @cindex advertisments
7126 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7127 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7128 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7129 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7130 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7131 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7132 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7133 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7134 signature should be removed.
7137 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7138 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7139 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7140 customizing the hiding:
7144 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7145 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7146 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7147 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7148 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7149 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7150 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7155 Starting point of the hidden text.
7157 Ending point of the hidden text.
7159 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7161 Number of lines of hidden text.
7164 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7165 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7166 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7167 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7168 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7173 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7174 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7176 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7177 following two variables:
7180 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7181 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7182 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7183 50), hide the cited text.
7185 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7186 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7187 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7192 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7193 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7194 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7195 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7196 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7197 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7201 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7202 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7203 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7205 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7206 citation customization.
7208 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7212 @node Article Washing
7213 @subsection Article Washing
7215 @cindex article washing
7217 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7218 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7220 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7221 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7227 @kindex W l (Summary)
7228 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7229 Remove page breaks from the current article
7230 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7234 @kindex W r (Summary)
7235 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7236 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7237 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7238 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7239 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7240 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7242 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7243 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7244 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7245 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7248 @kindex W t (Summary)
7249 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
7250 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7251 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
7254 @kindex W v (Summary)
7255 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7256 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7257 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7260 @kindex W m (Summary)
7261 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
7262 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
7263 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
7266 @kindex W o (Summary)
7267 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7268 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7271 @kindex W d (Summary)
7272 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7273 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7275 @cindex M******** sm*rtq**t*s
7277 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7278 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7279 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7280 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7284 @kindex W w (Summary)
7285 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7286 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7288 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7292 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7293 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7294 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7297 @kindex W C (Summary)
7298 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7299 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7300 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7303 @kindex W c (Summary)
7304 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7305 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7306 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7307 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7308 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7311 @kindex W f (Summary)
7313 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
7314 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
7315 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
7316 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
7322 Look for and display any X-Face headers
7323 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
7324 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
7325 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
7326 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
7327 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
7328 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
7329 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
7330 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
7331 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
7332 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
7333 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
7334 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
7335 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
7339 @kindex W b (Summary)
7340 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
7341 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
7342 @xref{Article Buttons}.
7345 @kindex W B (Summary)
7346 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
7347 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
7348 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
7351 @kindex W W H (Summary)
7352 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
7353 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
7354 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
7357 @kindex W E l (Summary)
7358 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
7359 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
7360 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
7363 @kindex W E m (Summary)
7364 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
7365 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
7366 lines with a single empty line.
7367 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
7370 @kindex W E t (Summary)
7371 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
7372 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
7373 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
7376 @kindex W E a (Summary)
7377 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
7378 Do all the three commands above
7379 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
7382 @kindex W E A (Summary)
7383 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
7384 Remove all blank lines
7385 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
7388 @kindex W E s (Summary)
7389 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
7390 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
7391 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
7394 @kindex W E e (Summary)
7395 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
7396 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
7397 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
7401 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
7404 @node Article Buttons
7405 @subsection Article Buttons
7408 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
7409 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
7410 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
7411 button on these references.
7413 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
7414 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
7415 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
7420 @item gnus-button-alist
7421 @vindex gnus-button-alist
7422 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
7425 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7431 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
7432 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
7433 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
7436 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
7437 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
7438 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
7441 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
7442 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
7443 avoid false matches.
7446 This function will be called when you click on this button.
7449 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
7450 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
7454 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
7457 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
7460 @item gnus-header-button-alist
7461 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
7462 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
7463 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
7464 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
7467 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7470 @var{header} is a regular expression.
7472 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
7473 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
7474 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
7475 default values of the variables above.
7477 @item gnus-article-button-face
7478 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
7479 Face used on buttons.
7481 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
7482 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
7483 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
7487 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
7491 @subsection Article Date
7493 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
7494 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
7495 when the article was sent.
7500 @kindex W T u (Summary)
7501 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
7502 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
7503 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
7506 @kindex W T i (Summary)
7507 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
7509 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
7510 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
7513 @kindex W T l (Summary)
7514 @findex gnus-article-date-local
7515 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
7518 @kindex W T s (Summary)
7519 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
7520 @findex gnus-article-date-user
7521 @findex format-time-string
7522 Display the date using a user-defined format
7523 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
7524 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
7525 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
7526 for a list of possible format specs.
7529 @kindex W T e (Summary)
7530 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
7531 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
7532 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
7533 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
7534 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
7537 X-Sent: 9 years, 6 weeks, 4 days, 9 hours, 3 minutes, 28 seconds ago
7540 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
7541 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
7544 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
7545 into wonderful absurdities.
7547 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
7550 (gnus-start-date-timer)
7553 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
7554 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
7558 @kindex W T o (Summary)
7559 @findex gnus-article-date-original
7560 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
7561 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
7562 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
7563 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
7564 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
7568 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
7569 preferred format automatically.
7572 @node Article Signature
7573 @subsection Article Signature
7575 @cindex article signature
7577 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7578 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
7579 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
7580 that says what is to be considered a signature is
7581 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
7582 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
7583 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
7584 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
7585 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
7588 (setq gnus-signature-separator
7589 '("^-- $" ; The standard
7590 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
7591 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
7592 ; line of dashes. Shame!
7593 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
7594 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
7595 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
7598 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
7601 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
7602 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
7603 signature when displaying articles.
7607 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
7610 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
7613 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
7614 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
7616 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
7617 in question is not a signature.
7620 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
7621 listed above. Here's an example:
7624 (setq gnus-signature-limit
7625 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
7628 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
7629 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
7630 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
7631 signature after all.
7634 @node Article Miscellania
7635 @subsection Article Miscellania
7639 @kindex A t (Summary)
7640 @findex gnus-article-babel
7641 Translate the article from one language to another
7642 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
7648 @section @sc{mime} Commands
7649 @cindex MIME decoding
7651 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
7652 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
7658 @kindex K v (Summary)
7659 View the @sc{mime} part.
7662 @kindex K o (Summary)
7663 Save the @sc{mime} part.
7666 @kindex K c (Summary)
7667 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
7670 @kindex K e (Summary)
7671 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
7674 @kindex K i (Summary)
7675 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
7678 @kindex K | (Summary)
7679 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
7682 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
7687 @kindex K b (Summary)
7688 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in from of them. This is
7689 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
7693 @kindex K m (Summary)
7694 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
7695 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
7696 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
7697 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
7698 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
7701 @kindex X m (Summary)
7702 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
7703 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
7704 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
7705 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7708 @kindex M-t (Summary)
7709 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
7710 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
7711 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
7714 @kindex W M w (Summary)
7715 Decode RFC2047-encoded words in the article headers
7716 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
7719 @kindex W M c (Summary)
7720 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
7721 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
7723 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
7724 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
7725 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
7726 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
7727 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
7728 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
7731 @kindex W M v (Summary)
7732 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
7733 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
7740 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
7741 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
7742 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7743 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
7746 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
7749 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
7753 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7754 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7755 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7756 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
7757 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
7759 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
7760 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
7761 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
7762 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
7763 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
7764 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
7765 save all jpegs into some directory).
7767 Here's an example function the does the latter:
7770 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
7771 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
7773 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
7774 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
7775 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
7776 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
7777 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
7780 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7781 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7782 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
7791 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
7792 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
7793 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
7794 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
7795 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
7796 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
7797 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
7799 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
7800 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
7801 variable, which is an alist of regexps (to match group names) and
7802 default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
7804 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
7805 aren't. These blitely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
7806 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
7807 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
7808 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
7809 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
7810 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
7811 something some agents insist on having in there.
7813 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
7814 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
7815 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
7816 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
7817 quoted-printable header encoding.
7819 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
7820 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
7821 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
7825 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
7828 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
7829 means encode all charsets),
7831 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
7832 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
7833 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
7840 @cindex coding system aliases
7841 @cindex preferred charset
7843 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
7845 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
7846 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
7849 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
7850 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
7853 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
7854 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
7856 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
7859 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
7862 This will almost do the right thing.
7864 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
7868 (codepage-setup 1251)
7869 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
7873 @node Article Commands
7874 @section Article Commands
7881 @kindex A P (Summary)
7882 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
7883 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
7884 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
7885 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
7886 run just before printing the buffer.
7891 @node Summary Sorting
7892 @section Summary Sorting
7893 @cindex summary sorting
7895 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
7896 can't really see why you'd want that.
7901 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
7902 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
7903 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
7906 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
7907 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
7908 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
7911 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
7912 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
7913 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
7916 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
7917 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
7918 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
7921 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
7922 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
7923 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
7926 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
7927 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
7928 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
7931 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
7932 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
7933 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
7936 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
7937 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
7938 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
7939 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
7940 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
7944 @node Finding the Parent
7945 @section Finding the Parent
7946 @cindex parent articles
7947 @cindex referring articles
7952 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
7953 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
7954 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
7955 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
7956 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
7957 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
7958 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
7959 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
7960 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
7962 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
7963 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
7964 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
7965 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
7966 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
7970 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
7971 @kindex A R (Summary)
7972 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
7973 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
7976 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
7977 @kindex A T (Summary)
7978 Display the full thread where the current article appears
7979 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
7980 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
7981 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
7982 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
7983 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
7984 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
7986 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
7987 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
7988 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
7989 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
7990 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
7991 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
7994 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
7995 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
7997 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
7998 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
7999 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8000 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8001 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8002 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8003 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8006 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8007 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8008 by giving this command a prefix.
8010 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8011 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
8012 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8013 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8014 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8015 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8018 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8019 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8020 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8023 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8024 then ask Deja if that fails:
8027 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8029 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8032 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
8033 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
8034 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8035 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
8036 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
8037 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
8040 @node Alternative Approaches
8041 @section Alternative Approaches
8043 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8044 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8047 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8048 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8053 @subsection Pick and Read
8054 @cindex pick and read
8056 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8057 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8058 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8059 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8061 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8062 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8063 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8064 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8065 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8066 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8068 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8073 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8074 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8075 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8076 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8077 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8078 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8079 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8080 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8083 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8084 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8085 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8086 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8090 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8091 Unpick the thread or article
8092 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8093 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8094 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8095 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8096 the thread or article at that line.
8100 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8101 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8102 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8103 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8104 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8105 will still be visible when you are reading.
8109 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8110 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8111 which is mapped to the same function
8112 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8114 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8117 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8120 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8121 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8123 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8124 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8125 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8127 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8128 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8129 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8130 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8131 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8132 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8133 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8137 @subsection Binary Groups
8138 @cindex binary groups
8140 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8141 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8142 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8143 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8144 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8145 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8146 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8149 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8150 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8151 command, when you have turned on this mode
8152 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8154 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8155 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8159 @section Tree Display
8162 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8163 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
8164 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8165 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8168 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8171 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8172 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8173 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8175 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8176 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8177 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8178 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8179 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8181 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8182 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8183 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8184 default is @code{modeline}.
8186 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8187 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8188 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8189 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8190 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8191 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8192 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8198 The name of the poster.
8200 The @code{From} header.
8202 The number of the article.
8204 The opening bracket.
8206 The closing bracket.
8211 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8213 Variables related to the display are:
8216 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8217 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8218 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8219 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8220 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8221 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8223 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8224 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8225 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8226 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8230 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8231 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
8232 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
8233 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
8234 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
8235 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
8236 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
8237 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
8238 other windows displayed next to it.
8240 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
8241 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
8242 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8243 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
8244 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
8245 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
8246 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
8250 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
8253 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
8263 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
8267 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
8268 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
8270 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
8272 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
8277 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
8278 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
8279 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
8282 (setq gnus-use-trees t
8283 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8284 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
8285 (gnus-add-configuration
8289 (summary 0.75 point)
8294 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
8297 @node Mail Group Commands
8298 @section Mail Group Commands
8299 @cindex mail group commands
8301 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
8302 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
8304 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
8305 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8310 @kindex B e (Summary)
8311 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
8312 Expire all expirable articles in the group
8313 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
8316 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
8317 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
8318 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
8319 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
8320 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
8321 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
8324 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
8325 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
8326 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
8327 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
8328 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
8329 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
8332 @kindex B m (Summary)
8334 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
8335 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
8336 Move the article from one mail group to another
8337 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8338 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8341 @kindex B c (Summary)
8343 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
8344 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
8345 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
8346 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8347 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8350 @kindex B B (Summary)
8351 @cindex crosspost mail
8352 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
8353 Crosspost the current article to some other group
8354 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
8355 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
8356 be properly updated.
8359 @kindex B i (Summary)
8360 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
8361 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
8362 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
8363 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
8366 @kindex B r (Summary)
8367 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
8368 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
8369 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
8370 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
8371 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
8372 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
8373 (which is the default).
8377 @kindex B w (Summary)
8379 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
8380 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
8381 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
8382 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
8383 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
8384 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
8387 @kindex B q (Summary)
8388 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
8389 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
8390 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
8391 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
8394 @kindex B t (Summary)
8395 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
8396 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
8397 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
8400 @kindex B p (Summary)
8401 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
8402 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
8403 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
8404 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
8405 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
8406 article from your news server (or rather, from
8407 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
8408 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
8409 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
8410 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
8411 just not have arrived yet.
8415 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
8416 @cindex moving articles
8417 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
8418 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
8419 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
8420 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
8421 suggestions you find reasonable.
8424 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
8425 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
8426 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
8427 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
8431 @node Various Summary Stuff
8432 @section Various Summary Stuff
8435 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
8436 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
8437 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
8438 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
8442 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
8443 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
8444 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
8446 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
8447 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
8448 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
8449 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
8450 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
8451 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
8454 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8455 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8456 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
8457 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
8458 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
8460 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8461 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8462 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
8465 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8466 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8467 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
8468 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
8469 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
8470 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
8471 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
8472 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
8473 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
8474 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
8479 @node Summary Group Information
8480 @subsection Summary Group Information
8485 @kindex H f (Summary)
8486 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
8487 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
8488 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
8489 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
8490 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
8491 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
8492 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
8493 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
8494 be used for fetching the file.
8497 @kindex H d (Summary)
8498 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
8499 Give a brief description of the current group
8500 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
8501 rereading the description from the server.
8504 @kindex H h (Summary)
8505 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
8506 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
8507 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
8510 @kindex H i (Summary)
8511 @findex gnus-info-find-node
8512 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
8516 @node Searching for Articles
8517 @subsection Searching for Articles
8522 @kindex M-s (Summary)
8523 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
8524 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
8525 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
8528 @kindex M-r (Summary)
8529 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
8530 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
8531 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
8535 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
8536 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
8537 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
8538 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
8542 @kindex M-& (Summary)
8543 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
8544 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
8545 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
8548 @node Summary Generation Commands
8549 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
8554 @kindex Y g (Summary)
8555 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
8556 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
8559 @kindex Y c (Summary)
8560 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
8561 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
8562 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
8567 @node Really Various Summary Commands
8568 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
8574 @kindex C-d (Summary)
8575 @kindex A D (Summary)
8576 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
8577 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
8578 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
8579 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
8580 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
8581 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
8582 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
8583 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
8587 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
8588 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
8589 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
8590 several documents into one biiig group
8591 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
8592 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
8593 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
8594 command understands the process/prefix convention
8595 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8598 @kindex C-t (Summary)
8599 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
8600 Toggle truncation of summary lines
8601 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
8602 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
8603 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
8607 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
8608 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
8609 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
8612 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
8613 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
8614 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8615 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
8618 @kindex M-C-a (Summary)
8619 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
8620 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8621 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
8626 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
8627 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
8628 @cindex summary exit
8629 @cindex exiting groups
8631 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
8632 group and return you to the group buffer.
8638 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
8640 @findex gnus-summary-exit
8641 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
8642 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
8643 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
8644 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
8645 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
8646 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
8647 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
8648 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
8649 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
8650 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
8654 @kindex Z E (Summary)
8656 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
8657 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
8658 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
8662 @kindex Z c (Summary)
8664 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
8665 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
8666 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
8667 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
8670 @kindex Z C (Summary)
8671 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
8672 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
8673 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
8676 @kindex Z n (Summary)
8677 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
8678 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
8679 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
8682 @kindex Z R (Summary)
8683 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
8684 Exit this group, and then enter it again
8685 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
8686 all articles, both read and unread.
8690 @kindex Z G (Summary)
8691 @kindex M-g (Summary)
8692 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
8693 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
8694 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
8695 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
8696 articles, both read and unread.
8699 @kindex Z N (Summary)
8700 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
8701 Exit the group and go to the next group
8702 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
8705 @kindex Z P (Summary)
8706 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
8707 Exit the group and go to the previous group
8708 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
8711 @kindex Z s (Summary)
8712 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
8713 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
8714 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
8715 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
8716 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
8719 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
8720 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
8721 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
8722 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
8724 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
8725 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
8726 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
8727 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
8728 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
8729 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
8730 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
8731 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
8732 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
8733 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
8734 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
8735 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
8737 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
8739 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
8740 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
8741 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
8742 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
8743 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
8744 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
8745 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
8746 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
8747 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
8750 @node Crosspost Handling
8751 @section Crosspost Handling
8755 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
8756 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
8757 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
8758 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
8759 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
8760 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
8763 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
8764 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
8765 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
8766 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
8767 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
8769 @cindex cross-posting
8772 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
8773 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
8774 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
8775 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
8776 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
8777 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
8778 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
8779 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
8780 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
8781 the cross reference mechanism.
8783 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
8784 @cindex overview.fmt
8785 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
8786 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
8787 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
8788 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
8789 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
8790 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
8793 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
8794 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
8795 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
8800 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
8803 @node Duplicate Suppression
8804 @section Duplicate Suppression
8806 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
8807 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
8808 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
8809 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
8814 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
8815 is evil and not very common.
8818 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
8819 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
8822 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
8823 different @sc{nntp} servers.
8826 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
8829 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
8830 well, but these four are the most common situations.
8832 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
8833 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
8834 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
8835 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
8836 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
8837 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
8838 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
8841 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
8842 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
8843 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
8844 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
8845 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
8849 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
8850 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
8851 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
8853 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
8854 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
8855 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
8856 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
8857 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
8858 session are suppressed.
8860 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
8861 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
8862 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
8863 suppression list. The default is 10000.
8865 @item gnus-duplicate-file
8866 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
8867 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
8868 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
8871 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
8872 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
8873 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
8874 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
8875 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
8876 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
8877 to you to figure out, I think.
8880 @node The Article Buffer
8881 @chapter The Article Buffer
8882 @cindex article buffer
8884 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
8885 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
8886 tell gnus otherwise.
8889 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
8890 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
8891 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
8892 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
8893 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
8897 @node Hiding Headers
8898 @section Hiding Headers
8899 @cindex hiding headers
8900 @cindex deleting headers
8902 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
8903 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
8905 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
8906 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
8907 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
8908 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
8909 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
8910 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
8911 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
8912 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
8913 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
8915 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
8919 @item gnus-visible-headers
8920 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
8921 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
8922 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
8923 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
8925 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
8926 the article and the subject, you'd say:
8929 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
8932 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
8935 @item gnus-ignored-headers
8936 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
8937 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
8938 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
8939 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
8940 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
8942 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
8943 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
8946 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
8949 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
8952 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
8953 variable will have no effect.
8957 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
8958 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
8959 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
8960 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
8961 the headers are to be displayed.
8963 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
8964 and then the subject, you might say something like:
8967 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
8970 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
8971 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
8973 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8974 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
8975 You can hide further boring headers by setting
8976 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
8977 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
8978 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
8979 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
8982 These conditions are:
8985 Remove all empty headers.
8987 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
8988 @code{Newsgroups} header.
8990 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
8993 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
8996 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
8999 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9001 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9004 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
9007 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9008 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9011 This is also the default value for this variable.
9015 @section Using @sc{mime}
9018 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9019 while people stand around yawning.
9021 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9022 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9024 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9025 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9026 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9028 @vindex gnus-show-mime
9029 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
9030 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
9031 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
9032 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
9033 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
9034 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
9035 calls the SEMI MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
9036 information on SEMI MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is not
9037 existed yet, sorry).
9039 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
9040 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
9041 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
9042 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
9043 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
9044 buffer. These can't be avoided.
9046 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
9047 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
9048 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
9049 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
9050 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
9051 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
9052 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
9053 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
9054 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
9057 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
9059 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
9060 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
9061 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
9062 buffer when there are nobody else.
9064 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
9067 @node Customizing Articles
9068 @section Customizing Articles
9069 @cindex article customization
9071 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
9072 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
9073 called automatically when you select the articles.
9075 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
9076 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
9077 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
9078 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
9080 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
9081 for sensible values.
9085 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
9088 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
9091 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
9094 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
9097 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
9101 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
9102 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
9103 regexps in the list.
9106 A list where the first element is not a string:
9108 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
9109 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
9110 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
9114 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
9118 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
9123 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
9124 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
9125 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
9126 considered to contain just a single part.
9128 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
9129 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
9130 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
9131 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
9132 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
9133 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
9134 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
9136 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
9137 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
9138 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
9139 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
9142 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
9143 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
9144 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
9145 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
9146 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
9147 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
9148 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
9149 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
9150 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
9151 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
9152 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
9153 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
9154 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
9155 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
9156 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
9157 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
9158 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
9159 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
9160 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
9161 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
9162 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
9163 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
9164 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
9165 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
9166 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
9167 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
9168 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
9169 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
9170 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
9171 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
9172 @item gnus-treat-translate
9173 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset
9176 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
9177 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
9178 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
9179 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
9180 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
9184 @node Article Keymap
9185 @section Article Keymap
9187 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
9188 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
9189 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
9190 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
9193 A few additional keystrokes are available:
9198 @kindex SPACE (Article)
9199 @findex gnus-article-next-page
9200 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
9203 @kindex DEL (Article)
9204 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
9205 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
9208 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
9209 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
9210 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
9211 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
9212 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
9215 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
9216 @findex gnus-article-mail
9217 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
9218 given a prefix, include the mail.
9222 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
9223 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
9224 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
9228 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
9229 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
9230 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
9233 @kindex TAB (Article)
9234 @findex gnus-article-next-button
9235 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
9236 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
9239 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
9240 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
9241 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
9247 @section Misc Article
9251 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
9252 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
9253 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
9254 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
9257 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
9258 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
9260 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
9261 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
9263 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
9264 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
9265 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
9266 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
9267 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
9268 the contents of the article buffer.
9270 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
9271 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
9272 Hook called in article mode buffers.
9274 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9275 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9276 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
9277 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
9279 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
9280 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
9281 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
9282 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
9283 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
9288 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
9289 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
9292 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
9295 @vindex gnus-break-pages
9297 @item gnus-break-pages
9298 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
9299 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
9300 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
9301 paging will not be done.
9303 @item gnus-page-delimiter
9304 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
9305 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
9310 @node Composing Messages
9311 @chapter Composing Messages
9312 @cindex composing messages
9315 @cindex sending mail
9320 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
9321 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
9322 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
9323 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
9324 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
9325 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
9328 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
9329 * Post:: Posting and following up.
9330 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
9331 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
9332 * Archived Messages:: Where gnus stores the messages you've sent.
9333 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
9334 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
9335 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
9338 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
9339 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
9345 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
9348 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
9349 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
9350 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
9351 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
9353 @item gnus-add-to-list
9354 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
9355 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
9356 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
9364 Variables for composing news articles:
9367 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
9368 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
9369 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
9370 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
9371 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
9372 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
9373 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
9374 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
9375 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want gnus to keep a history
9378 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
9379 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
9380 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
9381 file. It is 1000 by default.
9386 @node Posting Server
9387 @section Posting Server
9389 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
9390 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
9392 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
9394 @vindex gnus-post-method
9396 It can be quite complicated. Normally, gnus will use the same native
9397 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
9398 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
9399 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
9400 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
9403 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
9406 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
9407 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
9408 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
9409 the ``current'' server for posting.
9411 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
9412 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
9414 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
9415 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
9418 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
9419 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
9420 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
9425 @section Mail and Post
9427 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
9431 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
9432 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
9433 @cindex mailing lists
9435 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
9436 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
9437 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
9438 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
9439 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
9440 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
9441 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
9442 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
9443 still a pain, though.
9447 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
9448 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
9449 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
9452 @findex ispell-message
9454 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
9457 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
9458 you're in, you could say something like the following:
9461 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
9464 ((string-match "^de\\." gnus-newsgroup-name)
9465 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
9467 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
9470 Modify to suit your needs.
9473 @node Archived Messages
9474 @section Archived Messages
9475 @cindex archived messages
9476 @cindex sent messages
9478 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
9479 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
9480 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
9481 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
9484 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
9485 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
9486 use to store sent messages. The default is:
9490 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
9491 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
9492 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
9493 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
9496 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
9497 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
9498 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
9499 directory chosen, you could say something like:
9502 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
9503 '(nnfolder "archive"
9504 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
9505 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
9506 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
9509 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
9511 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
9512 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
9513 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
9515 This variable can be used to do the following:
9519 Messages will be saved in that group.
9520 @item a list of strings
9521 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
9522 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
9523 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
9525 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
9530 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
9532 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
9535 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
9537 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
9540 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
9542 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9543 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
9544 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
9545 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
9550 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9551 '((if (message-news-p)
9556 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
9557 messages in one file per month:
9560 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9561 '((if (message-news-p)
9563 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
9566 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
9567 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
9569 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
9570 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
9571 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
9572 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
9573 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
9574 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
9575 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
9576 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
9577 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
9578 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
9580 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
9581 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
9582 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
9583 this will disable archiving.
9586 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
9587 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
9588 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
9589 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
9590 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
9593 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
9594 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
9595 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
9598 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
9599 but the latter is the preferred method.
9603 @node Posting Styles
9604 @section Posting Styles
9605 @cindex posting styles
9608 All them variables, they make my head swim.
9610 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
9611 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
9612 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
9615 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
9616 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
9617 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
9618 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
9619 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
9624 (signature "Peace and happiness")
9625 (organization "What me?"))
9627 (signature "Death to everybody"))
9628 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
9629 (organization "Emacs is it")))
9632 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
9633 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
9634 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
9635 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
9636 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
9637 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
9638 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
9639 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
9641 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
9642 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
9643 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header that
9644 match the next element in the match, and compare that to the last header
9645 in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function will be called
9646 with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
9647 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
9648 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
9651 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
9652 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} . @var{value})} pair. The
9653 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
9654 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
9655 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
9656 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
9657 article. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated,
9658 and the result is thrown away.
9660 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
9661 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
9662 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
9663 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
9664 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
9665 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
9667 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
9668 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
9669 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
9671 @findex message-mail-p
9672 @findex message-news-p
9674 So here's a new example:
9677 (setq gnus-posting-styles
9679 (signature-file "~/.signature")
9681 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
9682 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
9684 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
9685 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
9686 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
9688 (signature my-news-signature))
9689 (header "From.*To" "larsi.*org"
9690 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
9691 ((posting-from-work-p)
9692 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
9693 (address "user@@bar.foo")
9694 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
9695 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
9697 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
9705 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
9706 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
9707 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
9708 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
9709 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
9711 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
9712 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
9713 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
9714 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
9715 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
9719 @vindex nndraft-directory
9720 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
9721 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
9722 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
9723 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
9724 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
9725 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
9727 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
9728 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
9731 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
9732 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
9733 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
9734 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
9735 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
9736 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
9737 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
9738 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
9739 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
9740 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
9741 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
9742 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
9743 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
9744 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
9746 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
9747 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
9748 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
9750 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
9752 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
9753 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
9754 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
9756 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
9759 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
9760 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
9761 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
9762 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
9763 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
9764 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
9765 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
9768 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
9769 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
9770 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
9773 @node Rejected Articles
9774 @section Rejected Articles
9775 @cindex rejected articles
9777 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
9778 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
9779 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
9780 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
9782 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
9783 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
9784 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
9785 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
9786 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
9788 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
9789 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
9790 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
9793 @node Select Methods
9794 @chapter Select Methods
9795 @cindex foreign groups
9796 @cindex select methods
9798 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
9799 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
9800 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
9801 personal mail group.
9803 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
9804 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
9805 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
9806 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
9807 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
9808 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
9810 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
9811 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
9813 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
9816 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
9817 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
9818 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
9819 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
9820 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
9822 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
9825 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
9826 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
9827 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
9828 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
9829 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
9830 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
9831 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
9835 @node The Server Buffer
9836 @section The Server Buffer
9838 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
9839 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
9840 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
9841 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
9842 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
9843 backend represents a virtual server.
9845 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
9846 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
9847 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
9848 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
9850 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
9851 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
9852 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
9853 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
9854 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
9855 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
9856 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
9858 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
9859 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
9862 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
9863 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
9864 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
9865 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
9866 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
9867 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
9868 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
9871 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
9872 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
9875 @node Server Buffer Format
9876 @subsection Server Buffer Format
9877 @cindex server buffer format
9879 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
9880 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
9881 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
9882 variable, with some simple extensions:
9887 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
9890 The name of this server.
9893 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
9896 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
9899 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
9900 The mode line can also be customized by using the
9901 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
9902 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
9912 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
9915 @node Server Commands
9916 @subsection Server Commands
9917 @cindex server commands
9923 @findex gnus-server-add-server
9924 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
9928 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
9929 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
9932 @kindex SPACE (Server)
9933 @findex gnus-server-read-server
9934 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
9938 @findex gnus-server-exit
9939 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
9943 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
9944 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
9948 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
9949 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
9953 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
9954 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
9958 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
9959 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
9963 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
9964 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
9965 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
9970 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
9971 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
9972 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
9973 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
9978 @node Example Methods
9979 @subsection Example Methods
9981 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
9984 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
9987 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
9993 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
9994 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
9997 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
9998 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
10000 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
10001 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
10005 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
10008 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
10009 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
10011 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
10012 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
10013 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
10017 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
10020 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
10023 Here's the method for a public spool:
10027 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
10028 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
10031 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
10032 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
10033 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
10034 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
10035 should probably look something like this:
10039 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
10040 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10041 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10042 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10043 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
10046 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
10047 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
10048 server that would look something like this:
10052 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
10053 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
10054 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10055 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10056 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10057 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
10060 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
10061 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
10062 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
10063 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
10066 @node Creating a Virtual Server
10067 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
10069 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
10070 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
10072 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
10073 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
10074 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
10076 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
10078 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
10079 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
10080 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
10081 will contain the following:
10091 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
10092 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
10093 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
10096 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
10097 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
10098 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
10101 @node Server Variables
10102 @subsection Server Variables
10104 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
10105 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
10106 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
10107 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
10108 won't change the "derived" variables.
10110 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
10111 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
10112 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
10113 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
10114 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
10115 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
10116 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
10117 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
10118 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
10122 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
10123 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
10124 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
10128 @node Servers and Methods
10129 @subsection Servers and Methods
10131 Wherever you would normally use a select method
10132 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
10133 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
10134 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
10138 @node Unavailable Servers
10139 @subsection Unavailable Servers
10141 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
10142 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
10143 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
10144 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
10145 actually the case or not.
10147 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
10148 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
10149 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
10150 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
10151 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
10152 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
10153 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
10154 it will regard that server as ``down''.
10156 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
10157 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
10159 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
10160 with the following commands:
10166 @findex gnus-server-open-server
10167 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
10168 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
10172 @findex gnus-server-close-server
10173 Close the connection (if any) to the server
10174 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
10178 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
10179 Mark the current server as unreachable
10180 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
10183 @kindex M-o (Server)
10184 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
10185 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
10186 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
10189 @kindex M-c (Server)
10190 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
10191 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
10192 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
10196 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
10197 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
10198 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
10204 @section Getting News
10205 @cindex reading news
10206 @cindex news backends
10208 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
10209 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
10210 or it can read from a local spool.
10213 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
10214 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
10219 @subsection @sc{nntp}
10222 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
10223 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
10224 server as the, uhm, address.
10226 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
10227 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
10228 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
10229 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10231 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
10232 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
10233 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
10235 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
10240 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
10241 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
10242 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
10244 @cindex authentification
10245 @cindex nntp authentification
10246 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10247 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
10248 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
10249 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
10250 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
10251 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
10252 present in this hook.
10254 @item nntp-authinfo-function
10255 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
10256 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10257 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
10258 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
10259 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
10260 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
10261 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
10262 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
10263 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
10264 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
10265 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
10269 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
10272 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
10273 valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
10274 @samp{default}, @samp{port} and @samp{force}. (The latter is not a
10275 valid @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} token, which is almost the only way the
10276 @file{.authinfo} file format deviates from the @file{.netrc} file
10281 Here's an example file:
10284 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
10285 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
10288 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
10289 have to be first, for instance.
10291 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
10292 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
10293 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
10294 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
10295 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
10296 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
10297 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
10299 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
10300 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
10306 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
10307 previously mentioned.
10309 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
10311 @item nntp-server-action-alist
10312 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
10313 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
10314 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
10315 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
10318 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
10319 '(("innd" (ding))))
10322 You probably don't want to do that, though.
10324 The default value is
10327 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
10328 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
10331 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
10332 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
10334 @item nntp-maximum-request
10335 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
10336 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
10337 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
10338 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
10339 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
10340 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
10341 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
10343 @item nntp-connection-timeout
10344 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
10345 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
10346 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
10347 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
10348 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
10349 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
10350 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
10351 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
10352 no timeouts are done.
10354 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
10355 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
10356 @c @cindex PPP connections
10357 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
10358 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
10359 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
10360 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
10361 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
10362 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
10363 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
10364 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
10365 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
10366 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
10368 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
10369 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
10370 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
10371 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
10372 @c described above.
10374 @item nntp-server-hook
10375 @vindex nntp-server-hook
10376 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
10379 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
10380 @findex nntp-open-telnet
10381 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
10382 @item nntp-open-connection-function
10383 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
10384 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
10385 functions are supplied:
10388 @item nntp-open-network-stream
10389 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
10392 @item nntp-open-rlogin
10393 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
10394 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
10397 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
10401 @item nntp-rlogin-program
10402 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
10403 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
10404 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
10406 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
10407 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
10408 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
10410 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10411 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10412 User name on the remote system.
10416 @item nntp-open-telnet
10417 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
10418 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
10420 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
10423 @item nntp-telnet-command
10424 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
10425 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
10427 @item nntp-telnet-switches
10428 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
10429 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
10431 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
10432 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
10433 User name for log in on the remote system.
10435 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
10436 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
10437 Password to use when logging in.
10439 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
10440 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
10441 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
10444 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10445 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10446 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
10447 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
10449 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10450 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10451 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
10452 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
10453 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
10457 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
10458 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
10459 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
10460 you must have SSLay installed
10461 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
10462 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
10463 define a server as follows:
10466 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
10468 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
10470 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
10471 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
10472 (nntp-port-number "snews")
10473 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
10478 @item nntp-end-of-line
10479 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
10480 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
10481 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
10482 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
10484 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10485 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10486 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
10490 @vindex nntp-address
10491 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
10493 @item nntp-port-number
10494 @vindex nntp-port-number
10495 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
10498 @item nntp-buggy-select
10499 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
10500 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
10502 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
10503 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
10504 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
10505 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
10508 @item nntp-xover-commands
10509 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
10512 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
10513 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
10517 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
10518 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
10519 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
10520 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
10521 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
10522 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
10523 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
10524 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
10525 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
10526 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
10527 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
10529 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
10530 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
10531 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
10533 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10534 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10535 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
10536 server closes connection.
10538 @item nntp-record-commands
10539 @vindex nntp-record-commands
10540 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
10541 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
10542 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
10543 that doesn't seem to work.
10549 @subsection News Spool
10553 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
10554 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
10555 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
10558 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
10559 anything else) as the address.
10561 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
10562 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
10563 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
10564 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
10568 @item nnspool-inews-program
10569 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
10570 Program used to post an article.
10572 @item nnspool-inews-switches
10573 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
10574 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
10576 @item nnspool-spool-directory
10577 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
10578 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
10579 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
10581 @item nnspool-nov-directory
10582 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
10583 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
10584 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
10586 @item nnspool-lib-dir
10587 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
10588 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
10590 @item nnspool-active-file
10591 @vindex nnspool-active-file
10592 The path to the active file.
10594 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
10595 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
10596 The path to the group descriptions file.
10598 @item nnspool-history-file
10599 @vindex nnspool-history-file
10600 The path to the news history file.
10602 @item nnspool-active-times-file
10603 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
10604 The path to the active date file.
10606 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
10607 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
10608 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
10611 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10612 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10614 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
10615 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
10616 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
10622 @section Getting Mail
10623 @cindex reading mail
10626 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
10630 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
10631 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
10632 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
10633 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
10634 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
10635 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
10636 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
10637 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
10638 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
10639 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
10640 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
10641 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
10642 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
10646 @node Mail in a Newsreader
10647 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
10649 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
10650 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
10651 of a culture shock.
10653 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
10654 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
10656 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
10657 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
10658 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
10659 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
10661 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
10663 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
10664 deleted? How awful!
10666 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
10667 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
10668 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
10669 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
10672 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
10673 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
10674 they want to treat a message.
10676 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
10677 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
10678 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
10679 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
10680 archived somewhere else.
10682 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
10683 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
10684 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
10685 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
10686 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
10688 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
10689 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
10690 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
10692 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
10693 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
10696 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
10697 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
10698 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
10699 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
10700 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
10702 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
10703 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
10704 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
10705 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
10706 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
10707 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
10711 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
10712 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
10714 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
10715 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
10716 and things will happen automatically.
10718 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
10719 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
10722 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
10723 '((nnml "private")))
10726 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
10727 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
10728 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
10729 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
10730 like any other group.
10732 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
10735 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10736 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
10737 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
10741 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
10742 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
10743 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
10746 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
10747 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
10748 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
10751 @node Splitting Mail
10752 @subsection Splitting Mail
10753 @cindex splitting mail
10754 @cindex mail splitting
10756 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
10757 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
10758 to be split into groups.
10761 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10762 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
10763 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
10764 ("mail.other" "")))
10767 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
10768 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
10769 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
10770 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
10771 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
10772 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
10773 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
10776 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
10779 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
10780 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
10781 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
10782 mail belongs in that group.
10784 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
10785 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
10786 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
10787 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
10788 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
10789 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
10791 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
10792 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
10793 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
10794 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
10795 thinks should carry this mail message.
10797 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
10798 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
10799 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
10800 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
10802 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
10803 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
10804 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
10805 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
10806 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
10808 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
10811 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
10812 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
10813 links. If that's the case for you, set
10814 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
10815 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
10817 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
10818 @kindex nnmail-split-history
10819 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
10820 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
10822 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
10823 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
10824 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
10825 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
10826 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
10827 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
10828 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
10829 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
10830 month's rent money.
10834 @subsection Mail Sources
10836 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
10837 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
10841 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
10842 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
10843 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
10847 @node Mail Source Specifiers
10848 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
10850 @cindex mail server
10853 @cindex mail source
10855 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
10856 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
10861 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
10864 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
10865 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
10866 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
10869 The following mail source types are available:
10873 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
10879 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
10880 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
10883 An example file mail source:
10886 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
10889 Or using the default path:
10895 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
10896 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not you ange-ftp
10897 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
10900 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
10904 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
10907 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
10911 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
10914 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
10916 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
10919 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
10923 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
10924 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
10930 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
10934 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
10938 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
10939 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
10940 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
10941 predicate are considered.
10945 Script run before/after fetching mail.
10949 An example directory mail source:
10952 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
10957 Get mail from a POP server.
10963 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
10964 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
10967 The port number of the POP server. The default is @samp{pop3}.
10970 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
10974 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
10978 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This is should be
10979 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
10982 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
10985 The valid format specifier characters are:
10989 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
10990 included in this string.
10993 The name of the server.
10996 The port number of the server.
10999 The user name to use.
11002 The password to use.
11005 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11006 corresponding keywords.
11009 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11010 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11013 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11014 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11017 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
11018 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
11021 @item :authentication
11022 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
11023 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
11028 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
11029 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
11031 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
11032 default user name, and default fetcher:
11038 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
11041 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
11042 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11045 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
11048 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
11052 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
11053 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
11054 contains exactly one mail.
11060 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
11061 @samp{~/Maildir/new}.
11063 If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
11064 them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
11065 @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
11068 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
11069 from locking problems).
11073 Two example maildir mail sources:
11076 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/cur")
11080 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/new")
11084 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap} as
11085 intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for some
11086 reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server and
11087 fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox.
11093 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
11094 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11097 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
11098 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
11101 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
11105 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
11109 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
11110 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
11111 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{ssl} or the default @samp{network}.
11113 @item :authenticator
11114 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is one
11115 of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now, this
11116 means @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default
11120 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
11121 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
11124 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
11125 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
11126 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
11127 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
11128 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
11129 complete list of predicates, see RFC2060 §6.4.4.
11132 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{Deleted}
11133 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{Seen} which
11134 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
11135 but more flags are defined in RFC2060 §2.3.2.
11138 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
11139 after finishing the fetch.
11143 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
11146 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com" :stream kerberos4 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
11150 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
11151 mail.yahoo.com, www.netaddress.com and www.my-deja.com.
11153 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on w3 (url) package, whose version of "WWW
11154 4.0pre.46 1999/10/01" or previous ones may not work.
11156 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
11162 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
11163 alternatives are @code{yahoo}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
11166 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
11170 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
11174 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
11175 folder after finishing the fetch.
11179 An example webmail source:
11182 (webmail :subtype 'yahoo :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11187 @item Common Keywords
11188 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
11194 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
11195 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
11199 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
11204 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
11205 useful when you use local mail and news.
11210 @node Mail Source Customization
11211 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
11213 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
11214 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
11218 @item mail-source-crash-box
11219 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
11220 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
11221 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
11223 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
11224 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
11225 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
11227 @item mail-source-directory
11228 @vindex mail-source-directory
11229 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
11230 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
11231 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
11234 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
11235 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
11236 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
11241 @node Fetching Mail
11242 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
11244 @vindex mail-sources
11245 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
11246 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
11247 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
11248 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
11250 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
11251 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
11254 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
11255 mail server, you'd say something like:
11260 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11261 :password "secret")))
11264 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
11268 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
11269 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11272 :password "secret")))
11276 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
11277 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
11278 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
11279 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
11280 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
11281 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
11285 @node Mail Backend Variables
11286 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
11288 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
11292 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11293 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11294 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
11295 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
11297 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
11298 @item nnmail-split-hook
11299 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
11300 @findex RFC1522 decoding
11301 @findex RFC2047 decoding
11302 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
11303 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
11304 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
11305 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
11306 in the buffer will show up in any files.
11307 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
11310 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11311 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11312 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11313 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11314 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
11315 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
11316 starting to handle the new mail) and
11317 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
11318 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
11319 default file modes the new mail files get:
11322 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11323 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
11325 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
11326 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
11329 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
11330 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
11331 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
11332 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
11333 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
11334 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
11335 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
11337 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
11338 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
11339 @findex delete-file
11340 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
11342 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11343 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11344 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
11345 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
11346 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
11351 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
11352 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
11353 @cindex mail splitting
11354 @cindex fancy mail splitting
11356 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
11357 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
11358 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
11359 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
11360 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
11361 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
11363 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
11366 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
11367 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
11368 ;; from real errors.
11369 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
11371 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
11372 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
11373 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
11374 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
11375 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
11376 ;; Other mailing lists...
11377 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
11378 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
11379 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
11380 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
11381 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
11382 ;; message was really cross-posted.
11383 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
11384 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
11386 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
11387 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
11391 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
11392 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
11393 the five possible split syntaxes:
11398 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
11399 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
11403 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
11404 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
11405 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
11406 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
11407 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
11408 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
11409 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
11410 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
11413 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11414 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
11415 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
11416 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
11419 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11420 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
11423 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
11424 this message. Use with extreme caution.
11427 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
11428 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
11429 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
11430 function should return a @var{split}.
11433 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11434 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
11435 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
11439 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
11443 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
11444 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
11445 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
11446 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
11447 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
11449 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
11450 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
11451 are expanded as specified by the variable
11452 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
11453 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
11456 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
11457 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
11458 when all this splitting is performed.
11460 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
11461 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
11462 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
11465 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
11468 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
11469 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
11471 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
11472 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
11473 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
11474 groupings 1 through 9.
11477 @node Group Mail Splitting
11478 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
11479 @cindex mail splitting
11480 @cindex group mail splitting
11482 @findex gnus-group-split
11483 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
11484 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
11485 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
11486 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
11487 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
11488 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
11489 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
11490 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
11492 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
11493 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
11494 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
11495 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
11497 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
11498 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
11499 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
11500 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
11501 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
11502 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
11503 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
11505 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
11506 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
11507 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
11508 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
11509 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
11510 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
11511 @code{gnus-group-split}.
11513 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
11514 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
11515 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
11516 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
11517 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
11518 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
11519 that group is used as the catch-all group. Note that, in this case,
11520 there's no cross-posting, as a @code{|} fancy split encloses the
11521 @code{&} split and the catch-all group.
11523 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
11528 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
11529 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
11531 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
11532 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
11533 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
11534 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
11536 ((split-spec . catch-all))
11539 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
11540 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
11541 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
11544 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
11545 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
11546 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
11550 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
11551 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
11552 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
11556 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
11559 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
11560 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
11561 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
11562 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} may be the name
11563 of a group to be used as the default catch-all group. If
11564 @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
11565 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
11566 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
11567 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
11569 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
11570 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
11571 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
11572 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
11573 used to select @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
11574 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
11575 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
11576 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
11577 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
11579 @findex gnus-group-split-update
11580 However, if you change group parameters, you have to update
11581 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
11582 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
11583 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
11584 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
11587 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
11590 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
11591 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
11592 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
11593 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional),
11594 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
11597 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
11598 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
11599 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
11600 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
11602 @node Incorporating Old Mail
11603 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
11605 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
11606 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
11607 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
11610 Doing so can be quite easy.
11612 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
11613 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
11614 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
11615 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
11616 your @code{nnml} groups.
11622 Go to the group buffer.
11625 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
11626 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11629 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
11632 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
11633 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
11636 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
11637 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
11640 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
11641 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
11642 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
11643 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
11644 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
11646 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
11647 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
11648 using the new mail backend.
11651 @node Expiring Mail
11652 @subsection Expiring Mail
11653 @cindex article expiry
11655 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
11656 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
11657 different approach to mail reading.
11659 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
11660 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
11661 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
11662 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
11663 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
11664 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
11667 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
11668 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
11669 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
11670 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
11671 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
11672 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
11673 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
11674 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
11676 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
11677 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
11678 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
11679 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
11680 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
11681 column in the summary buffer.
11683 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
11684 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
11685 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
11686 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
11689 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
11691 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
11692 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
11693 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
11696 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
11697 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
11698 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
11699 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
11700 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
11702 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
11703 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
11706 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
11707 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
11710 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
11711 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
11713 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
11714 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
11715 don't really mix very well.
11717 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
11718 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
11719 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
11720 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
11723 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
11724 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
11725 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
11726 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
11729 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
11731 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
11733 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
11735 ((string= group "mail.junk")
11737 ((string= group "important")
11743 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
11744 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
11746 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
11747 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
11748 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
11751 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
11752 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
11754 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
11755 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
11756 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
11757 other groups instead of deleting them. The @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
11758 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
11759 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
11760 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
11761 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
11762 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
11763 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
11766 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
11767 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
11768 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
11769 easier for procmail users.
11771 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
11772 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
11773 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
11774 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
11775 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
11776 caution. Even more dangerous is the
11777 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
11778 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
11779 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
11780 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
11781 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
11782 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
11783 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
11786 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
11788 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
11789 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
11790 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
11791 auto-expire turned on.
11795 @subsection Washing Mail
11796 @cindex mail washing
11797 @cindex list server brain damage
11798 @cindex incoming mail treatment
11800 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
11801 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
11802 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
11803 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
11804 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
11805 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
11807 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
11808 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
11809 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
11812 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
11813 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
11814 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
11815 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
11818 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
11819 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
11820 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
11821 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
11822 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
11825 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
11826 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
11827 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
11828 Emacs running on MS machines.
11832 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
11833 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
11834 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
11835 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
11838 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
11839 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
11840 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
11841 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
11843 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
11844 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
11845 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
11846 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
11847 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
11848 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
11849 also be a list of regexp.
11851 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
11852 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
11855 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
11856 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
11859 This can also be done non-destructively with
11860 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
11862 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
11863 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
11864 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
11866 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
11867 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
11869 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
11870 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
11871 @code{References} headers.
11875 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
11876 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
11877 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
11881 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
11882 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
11883 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
11890 @subsection Duplicates
11892 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
11893 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
11894 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
11895 @cindex duplicate mails
11896 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
11897 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
11898 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
11899 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
11900 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
11901 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
11902 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
11903 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
11904 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
11905 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
11906 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
11907 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
11908 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
11910 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
11911 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
11912 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
11913 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
11915 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
11918 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
11919 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
11923 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
11924 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
11925 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
11926 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
11927 (any mail "mail.misc")
11934 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11935 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
11940 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
11941 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
11942 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
11943 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
11944 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
11947 @node Not Reading Mail
11948 @subsection Not Reading Mail
11950 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
11951 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
11952 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
11954 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
11955 @code{nil}, none of the backends will ever attempt to read incoming
11956 mail, which should help.
11958 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
11959 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
11960 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
11961 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
11962 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
11963 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
11964 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
11965 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
11966 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
11967 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
11968 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
11970 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
11971 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
11975 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
11976 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
11978 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
11979 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
11980 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
11982 There are five different mail backends in the standard Gnus, and more
11983 backends are available separately. The mail backend most people use
11984 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
11985 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
11988 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
11989 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
11990 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
11991 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
11992 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
11993 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
11997 @node Unix Mail Box
11998 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
12000 @cindex unix mail box
12002 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12003 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12004 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
12005 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
12006 which group it belongs in.
12008 Virtual server settings:
12011 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
12012 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12013 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
12015 @item nnmbox-active-file
12016 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12017 The name of the active file for the mail box.
12019 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
12020 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12021 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
12027 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
12031 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12032 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12033 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
12034 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
12035 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
12037 Virtual server settings:
12040 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
12041 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12042 The name of the rmail mbox file.
12044 @item nnbabyl-active-file
12045 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12046 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
12048 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12049 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12050 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
12055 @subsubsection Mail Spool
12057 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
12059 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
12060 format. It should be used with some caution.
12062 @vindex nnml-directory
12063 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
12064 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
12065 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
12066 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
12068 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
12071 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
12072 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
12073 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
12074 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
12075 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
12076 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
12077 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
12078 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
12080 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
12081 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
12082 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
12083 backend when it comes to reading mail.
12085 Virtual server settings:
12088 @item nnml-directory
12089 @vindex nnml-directory
12090 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
12092 @item nnml-active-file
12093 @vindex nnml-active-file
12094 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
12096 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
12097 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
12098 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
12101 @item nnml-get-new-mail
12102 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12103 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
12105 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
12106 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
12107 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
12109 @item nnml-nov-file-name
12110 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
12111 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
12113 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12114 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12115 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
12119 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
12120 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
12121 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
12122 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
12123 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
12124 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
12125 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
12130 @subsubsection MH Spool
12132 @cindex mh-e mail spool
12134 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
12135 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
12136 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
12137 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
12139 Virtual server settings:
12142 @item nnmh-directory
12143 @vindex nnmh-directory
12144 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
12146 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
12147 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12148 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
12151 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
12152 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
12153 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
12154 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
12155 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
12156 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
12157 to set this variable to @code{t}.
12162 @subsubsection Mail Folders
12164 @cindex mbox folders
12165 @cindex mail folders
12167 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
12168 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
12169 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
12172 Virtual server settings:
12175 @item nnfolder-directory
12176 @vindex nnfolder-directory
12177 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
12179 @item nnfolder-active-file
12180 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
12181 The name of the active file.
12183 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12184 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12185 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
12187 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
12188 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12189 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
12191 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12192 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12193 @cindex backup files
12194 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
12195 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
12196 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
12197 your @file{.emacs} file:
12200 (defun turn-off-backup ()
12201 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
12203 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
12206 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12207 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12208 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
12209 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
12210 extract some information from it before removing it.
12215 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
12216 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
12217 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
12218 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
12219 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
12220 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
12223 @node Comparing Mail Backends
12224 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Backends
12226 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{backend} is the common word for a
12227 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
12228 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
12229 and so selection of a suitable backend is required in order to get that
12230 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
12232 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
12233 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
12234 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
12235 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
12236 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
12237 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
12238 @code{nnspool} backends, to select between these methods, if one happens
12239 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
12242 The goal in selecting a mail backend is to pick one which
12243 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
12244 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
12245 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
12250 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
12251 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
12252 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
12253 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
12254 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
12255 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
12256 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
12257 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
12258 this backend, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
12259 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
12260 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
12261 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
12262 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
12267 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
12268 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
12269 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
12270 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
12271 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
12272 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
12273 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
12274 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
12275 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
12276 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
12277 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
12278 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
12279 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
12280 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
12282 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
12283 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
12288 @code{nnml} is the backend which smells the most as though you were
12289 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
12290 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
12291 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
12292 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
12293 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
12294 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
12295 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
12296 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
12297 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
12298 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
12299 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
12300 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
12301 provided by the active file and overviews.
12303 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
12304 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
12305 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
12306 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
12307 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
12310 It is also problematic using this backend if you are living in a
12311 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
12316 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
12317 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
12318 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
12319 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
12320 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
12321 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
12322 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
12326 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
12327 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
12328 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
12329 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
12330 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
12331 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
12332 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
12333 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
12334 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
12336 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
12337 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
12338 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
12339 friendly mail backend all over.
12344 @node Browsing the Web
12345 @section Browsing the Web
12347 @cindex browsing the web
12351 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
12352 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
12353 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
12354 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
12355 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
12356 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
12357 even know what a news group is.
12359 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
12360 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
12361 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
12362 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
12363 you mad in the end.
12365 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
12368 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of backends for providing
12369 interfaces to these sources.
12372 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
12373 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
12374 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
12375 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
12376 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
12379 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
12381 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
12382 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
12383 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus backend
12384 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these backends,
12385 though, you should be ok.
12387 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
12388 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
12389 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
12390 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
12391 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
12395 @subsection Web Searches
12399 @cindex InReference
12400 @cindex Usenet searches
12401 @cindex searching the Usenet
12403 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
12404 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
12405 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
12406 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
12407 searches without having to use a browser.
12409 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
12410 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
12411 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
12412 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
12413 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
12415 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
12416 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
12417 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
12418 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
12419 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
12420 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
12421 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
12422 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
12423 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
12424 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
12427 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
12428 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
12429 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
12430 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
12431 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
12432 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
12434 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
12435 to use @code{nnweb}.
12437 Virtual server variables:
12442 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
12443 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
12447 @vindex nnweb-search
12448 The search string to feed to the search engine.
12450 @item nnweb-max-hits
12451 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
12452 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
12455 @item nnweb-type-definition
12456 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
12457 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
12458 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
12463 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
12467 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
12470 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
12473 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
12477 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
12484 @subsection Slashdot
12488 Slashdot (@file{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
12489 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
12490 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
12492 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
12493 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
12496 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
12497 '((nnslashdot "")))
12500 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} backend for new comments
12501 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
12502 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
12503 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
12504 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
12507 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
12508 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12510 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
12511 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
12512 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
12513 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
12514 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
12515 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
12518 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
12521 @item nnslashdot-threaded
12522 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
12523 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
12524 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
12525 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
12526 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
12527 but much, much slower than untreaded.
12529 @item nnslashdot-login-name
12530 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
12531 The login name to use when posting.
12533 @item nnslashdot-password
12534 @vindex nnslashdot-password
12535 The password to use when posting.
12537 @item nnslashdot-directory
12538 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
12539 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default value is
12540 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
12542 @item nnslashdot-active-url
12543 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
12544 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
12545 news articles and comments. The default is
12546 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
12548 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
12549 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
12550 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
12552 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
12554 @item nnslashdot-article-url
12555 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
12556 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
12558 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
12560 @item nnslashdot-threshold
12561 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
12562 The score threshold. The default is -1.
12564 @item nnslashdot-group-number
12565 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
12566 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
12567 updated. The default is 0.
12574 @subsection Ultimate
12576 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
12578 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@file{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
12579 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
12580 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
12581 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
12583 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
12584 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
12585 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
12586 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
12587 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
12588 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
12589 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
12591 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
12594 @item nnultimate-directory
12595 @vindex nnultimate-directory
12596 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
12597 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
12602 @subsection Web Archive
12604 @cindex Web Archive
12606 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
12607 @file{http://www.egroups.com/} and
12608 @file{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
12609 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
12612 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
12613 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
12614 gnus-group-make-nnwarchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
12615 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
12616 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
12617 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
12618 backend by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
12620 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
12623 @item nnwarchive-directory
12624 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
12625 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
12626 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
12628 @item nnwarchive-login
12629 @vindex nnwarchive-login
12630 The account name on the web server.
12632 @item nnwarchive-passwd
12633 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
12634 The password for your account on the web server.
12638 @node Customizing w3
12639 @subsection Customizing w3
12645 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
12646 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
12647 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
12649 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
12650 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
12651 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
12654 (eval-after-load "w3"
12656 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
12657 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
12658 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
12659 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
12661 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
12664 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
12665 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
12669 @node Other Sources
12670 @section Other Sources
12672 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
12673 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
12677 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
12678 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
12679 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
12680 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
12681 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
12682 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
12686 @node Directory Groups
12687 @subsection Directory Groups
12689 @cindex directory groups
12691 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
12692 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
12695 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
12696 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
12697 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
12698 backend to read directories. Big deal.
12700 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
12701 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
12702 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
12703 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
12704 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
12706 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
12708 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
12709 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
12710 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
12711 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
12714 @node Anything Groups
12715 @subsection Anything Groups
12718 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
12719 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
12720 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
12723 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
12724 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
12725 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
12726 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
12727 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
12728 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
12729 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
12730 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
12731 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
12732 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
12735 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
12736 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
12737 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
12738 in the article buffer, just as usual.
12740 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
12741 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
12742 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
12743 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
12745 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
12746 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
12747 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
12748 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
12749 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
12750 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
12751 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
12752 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
12757 @item nneething-map-file-directory
12758 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
12759 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
12760 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
12762 @item nneething-exclude-files
12763 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
12764 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
12765 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
12767 @item nneething-include-files
12768 @vindex nneething-include-files
12769 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
12770 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
12772 @item nneething-map-file
12773 @vindex nneething-map-file
12774 Name of the map files.
12778 @node Document Groups
12779 @subsection Document Groups
12781 @cindex documentation group
12784 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
12785 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
12792 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
12797 The standard Unix mbox file.
12799 @cindex MMDF mail box
12801 The MMDF mail box format.
12804 Several news articles appended into a file.
12807 @cindex rnews batch files
12808 The rnews batch transport format.
12809 @cindex forwarded messages
12812 Forwarded articles.
12815 Netscape mail boxes.
12818 MIME multipart messages.
12820 @item standard-digest
12821 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
12824 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
12827 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
12828 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
12829 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
12832 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
12833 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
12834 group. And that's it.
12836 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
12837 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
12838 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
12839 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
12840 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
12841 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
12842 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
12843 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
12844 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
12845 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
12847 Virtual server variables:
12850 @item nndoc-article-type
12851 @vindex nndoc-article-type
12852 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
12853 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
12854 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
12855 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
12857 @item nndoc-post-type
12858 @vindex nndoc-post-type
12859 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
12860 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
12865 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
12869 @node Document Server Internals
12870 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
12872 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
12873 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
12874 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
12875 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
12877 First, here's an example document type definition:
12881 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
12882 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
12885 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
12886 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
12887 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
12888 types can be defined with very few settings:
12891 @item first-article
12892 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
12893 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
12896 @item article-begin
12897 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
12898 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
12900 @item head-begin-function
12901 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
12904 @item nndoc-head-begin
12905 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
12908 @item nndoc-head-end
12909 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
12910 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
12912 @item body-begin-function
12913 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
12917 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
12920 @item body-end-function
12921 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
12925 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
12928 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
12929 regexp will be totally ignored.
12933 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
12934 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
12935 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
12936 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
12937 something that's palatable for Gnus:
12940 @item prepare-body-function
12941 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
12942 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
12943 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
12945 @item article-transform-function
12946 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
12947 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
12948 body of the article.
12950 @item generate-head-function
12951 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
12952 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
12953 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
12954 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
12958 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
12963 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
12964 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
12965 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
12966 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
12967 (head-end . "^ ?$")
12968 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
12969 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
12970 (subtype digest guess))
12973 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
12974 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
12975 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
12976 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
12977 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
12979 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
12980 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
12981 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
12982 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
12983 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
12984 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
12985 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
12986 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
12987 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
12988 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
12996 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
12997 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
12998 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
13000 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
13001 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
13002 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
13005 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
13006 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
13007 that interested in doing things properly.
13009 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
13010 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
13013 First some terminology:
13018 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
13019 get news and/or mail from.
13022 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
13023 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
13026 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
13030 @item message packets
13031 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
13032 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
13033 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13035 @item response packets
13036 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
13037 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
13038 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13048 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
13049 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
13050 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
13051 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
13054 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
13057 You put the packet in your home directory.
13060 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
13061 the native or secondary server.
13064 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
13065 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
13068 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
13072 You transfer this packet to the server.
13075 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
13078 You then repeat until you die.
13082 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
13083 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
13086 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
13087 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
13088 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
13092 @node SOUP Commands
13093 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
13095 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
13099 @kindex G s b (Group)
13100 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
13101 Pack all unread articles in the current group
13102 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
13103 process/prefix convention.
13106 @kindex G s w (Group)
13107 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
13108 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
13111 @kindex G s s (Group)
13112 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
13113 Send all replies from the replies packet
13114 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
13117 @kindex G s p (Group)
13118 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
13119 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
13122 @kindex G s r (Group)
13123 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
13124 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
13127 @kindex O s (Summary)
13128 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
13129 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
13130 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
13131 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13136 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
13141 @item gnus-soup-directory
13142 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
13143 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
13144 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
13146 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
13147 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
13148 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
13149 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
13151 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
13152 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
13153 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
13154 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
13156 @item gnus-soup-packer
13157 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
13158 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13159 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
13161 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
13162 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
13163 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13164 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13166 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
13167 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
13168 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
13170 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13171 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13172 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
13173 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
13179 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
13182 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
13183 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
13184 you can read them at leisure.
13186 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
13190 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
13191 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
13192 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
13193 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
13195 @item nnsoup-directory
13196 @vindex nnsoup-directory
13197 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
13198 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
13200 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
13201 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
13202 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
13203 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
13205 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
13206 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
13207 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
13208 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
13209 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
13211 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
13212 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
13213 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
13214 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
13216 @item nnsoup-active-file
13217 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
13218 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
13219 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
13220 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
13221 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
13223 @item nnsoup-packer
13224 @vindex nnsoup-packer
13225 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
13226 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
13228 @item nnsoup-unpacker
13229 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
13230 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
13231 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13233 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
13234 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
13235 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
13238 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
13239 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
13240 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
13243 @item nnsoup-always-save
13244 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
13245 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
13251 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
13253 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
13254 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
13255 more for that to happen.
13257 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
13258 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
13259 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
13262 In specific, this is what it does:
13265 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
13266 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
13269 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
13270 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
13271 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
13274 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
13275 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
13276 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
13279 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
13280 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
13281 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
13283 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
13289 @item nngateway-address
13290 @vindex nngateway-address
13291 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
13293 @item nngateway-header-transformation
13294 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
13295 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
13296 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
13297 transformation should be called, and defaults to
13298 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
13299 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
13302 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
13303 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
13304 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
13307 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
13310 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
13313 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
13316 The following pre-defined functions exist:
13318 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13321 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13322 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13323 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
13325 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13327 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13328 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13329 @code{nngateway-address}.
13334 (setq gnus-post-method
13335 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
13336 (nngateway-header-transformation
13337 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
13345 So, to use this, simply say something like:
13348 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
13354 @subsection @sc{imap}
13358 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
13359 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap} server
13360 is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just specify the
13361 network address of the server.
13363 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
13368 @item nnimap-address
13369 @vindex nnimap-address
13371 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
13372 server name if not specified.
13374 @item nnimap-server-port
13375 @vindex nnimap-server-port
13376 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
13378 @item nnimap-list-pattern
13379 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
13380 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
13381 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
13382 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
13383 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
13384 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
13386 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
13387 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
13388 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
13394 ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*" ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))
13397 @item nnimap-stream
13398 @vindex nnimap-stream
13399 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
13400 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
13401 of SSL. (SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can be automatically
13402 detected, but it's not widely deployed yet).
13406 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Require the
13407 @samp{imtest} program.
13409 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Require the @samp{imtest} program.
13411 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
13412 SSL). Require the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13415 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Require OpenSSL (the
13416 program @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
13418 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
13421 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD, nnimap support
13422 both @samp{imtest} version 1.5.x and version 1.6.x.
13424 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
13425 @file{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
13426 and nnimap support it too - although the most recent versions of SSLeay,
13427 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it useless. Earlier
13428 versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to work.
13430 @item nnimap-authenticator
13431 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
13433 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
13434 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
13438 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
13439 external program @code{imtest}.
13441 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
13444 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
13445 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
13447 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
13449 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
13451 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
13454 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
13456 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
13457 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
13458 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
13459 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
13460 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
13461 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
13464 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
13465 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
13466 running in circles yet?
13468 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
13469 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
13472 The possible options are:
13477 The default behaviour, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
13480 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
13481 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
13482 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
13483 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
13485 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
13492 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
13493 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
13494 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
13499 @node Splitting in IMAP
13500 @subsubsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
13501 @cindex splitting imap mail
13503 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
13504 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
13505 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
13506 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
13507 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
13511 Here are the variables of interest:
13515 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
13516 @cindex splitting, crosspost
13518 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
13520 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
13521 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
13523 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
13525 @item nnimap-split-inbox
13526 @cindex splitting, inbox
13528 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
13530 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
13531 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
13535 (setq nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
13538 No nnmail equivalent.
13540 @item nnimap-split-rule
13541 @cindex Splitting, rules
13542 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
13544 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
13547 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
13548 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
13549 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
13550 Neither did I, we need examples.
13553 (setq nnimap-split-rule
13554 '(("INBOX.nnimap" "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
13555 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
13556 ("INBOX.private" "")))
13559 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
13560 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
13561 into INBOX.spam and everything else in INBOX.private.
13563 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
13564 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
13568 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
13571 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13572 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
13573 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
13574 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
13576 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
13577 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
13578 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
13579 of your inbox. (This might might affect performance if you keep lots of
13580 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
13581 them every time you fetch new mail.)
13583 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
13584 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
13585 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
13587 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
13588 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
13589 thinks the article should be splitted to.
13591 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
13593 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
13595 @item nnimap-split-predicate
13597 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
13599 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
13600 splitted, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
13602 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
13603 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
13604 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
13607 @item nnimap-split-fancy
13608 @cindex splitting, fancy
13609 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
13610 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
13612 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
13613 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
13614 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
13616 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
13617 nnimap backends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
13618 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
13619 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
13624 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
13625 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
13628 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
13632 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
13633 @subsubsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
13634 @cindex editing imap acls
13635 @cindex Access Control Lists
13636 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
13638 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
13640 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
13641 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
13642 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
13645 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
13646 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
13647 editing window with detailed instructions.
13649 Some possible uses:
13653 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
13654 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
13655 follow the list without subscribing to it.
13657 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
13658 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
13659 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
13663 @node Expunging mailboxes
13664 @subsubsection Expunging mailboxes
13668 @cindex Manual expunging
13670 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
13672 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-close},
13673 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
13674 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
13676 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
13681 @node Combined Groups
13682 @section Combined Groups
13684 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
13688 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
13689 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
13693 @node Virtual Groups
13694 @subsection Virtual Groups
13696 @cindex virtual groups
13697 @cindex merging groups
13699 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
13702 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
13703 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
13704 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
13706 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
13707 regexp to match component groups.
13709 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
13710 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
13711 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
13712 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
13713 the virtual group.)
13715 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
13716 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
13719 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
13722 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
13723 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
13725 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
13726 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
13727 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
13728 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
13731 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
13734 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
13735 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
13736 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
13738 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
13739 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
13740 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
13741 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
13742 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
13744 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
13745 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
13746 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
13748 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
13749 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
13750 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
13751 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
13752 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
13753 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
13754 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
13755 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
13756 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
13757 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
13758 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
13760 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
13761 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
13762 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
13763 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
13764 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
13765 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
13766 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
13768 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
13769 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
13773 @node Kibozed Groups
13774 @subsection Kibozed Groups
13778 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
13779 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
13780 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
13781 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
13783 @kindex G k (Group)
13784 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
13787 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
13788 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
13789 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
13790 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
13792 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
13793 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
13794 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
13796 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
13797 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
13798 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
13799 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
13800 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
13801 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
13802 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
13803 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
13805 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
13806 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
13807 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
13808 Stranger things have happened.
13810 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
13811 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
13813 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
13814 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
13815 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
13816 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
13817 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
13818 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
13820 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
13821 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
13824 @node Gnus Unplugged
13825 @section Gnus Unplugged
13830 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
13832 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
13833 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
13834 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
13835 read news. Believe it or not.
13837 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
13838 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
13839 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
13840 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
13841 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
13843 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
13844 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
13845 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
13846 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
13847 reading news on a machine.
13849 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
13853 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
13854 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
13858 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
13859 @file{.gnus.el} file:
13866 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
13868 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
13871 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
13872 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
13873 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
13874 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
13875 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
13876 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
13877 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
13878 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
13879 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
13884 @subsection Agent Basics
13886 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
13888 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
13889 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
13890 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
13891 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
13893 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
13894 connected to the net continuously.
13896 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
13897 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
13899 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
13904 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
13905 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
13906 already fetched while in this mode.
13909 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
13910 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
13911 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged}.
13914 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
13915 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
13916 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
13917 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
13920 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
13921 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
13922 then you read the news offline.
13925 And then you go to step 2.
13928 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
13934 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
13935 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
13936 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
13937 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
13938 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
13939 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
13942 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
13949 @node Agent Categories
13950 @subsection Agent Categories
13952 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
13953 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
13954 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
13955 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
13956 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
13957 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
13958 you're interested in the articles anyway.
13960 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
13961 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
13962 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
13963 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
13964 managing categories.
13967 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
13968 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
13969 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
13973 @node Category Syntax
13974 @subsubsection Category Syntax
13976 A category consists of two things.
13980 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
13981 are eligible for downloading; and
13984 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
13985 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
13986 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
13989 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
13990 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
13991 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
13992 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
13994 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
13995 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
13996 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as descibed below.
13998 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
13999 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
14000 operators sprinkled in between.
14002 Perhaps some examples are in order.
14004 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
14005 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
14011 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
14012 short (for some value of ``short'').
14014 Here's a more complex predicate:
14023 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
14024 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
14027 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
14028 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
14029 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
14031 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
14032 you want to do, you can write your own.
14036 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
14037 lines; default 100.
14040 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
14041 lines; default 200.
14044 True iff the article has a download score less than
14045 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
14048 True iff the article has a download score greater than
14049 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
14052 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
14053 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
14054 checksum and sees whether articles match.
14063 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
14064 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
14065 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
14068 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
14069 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
14070 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
14071 something along the lines of the following:
14074 (defun my-article-old-p ()
14075 "Say whether an article is old."
14076 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
14077 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
14080 with the predicate then defined as:
14083 (not my-article-old-p)
14086 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
14087 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
14088 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
14089 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
14092 (defvar gnus-category-predicate-alist
14093 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
14094 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
14097 and simply specify your predicate as:
14103 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
14104 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
14105 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
14106 just don't give a damm.
14108 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
14109 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
14110 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
14111 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
14112 parameters like so:
14115 (agent-predicate . short)
14118 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
14119 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
14120 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
14122 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
14125 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
14128 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
14129 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
14130 predicate is assumed to be a list.
14133 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
14134 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
14135 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
14136 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
14137 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
14138 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
14140 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
14141 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
14142 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
14143 if it's to be specific to that group.
14145 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
14152 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
14153 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
14159 Category specification
14163 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14169 Group Parameter specification
14172 (agent-score ("from"
14173 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14178 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
14184 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
14191 Category specification
14194 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
14200 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
14204 Group Parameter specification
14207 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
14210 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
14215 Use @code{normal} score files
14217 If you dont want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
14218 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
14219 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
14220 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
14222 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
14223 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
14224 files for a group, *filtering out* those those sections that do not
14225 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
14229 Category Specification
14236 Group Parameter specification
14239 (agent-score . file)
14244 @node The Category Buffer
14245 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
14247 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
14248 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
14249 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
14251 The following commands are available in this buffer:
14255 @kindex q (Category)
14256 @findex gnus-category-exit
14257 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
14260 @kindex k (Category)
14261 @findex gnus-category-kill
14262 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
14265 @kindex c (Category)
14266 @findex gnus-category-copy
14267 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
14270 @kindex a (Category)
14271 @findex gnus-category-add
14272 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
14275 @kindex p (Category)
14276 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
14277 Edit the predicate of the current category
14278 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
14281 @kindex g (Category)
14282 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
14283 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
14284 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
14287 @kindex s (Category)
14288 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
14289 Edit the download score rule of the current category
14290 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
14293 @kindex l (Category)
14294 @findex gnus-category-list
14295 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
14299 @node Category Variables
14300 @subsubsection Category Variables
14303 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
14304 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
14305 Hook run in category buffers.
14307 @item gnus-category-line-format
14308 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
14309 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
14310 Variables}). Valid elements are:
14314 The name of the category.
14317 The number of groups in the category.
14320 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
14321 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
14322 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
14324 @item gnus-agent-short-article
14325 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
14326 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
14328 @item gnus-agent-long-article
14329 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
14330 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
14332 @item gnus-agent-low-score
14333 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
14334 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
14337 @item gnus-agent-high-score
14338 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
14339 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
14345 @node Agent Commands
14346 @subsection Agent Commands
14348 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
14349 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
14350 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
14354 * Group Agent Commands::
14355 * Summary Agent Commands::
14356 * Server Agent Commands::
14359 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
14360 following incantation:
14362 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14364 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14369 @node Group Agent Commands
14370 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
14374 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
14375 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
14376 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
14377 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
14380 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
14381 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
14382 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
14385 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
14386 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
14387 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
14388 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
14391 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
14392 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
14393 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
14394 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
14397 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
14398 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
14399 Add the current group to an Agent category
14400 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
14401 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14404 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
14405 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
14406 Remove the current group from its category, if any
14407 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
14408 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14413 @node Summary Agent Commands
14414 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
14418 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
14419 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
14420 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
14423 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
14424 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
14425 Remove the downloading mark from the article
14426 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
14429 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
14430 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
14431 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
14434 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
14435 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
14436 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
14441 @node Server Agent Commands
14442 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
14446 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
14447 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
14448 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
14449 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
14452 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
14453 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
14454 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
14455 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
14461 @subsection Agent Expiry
14463 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
14464 @findex gnus-agent-expire
14465 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
14466 @cindex Agent expiry
14467 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
14470 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
14471 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
14472 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
14473 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
14474 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
14475 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
14477 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
14478 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
14479 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
14480 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
14481 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
14484 @node Outgoing Messages
14485 @subsection Outgoing Messages
14487 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
14488 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
14489 after posting, and edit them at will.
14491 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
14492 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
14493 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
14494 messages in the draft group.
14498 @node Agent Variables
14499 @subsection Agent Variables
14502 @item gnus-agent-directory
14503 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
14504 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
14505 @file{~/News/agent/}.
14507 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
14508 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
14509 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
14510 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
14511 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
14514 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
14515 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
14516 Hook run when connecting to the network.
14518 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
14519 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
14520 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
14525 @node Example Setup
14526 @subsection Example Setup
14528 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
14529 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
14530 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
14533 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
14534 ;;; from your ISP's server.
14535 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
14537 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
14538 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
14539 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
14541 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
14542 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
14544 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
14548 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
14549 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
14552 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
14553 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
14554 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
14555 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
14556 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
14559 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
14560 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
14561 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
14562 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
14563 back all the killed groups.)
14565 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
14566 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
14567 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
14570 @node Batching Agents
14571 @subsection Batching Agents
14573 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
14574 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
14575 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
14579 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
14583 @node Agent Caveats
14584 @subsection Agent Caveats
14586 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
14587 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
14591 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
14596 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
14597 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
14603 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
14604 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
14611 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
14612 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
14613 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
14616 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
14617 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
14618 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
14619 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
14620 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
14622 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
14623 before generating the summary buffer.
14625 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
14626 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
14627 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
14629 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
14630 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
14631 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
14632 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
14635 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
14636 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
14637 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
14638 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
14639 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
14640 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
14641 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
14642 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
14643 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
14644 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
14645 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
14646 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
14647 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
14648 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
14649 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
14650 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
14654 @node Summary Score Commands
14655 @section Summary Score Commands
14656 @cindex score commands
14658 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
14659 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
14660 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
14661 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
14662 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
14664 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
14665 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
14666 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
14667 score file the current one.
14669 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
14674 @kindex V s (Summary)
14675 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
14676 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
14679 @kindex V S (Summary)
14680 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
14681 Display the score of the current article
14682 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
14685 @kindex V t (Summary)
14686 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
14687 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
14688 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
14691 @kindex V R (Summary)
14692 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
14693 Run the current summary through the scoring process
14694 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
14695 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
14696 effect you're having.
14699 @kindex V c (Summary)
14700 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
14701 Make a different score file the current
14702 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
14705 @kindex V e (Summary)
14706 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
14707 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
14708 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
14712 @kindex V f (Summary)
14713 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
14714 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
14715 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
14718 @kindex V F (Summary)
14719 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
14720 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
14721 after editing score files.
14724 @kindex V C (Summary)
14725 @findex gnus-score-customize
14726 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
14727 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
14731 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
14736 @kindex V m (Summary)
14737 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
14738 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
14739 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
14742 @kindex V x (Summary)
14743 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
14744 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
14745 expunge all articles below this score
14746 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
14749 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
14750 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
14753 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
14754 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
14758 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
14759 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
14761 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
14762 keys are available:
14766 Score on the author name.
14769 Score on the subject line.
14772 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
14775 Score on the @code{References} line.
14781 Score on the number of lines.
14784 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
14787 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
14788 the followups to this author.
14802 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
14803 what headers you are scoring on.
14815 Substring matching.
14818 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
14847 Greater than number.
14852 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
14853 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
14854 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
14858 Temporary score entry.
14861 Permanent score entry.
14864 Immediately scoring.
14869 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
14870 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
14871 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
14872 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
14874 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
14875 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
14876 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
14877 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
14878 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
14880 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
14881 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
14882 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
14883 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
14884 current score file.
14886 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
14887 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
14888 pretend they are keymaps or not.
14891 @node Group Score Commands
14892 @section Group Score Commands
14893 @cindex group score commands
14895 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
14900 @kindex W f (Group)
14901 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
14902 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
14903 all the time. This command will flush the cache
14904 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
14908 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
14910 @findex gnus-batch-score
14911 @cindex batch scoring
14913 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
14917 @node Score Variables
14918 @section Score Variables
14919 @cindex score variables
14923 @item gnus-use-scoring
14924 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
14925 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
14926 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
14928 @item gnus-kill-killed
14929 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
14930 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
14931 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
14932 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
14933 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
14934 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
14935 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
14937 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
14938 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
14939 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
14940 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
14941 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
14943 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
14944 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
14945 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
14946 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
14948 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
14949 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
14950 @cindex score cache
14951 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
14952 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
14953 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
14954 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
14955 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
14956 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
14959 @item gnus-save-score
14960 @vindex gnus-save-score
14961 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
14962 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
14963 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
14965 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
14966 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
14967 across group visits.
14969 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
14970 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
14971 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
14972 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
14973 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
14974 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
14975 manually entered data.
14977 @item gnus-summary-default-score
14978 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
14979 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
14981 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
14982 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
14983 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
14984 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
14985 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
14986 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
14988 @item gnus-score-over-mark
14989 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
14990 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
14991 default. Default is @samp{+}.
14993 @item gnus-score-below-mark
14994 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
14995 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
14996 default. Default is @samp{-}.
14998 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
14999 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15000 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
15001 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
15003 Predefined functions available are:
15006 @item gnus-score-find-single
15007 @findex gnus-score-find-single
15008 Only apply the group's own score file.
15010 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
15011 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
15012 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
15013 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
15014 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
15015 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
15016 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
15017 then a regexp match is done.
15019 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
15020 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
15022 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
15023 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
15024 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
15025 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
15027 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15028 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15029 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
15030 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
15031 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
15034 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
15035 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
15036 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
15037 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
15038 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
15039 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
15042 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
15043 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
15044 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
15045 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
15046 are expired. It's 7 by default.
15048 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15049 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15050 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
15051 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
15052 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
15053 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
15054 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
15057 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15058 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15059 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
15061 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
15062 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
15063 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
15064 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
15065 threading---according to the current value of
15066 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
15067 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
15068 simplified in this manner.
15073 @node Score File Format
15074 @section Score File Format
15075 @cindex score file format
15077 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
15078 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
15079 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
15081 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
15085 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
15087 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
15089 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
15091 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
15096 (mark-and-expunge -10)
15100 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
15101 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
15102 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
15103 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
15107 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
15108 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
15110 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
15111 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
15112 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
15114 Six keys are supported by this alist:
15119 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
15120 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
15121 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
15122 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
15123 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
15124 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
15125 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
15126 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
15127 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
15128 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
15129 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
15130 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
15131 to articles that matches these score entries.
15133 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
15134 score entry has one to four elements.
15138 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
15139 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
15143 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
15144 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
15145 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
15146 is successful. If this element is not present, the
15147 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
15148 instead. This is 1000 by default.
15151 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
15152 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
15153 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
15154 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
15155 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
15158 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
15159 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
15160 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
15161 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
15164 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
15165 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
15166 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
15167 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
15168 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
15169 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
15170 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
15171 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
15172 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
15173 instead, if you feel like.
15176 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
15177 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
15179 These predicates are true if
15182 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
15185 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
15186 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
15193 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
15194 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
15195 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
15196 it's not. I think.)
15198 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
15199 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
15200 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
15201 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
15204 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
15205 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
15206 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
15207 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
15208 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
15209 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
15210 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
15214 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
15215 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
15216 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
15217 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
15218 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
15219 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
15220 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
15221 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
15224 @item Head, Body, All
15225 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
15229 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
15230 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
15231 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
15232 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
15233 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
15234 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
15235 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
15239 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
15240 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
15241 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
15242 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
15243 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
15244 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
15245 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
15246 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
15247 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
15248 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
15249 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
15253 @cindex Score File Atoms
15255 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15256 lower than this number will be marked as read.
15259 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15260 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
15262 @item mark-and-expunge
15263 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15264 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
15267 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
15268 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
15269 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
15270 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
15271 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
15274 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
15275 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
15278 @item exclude-files
15279 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
15280 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
15284 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
15285 ignored when handling global score files.
15288 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
15289 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
15290 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
15291 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
15294 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
15295 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
15296 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
15297 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
15299 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
15303 (mark-and-expunge -100)
15306 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
15307 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
15308 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
15309 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
15310 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
15312 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
15313 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
15314 ordinary scoring rules.
15317 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
15318 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
15319 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
15320 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
15321 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
15322 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
15323 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
15324 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
15325 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
15326 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
15327 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
15331 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
15332 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
15333 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
15334 file for a number of groups.
15337 @cindex local variables
15338 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
15339 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
15340 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
15341 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
15342 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
15346 @node Score File Editing
15347 @section Score File Editing
15349 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
15350 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
15351 with a mode for that.
15353 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
15354 additional commands:
15359 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
15360 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
15361 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
15362 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
15365 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
15366 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
15367 Insert the current date in numerical format
15368 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
15369 you were wondering.
15372 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
15373 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
15374 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
15375 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
15376 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
15381 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
15383 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
15384 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
15386 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
15387 e} to begin editing score files.
15390 @node Adaptive Scoring
15391 @section Adaptive Scoring
15392 @cindex adaptive scoring
15394 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
15395 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
15396 stupidity, to be precise.
15398 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
15399 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
15400 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
15401 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
15402 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
15403 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
15404 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
15405 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
15406 variable to @code{(word line)}.
15408 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
15409 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
15410 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
15411 might look something like this:
15414 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
15415 '((gnus-unread-mark)
15416 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
15417 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
15418 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
15419 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
15420 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
15421 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
15422 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
15423 (gnus-ancient-mark)
15424 (gnus-low-score-mark)
15425 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
15428 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
15429 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
15430 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
15431 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
15432 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
15433 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
15436 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
15437 will be applied to each article.
15439 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
15440 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
15441 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
15442 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
15444 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
15445 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
15446 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
15447 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
15449 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
15450 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
15451 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
15452 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
15454 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
15455 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
15456 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
15457 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
15458 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
15459 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
15461 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
15462 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
15463 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
15464 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
15465 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
15466 aspirins afterwards.)
15468 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
15469 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
15470 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
15472 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
15473 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
15474 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
15476 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
15477 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
15478 let you use different rules in different groups.
15480 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
15481 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
15482 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
15485 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
15486 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
15487 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
15488 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
15489 the length of the match is less than
15490 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
15491 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
15494 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
15495 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
15496 headers. If you adapt on words, the
15497 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
15498 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
15501 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
15502 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
15503 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
15504 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
15505 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
15508 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
15509 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
15510 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
15511 score with 30 points.
15513 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
15514 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
15515 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
15516 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
15517 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
15519 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
15520 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
15521 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
15522 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
15524 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
15525 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
15526 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
15527 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
15529 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
15530 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
15531 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
15532 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
15533 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
15535 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
15536 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
15537 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
15539 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
15540 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
15541 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
15542 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
15545 @node Home Score File
15546 @section Home Score File
15548 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
15549 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
15550 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
15551 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
15553 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
15554 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
15555 could perhaps use the same home score file.
15557 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
15558 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
15563 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
15567 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
15568 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
15572 A list. The elements in this list can be:
15576 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
15577 group name, the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
15580 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
15581 the home score file.
15584 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
15587 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
15592 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
15595 (setq gnus-home-score-file
15596 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
15599 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
15600 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
15602 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
15604 (setq gnus-home-score-file
15605 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
15608 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
15609 Other functions include
15612 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
15613 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
15614 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
15615 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
15619 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
15620 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
15621 their own home score files:
15624 (setq gnus-home-score-file
15625 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
15626 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
15627 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
15628 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
15631 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
15632 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
15633 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
15634 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
15635 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
15637 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
15638 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
15639 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
15640 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
15641 precedence over this variable.
15644 @node Followups To Yourself
15645 @section Followups To Yourself
15647 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
15648 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
15649 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
15650 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
15651 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
15652 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
15656 @item gnus-score-followup-article
15657 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
15658 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
15661 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
15662 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
15663 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
15667 @vindex message-sent-hook
15668 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
15669 @code{message-sent-hook}.
15671 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
15672 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
15676 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
15677 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
15680 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
15681 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
15686 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
15690 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
15691 is system-dependent.
15695 @section Scoring Tips
15696 @cindex scoring tips
15702 @cindex scoring crossposts
15703 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
15704 the @code{Xref} header.
15706 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
15709 @item Multiple crossposts
15710 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
15711 more than, say, 3 groups:
15713 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
15716 @item Matching on the body
15717 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
15718 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
15719 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
15720 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
15721 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
15722 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
15723 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
15726 @item Marking as read
15727 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
15728 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
15729 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
15733 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
15735 @item Negated character classes
15736 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
15737 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
15738 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
15742 @node Reverse Scoring
15743 @section Reverse Scoring
15744 @cindex reverse scoring
15746 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
15747 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
15748 like this in your score file:
15752 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
15757 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
15758 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
15761 @node Global Score Files
15762 @section Global Score Files
15763 @cindex global score files
15765 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
15766 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
15767 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
15769 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
15770 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
15771 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
15773 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
15774 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
15775 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
15776 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
15777 files are applicable to which group.
15779 Say you want to use the score file
15780 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
15781 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
15784 (setq gnus-global-score-files
15785 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
15786 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
15789 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
15790 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
15791 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
15792 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
15793 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
15795 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
15796 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
15798 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
15799 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
15800 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
15801 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
15802 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
15803 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
15805 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
15811 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
15813 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
15815 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
15817 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
15818 lowered out of existence.
15820 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
15821 articles completely.
15824 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
15825 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
15826 old articles for a long time.
15829 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
15830 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
15831 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
15832 holding our breath yet?
15836 @section Kill Files
15839 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
15840 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
15841 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
15843 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
15844 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
15845 files into score files.
15847 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
15848 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
15849 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
15850 that isn't a very good idea.
15852 Normal kill files look like this:
15855 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
15856 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
15860 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
15861 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
15863 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
15864 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
15867 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
15872 @kindex M-k (Summary)
15873 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
15874 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
15877 @kindex M-K (Summary)
15878 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
15879 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
15882 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
15887 @kindex M-k (Group)
15888 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
15889 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
15892 @kindex M-K (Group)
15893 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
15894 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
15897 Kill file variables:
15900 @item gnus-kill-file-name
15901 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
15902 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
15903 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
15904 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
15905 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
15906 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
15908 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
15909 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
15910 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
15911 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
15914 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
15915 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
15916 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
15917 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
15918 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
15919 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
15920 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
15921 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
15922 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
15924 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
15925 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
15926 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
15931 @node Converting Kill Files
15932 @section Converting Kill Files
15934 @cindex converting kill files
15936 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
15937 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
15938 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
15941 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
15942 You can fetch it from
15943 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
15945 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
15946 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
15947 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
15955 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
15956 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
15957 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
15959 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
15960 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
15961 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
15962 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
15963 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
15964 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
15965 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
15966 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
15970 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
15971 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
15972 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
15973 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
15977 @node Using GroupLens
15978 @subsection Using GroupLens
15980 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
15982 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
15983 better bit in town at the moment.
15985 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
15989 @item gnus-use-grouplens
15990 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
15991 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
15992 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
15994 @item grouplens-pseudonym
15995 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
15996 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
15997 with the Better Bit Bureau.
15999 @item grouplens-newsgroups
16000 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
16001 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
16005 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
16006 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
16007 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
16008 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
16009 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
16010 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
16013 @node Rating Articles
16014 @subsection Rating Articles
16016 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
16017 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
16018 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
16019 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
16022 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
16027 @kindex r (GroupLens)
16028 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
16029 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
16032 @kindex k (GroupLens)
16033 @findex grouplens-score-thread
16034 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
16035 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
16036 threads in rec.humor.
16040 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
16041 the score of the article you're reading.
16046 @kindex n (GroupLens)
16047 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
16048 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
16051 @kindex , (GroupLens)
16052 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
16053 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
16057 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
16058 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
16061 @node Displaying Predictions
16062 @subsection Displaying Predictions
16064 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
16065 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
16066 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
16067 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
16068 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
16070 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
16071 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
16072 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
16073 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
16074 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
16075 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
16076 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
16077 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
16078 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
16079 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
16080 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
16081 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
16082 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
16084 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
16085 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
16086 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
16087 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
16089 The following are valid values for that variable.
16092 @item prediction-spot
16093 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
16096 @item confidence-interval
16097 A numeric confidence interval.
16099 @item prediction-bar
16100 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
16102 @item confidence-bar
16103 Numerical confidence.
16105 @item confidence-spot
16106 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
16108 @item prediction-num
16109 Plain-old numeric value.
16111 @item confidence-plus-minus
16112 Prediction +/- confidence.
16117 @node GroupLens Variables
16118 @subsection GroupLens Variables
16122 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
16123 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
16124 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
16125 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
16128 @item grouplens-bbb-host
16129 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
16132 @item grouplens-bbb-port
16133 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
16135 @item grouplens-score-offset
16136 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
16137 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
16140 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
16141 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
16142 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
16147 @node Advanced Scoring
16148 @section Advanced Scoring
16150 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
16151 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
16152 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
16153 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
16154 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
16156 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
16160 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
16161 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
16162 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
16166 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
16167 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
16169 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
16170 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
16171 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
16172 non-@code{nil} value.
16174 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
16175 operator, and various match operators.
16182 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16183 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
16184 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
16189 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16190 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
16191 then this operator will return @code{false}.
16196 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
16197 logical negation of the value of its argument.
16201 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
16202 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
16203 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
16204 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
16205 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
16206 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
16207 the ancestry you want to go.
16209 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
16210 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
16211 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
16212 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
16213 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
16216 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
16217 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
16219 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
16220 when he's talking about Gnus:
16224 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16225 ("subject" "Gnus"))
16231 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
16235 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16242 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
16243 really don't want to read what he's written:
16247 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16248 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
16252 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
16253 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
16254 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
16261 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
16262 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
16263 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
16264 ("body" "white.*socks"))
16268 The possibilities are endless.
16271 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
16272 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
16274 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
16275 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
16276 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
16277 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
16278 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
16279 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
16280 @samp{subject}) first.
16282 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
16283 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
16294 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
16295 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
16301 ("subject" "Gnus")))
16308 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
16309 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
16314 @section Score Decays
16315 @cindex score decays
16318 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
16319 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
16320 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
16321 use them in any sensible way.
16323 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
16324 @findex gnus-decay-score
16325 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
16326 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
16327 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
16328 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
16329 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
16330 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
16331 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
16332 definition of that function:
16335 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
16337 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
16338 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
16341 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
16343 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
16345 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
16348 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
16349 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
16350 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
16351 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
16355 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
16358 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
16361 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
16365 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
16366 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
16367 the new score, which should be an integer.
16369 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
16370 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
16377 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
16378 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
16379 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
16380 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
16381 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
16382 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
16383 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
16384 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
16385 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
16386 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
16387 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
16388 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
16389 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
16390 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
16391 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
16392 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
16393 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
16394 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
16398 @node Process/Prefix
16399 @section Process/Prefix
16400 @cindex process/prefix convention
16402 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
16403 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
16405 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
16406 command to be performed on.
16410 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
16411 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
16412 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
16413 with the current one.
16415 @vindex transient-mark-mode
16416 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
16417 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
16419 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
16420 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
16423 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
16424 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
16426 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
16429 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
16430 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
16431 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
16432 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
16434 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
16435 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
16436 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
16437 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
16438 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
16439 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
16440 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
16441 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
16443 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
16444 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
16445 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
16446 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
16447 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
16451 @section Interactive
16452 @cindex interaction
16456 @item gnus-novice-user
16457 @vindex gnus-novice-user
16458 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
16459 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
16460 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
16461 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
16464 @item gnus-expert-user
16465 @vindex gnus-expert-user
16466 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
16467 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
16468 matter how strange.
16470 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
16471 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
16472 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
16473 is @code{t} by default.
16475 @item gnus-interactive-exit
16476 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
16477 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
16482 @node Symbolic Prefixes
16483 @section Symbolic Prefixes
16484 @cindex symbolic prefixes
16486 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
16487 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
16488 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
16489 rule of 900 to the current article.
16491 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
16492 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
16493 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
16494 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
16495 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
16496 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
16497 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
16499 @kindex M-i (Summary)
16500 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
16501 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
16502 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
16503 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
16504 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
16505 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
16506 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
16507 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
16509 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
16510 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
16511 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
16513 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
16517 @node Formatting Variables
16518 @section Formatting Variables
16519 @cindex formatting variables
16521 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
16522 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
16523 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
16524 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
16525 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
16528 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
16529 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
16530 lots of percentages everywhere.
16533 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
16534 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
16535 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
16536 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
16537 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
16540 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
16541 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
16542 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
16543 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
16544 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
16545 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
16546 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
16547 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
16549 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
16550 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
16552 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
16553 @findex gnus-update-format
16554 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
16555 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
16556 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
16557 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
16561 @node Formatting Basics
16562 @subsection Formatting Basics
16564 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
16565 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
16566 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
16568 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
16569 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
16570 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
16571 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
16572 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
16575 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
16576 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
16577 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
16578 less than 4 characters wide.
16581 @node Mode Line Formatting
16582 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
16584 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
16585 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
16586 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
16587 with the following two differences:
16592 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
16595 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
16596 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
16597 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
16598 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
16599 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
16600 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
16601 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
16606 @node Advanced Formatting
16607 @subsection Advanced Formatting
16609 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
16610 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
16611 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
16612 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
16614 These are the valid modifiers:
16619 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
16623 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
16628 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
16631 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
16636 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
16639 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
16642 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
16645 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
16649 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
16650 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
16651 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
16652 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
16653 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
16654 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
16655 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
16657 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
16658 last operation, padding.
16660 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
16661 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
16662 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
16663 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
16664 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
16665 the look of your lines.
16666 @xref{Compilation}.
16669 @node User-Defined Specs
16670 @subsection User-Defined Specs
16672 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
16673 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
16674 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
16675 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
16676 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
16677 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
16678 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
16679 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
16680 should protect against that.
16682 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
16683 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
16684 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
16685 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
16689 @node Formatting Fonts
16690 @subsection Formatting Fonts
16692 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
16693 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
16694 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
16695 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
16698 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
16699 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
16700 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
16701 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
16702 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
16703 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
16705 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
16706 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
16707 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
16708 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
16709 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
16710 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
16711 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
16712 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
16714 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
16717 ;; Create three face types.
16718 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
16719 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
16721 ;; We want the article count to be in
16722 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
16723 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
16724 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
16726 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
16727 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
16729 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
16730 (setq gnus-group-line-format
16731 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
16734 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
16735 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
16737 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
16738 mode-line variables.
16741 @node Windows Configuration
16742 @section Windows Configuration
16743 @cindex windows configuration
16745 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
16747 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
16748 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
16749 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
16750 @code{t} by default.
16752 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
16753 glitches. Use at your own peril.
16755 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
16756 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
16757 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
16760 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
16761 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
16762 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
16766 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
16767 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
16768 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
16769 possible names is listed below.
16771 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
16772 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
16775 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
16779 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
16780 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
16781 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
16782 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
16783 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
16784 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
16785 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
16786 size spec per split.
16788 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
16789 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
16790 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
16791 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
16792 present) gets focus.
16794 Here's a more complicated example:
16797 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
16798 (summary 0.25 point)
16799 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
16803 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
16804 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
16805 occupy, not a percentage.
16807 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
16808 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
16809 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
16810 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
16811 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
16814 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
16817 (article (horizontal 1.0
16822 (summary 0.25 point)
16827 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
16828 @code{horizontal} thingie?
16830 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
16831 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
16832 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
16833 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
16834 the screen is to be given to this strip.
16836 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
16837 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
16838 lines from the splits.
16840 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
16844 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
16845 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
16846 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
16847 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
16848 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
16849 size = number | frame-params
16850 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
16853 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
16854 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
16855 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
16856 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
16858 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
16859 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
16860 @cindex window height
16861 @cindex window width
16862 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
16863 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
16864 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
16865 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
16866 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
16867 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
16869 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
16870 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
16871 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
16872 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
16874 @findex gnus-configure-frame
16875 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
16876 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
16877 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
16878 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
16879 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
16880 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
16881 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
16882 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
16883 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
16884 configuration list.
16887 (gnus-configure-frame
16891 (article 0.3 point))
16899 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
16900 @code{frame} split:
16903 (gnus-configure-frame
16906 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
16908 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
16909 (user-position . t)
16910 (left . -1) (top . 1))
16915 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
16916 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
16917 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
16918 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
16919 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
16920 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
16921 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
16922 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
16924 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
16925 be found in its default value.
16927 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
16928 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
16929 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
16933 (message (horizontal 1.0
16934 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
16936 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
16941 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
16942 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
16943 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
16946 (message (frame 1.0
16947 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
16948 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
16949 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
16950 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
16951 (name . "Message"))
16952 (message 1.0 point))))
16955 @findex gnus-add-configuration
16956 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
16957 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
16958 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
16959 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
16962 (gnus-add-configuration
16963 '(article (vertical 1.0
16965 (summary .25 point)
16969 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
16970 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
16971 Gnus has been loaded.
16973 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
16974 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
16975 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
16976 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
16977 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
16979 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
16980 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
16981 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
16985 @node Faces and Fonts
16986 @section Faces and Fonts
16991 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
16992 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
16993 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
16998 @section Compilation
16999 @cindex compilation
17000 @cindex byte-compilation
17002 @findex gnus-compile
17004 Remember all those line format specification variables?
17005 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
17006 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
17007 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
17008 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
17009 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
17010 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
17011 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
17014 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
17015 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
17016 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
17017 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
17018 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17021 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
17022 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
17023 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
17024 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
17025 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
17030 @section Mode Lines
17033 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
17034 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
17035 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
17036 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
17037 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
17038 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
17039 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
17042 @cindex display-time
17044 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
17045 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
17046 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
17047 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
17048 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
17049 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
17050 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
17051 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
17054 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
17056 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
17057 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
17059 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
17060 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
17061 (length display-time-string)))))
17064 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
17065 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
17066 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
17067 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
17068 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
17071 @node Highlighting and Menus
17072 @section Highlighting and Menus
17074 @cindex highlighting
17077 @vindex gnus-visual
17078 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
17079 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
17080 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
17083 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
17084 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
17087 @item group-highlight
17088 Do highlights in the group buffer.
17089 @item summary-highlight
17090 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
17091 @item article-highlight
17092 Do highlights in the article buffer.
17094 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
17096 Create menus in the group buffer.
17098 Create menus in the summary buffers.
17100 Create menus in the article buffer.
17102 Create menus in the browse buffer.
17104 Create menus in the server buffer.
17106 Create menus in the score buffers.
17108 Create menus in all buffers.
17111 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
17112 buffers, you could say something like:
17115 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
17118 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
17121 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
17124 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
17125 in all Gnus buffers.
17127 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
17130 @item gnus-mouse-face
17131 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
17132 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
17133 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
17137 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
17141 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
17142 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
17143 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
17145 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
17146 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
17147 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
17149 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
17150 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
17151 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
17153 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
17154 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
17155 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
17157 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
17158 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
17159 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
17161 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
17162 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
17163 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
17174 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
17175 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
17176 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
17177 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
17178 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
17182 @vindex gnus-carpal
17183 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
17184 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
17185 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
17190 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17191 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17192 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
17194 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
17195 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
17196 Face used on buttons.
17198 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
17199 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
17200 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
17202 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17203 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17204 Buttons in the group buffer.
17206 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17207 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17208 Buttons in the summary buffer.
17210 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17211 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17212 Buttons in the server buffer.
17214 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17215 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17216 Buttons in the browse buffer.
17219 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
17220 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
17221 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
17229 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
17230 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
17231 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
17232 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
17233 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
17235 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
17236 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
17237 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
17239 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
17240 been idle for thirty minutes:
17243 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
17246 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
17250 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
17253 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
17254 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
17255 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17257 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
17258 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
17259 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
17260 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17262 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
17263 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
17264 @var{idle} minutes.
17266 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
17267 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
17270 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
17271 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
17272 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
17274 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
17275 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
17276 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
17277 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
17279 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
17280 your @file{.gnus} file:
17282 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
17284 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
17287 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
17288 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
17289 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
17290 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
17291 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
17292 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
17293 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
17294 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
17295 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
17296 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
17297 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
17299 @findex gnus-demon-init
17300 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
17301 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
17302 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
17303 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
17304 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
17306 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
17307 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
17308 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
17317 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
17318 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
17320 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
17321 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
17322 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
17323 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
17326 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
17327 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
17328 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
17329 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
17331 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
17332 this will make spam disappear.
17334 There are some variables to customize, of course:
17337 @item gnus-use-nocem
17338 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
17339 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
17342 @item gnus-nocem-groups
17343 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
17344 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
17345 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
17346 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
17348 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
17349 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
17350 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
17351 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
17352 "rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
17353 "jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
17354 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
17356 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
17359 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
17360 @cindex Chris Lewis
17361 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
17362 usenet abuse than anybody else.
17365 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
17366 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
17367 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
17369 @item jem@@xpat.com;
17371 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
17374 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
17375 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
17376 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
17379 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
17380 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
17381 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
17382 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
17383 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
17384 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
17385 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
17386 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
17387 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
17388 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
17390 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
17391 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
17394 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
17397 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
17398 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
17401 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
17404 The specs are applied left-to-right.
17407 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
17408 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
17410 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
17411 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
17412 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
17413 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
17415 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
17416 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
17419 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
17421 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
17429 This might be dangerous, though.
17431 @item gnus-nocem-directory
17432 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
17433 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
17434 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
17436 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
17437 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
17438 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
17439 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
17440 might then see old spam.
17444 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
17445 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
17446 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
17447 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
17454 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
17455 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
17456 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
17458 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
17459 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
17460 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
17461 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
17462 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
17463 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
17464 @code{undo} function.
17466 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
17467 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
17468 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
17469 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
17470 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
17471 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
17472 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
17473 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
17474 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
17475 never be totally undoable.
17477 @findex gnus-undo-mode
17478 @vindex gnus-use-undo
17480 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
17481 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
17482 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
17483 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
17488 @section Moderation
17491 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
17492 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
17493 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
17496 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
17500 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
17503 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
17505 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
17510 You split your incoming mail by matching on
17511 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
17512 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
17515 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
17516 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
17519 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
17520 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
17524 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
17527 (setq gnus-moderated-list
17528 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
17532 @node XEmacs Enhancements
17533 @section XEmacs Enhancements
17536 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
17540 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
17541 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
17542 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
17543 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
17556 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
17557 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
17558 over your shoulder as you read news.
17561 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
17562 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
17563 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
17564 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
17565 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
17570 @subsubsection Picon Basics
17572 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
17581 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
17582 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
17583 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
17584 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
17585 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
17586 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
17587 @code{GIF} formats.
17590 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17591 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
17592 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
17593 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
17594 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
17596 @vindex gnus-picons-database
17597 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
17598 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
17599 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
17600 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
17601 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
17604 @node Picon Requirements
17605 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
17607 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
17608 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
17611 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
17612 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
17613 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
17615 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
17616 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
17617 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
17618 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
17619 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
17623 @subsubsection Easy Picons
17625 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
17626 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
17629 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
17630 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
17633 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
17634 containing the Picons databases.
17636 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
17639 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17640 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
17645 @subsubsection Hard Picons
17653 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
17654 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
17655 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
17656 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
17657 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
17662 @item gnus-picons-database
17663 @vindex gnus-picons-database
17664 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
17665 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
17666 subdirectories. This is only useful if
17667 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
17668 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
17670 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17671 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17672 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
17673 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
17674 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
17675 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
17676 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
17678 @item gnus-picons-display-where
17679 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
17680 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
17681 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
17682 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
17683 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
17684 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
17685 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
17687 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
17688 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
17689 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
17694 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
17695 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
17697 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
17698 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
17701 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
17703 @item gnus-article-display-picons
17704 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
17705 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
17706 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
17708 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
17709 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
17710 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
17716 @node Picon Useless Configuration
17717 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
17725 The following variables offer further control over how things are
17726 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
17727 don't need to worry about.
17731 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
17732 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
17733 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
17734 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
17736 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
17737 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
17738 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
17739 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
17741 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
17742 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
17743 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
17744 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
17745 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
17747 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
17748 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
17749 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
17750 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
17751 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
17752 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
17753 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
17755 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
17756 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
17757 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
17758 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
17760 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
17761 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
17762 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
17763 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
17764 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
17765 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
17766 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
17768 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
17769 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
17770 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
17771 Defaults to @code{nil}.
17773 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
17774 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
17775 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
17776 Defaults to @code{t}.
17778 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
17779 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
17780 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
17781 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
17783 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
17784 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
17785 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
17787 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
17788 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
17789 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
17790 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
17792 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
17793 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the defailt.
17795 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
17796 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
17797 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
17798 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
17799 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
17800 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
17801 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
17802 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
17813 @subsection Smileys
17818 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
17823 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
17824 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
17826 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
17827 @file{.gnus.el} file:
17830 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
17833 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
17834 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
17835 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
17836 text and maps that to file names.
17838 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
17839 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
17840 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
17841 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
17842 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
17843 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
17845 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
17846 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
17848 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
17849 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
17850 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
17852 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
17853 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
17857 @item smiley-data-directory
17858 @vindex smiley-data-directory
17859 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
17861 @item smiley-flesh-color
17862 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
17863 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
17865 @item smiley-features-color
17866 @vindex smiley-features-color
17867 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
17869 @item smiley-tongue-color
17870 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
17871 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
17873 @item smiley-circle-color
17874 @vindex smiley-circle-color
17875 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
17877 @item smiley-mouse-face
17878 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
17879 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
17885 @subsection Toolbar
17895 @item gnus-use-toolbar
17896 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
17897 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
17898 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
17899 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
17901 @item gnus-group-toolbar
17902 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
17903 The toolbar in the group buffer.
17905 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
17906 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
17907 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
17909 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
17910 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
17911 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
17917 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
17920 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
17921 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
17922 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
17923 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
17924 unusual directory structure.
17926 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
17927 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
17928 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
17929 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
17931 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
17932 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
17933 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
17934 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
17935 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
17936 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
17938 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
17939 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
17940 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
17954 @node Fuzzy Matching
17955 @section Fuzzy Matching
17956 @cindex fuzzy matching
17958 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
17959 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
17961 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
17962 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
17963 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
17965 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
17966 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
17967 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
17968 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
17969 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
17972 @node Thwarting Email Spam
17973 @section Thwarting Email Spam
17977 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
17979 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
17980 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
17981 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
17982 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
17983 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
17984 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
17985 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
17986 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
17989 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
17990 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
17991 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
17992 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
17993 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
17994 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
17998 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
17999 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
18001 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
18002 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
18003 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
18004 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
18005 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
18006 part of the mail address.)
18009 (setq message-default-news-headers
18010 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
18013 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
18014 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
18019 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
18020 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
18021 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
18027 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
18028 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
18029 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
18030 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
18032 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
18033 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
18034 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
18035 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
18036 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
18037 your fancy split rule in this way:
18042 (to "larsi" "misc")
18046 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
18047 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
18048 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
18049 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
18050 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
18052 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
18053 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
18054 at @* @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
18055 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
18056 cosmic balance somewhat.
18058 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
18059 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
18060 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
18061 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
18064 @node Various Various
18065 @section Various Various
18071 @item gnus-home-directory
18072 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
18073 defaults to @file{~/}.
18075 @item gnus-directory
18076 @vindex gnus-directory
18077 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
18078 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
18079 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
18081 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
18082 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
18083 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
18084 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
18086 @item gnus-default-directory
18087 @vindex gnus-default-directory
18088 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
18089 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
18090 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
18091 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
18092 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
18093 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
18096 @vindex gnus-verbose
18097 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
18098 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
18099 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
18100 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
18101 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
18103 @item gnus-verbose-backends
18104 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
18105 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
18106 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
18108 @item nnheader-max-head-length
18109 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
18110 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
18111 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
18112 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
18113 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
18114 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
18115 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
18116 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
18117 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
18119 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
18120 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
18121 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
18122 read when doing the operation described above.
18124 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18125 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18127 @cindex invalid characters in file names
18128 @cindex characters in file names
18129 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
18130 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
18131 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
18134 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18138 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
18139 Windows (phooey) systems.
18141 @item gnus-hidden-properties
18142 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
18143 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
18144 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
18145 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
18147 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
18148 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
18149 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
18150 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
18151 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
18153 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
18154 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
18155 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
18164 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
18165 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
18167 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
18169 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
18175 Not because of victories @*
18178 but for the common sunshine,@*
18180 the largess of the spring.
18184 but for the day's work done@*
18185 as well as I was able;@*
18186 not for a seat upon the dais@*
18187 but at the common table.@*
18192 @chapter Appendices
18195 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
18196 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
18197 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
18198 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
18199 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
18200 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
18201 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
18202 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
18210 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
18211 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
18213 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
18214 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
18215 @file{http://quimby.gnus.org/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
18216 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
18217 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
18219 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
18220 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
18221 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
18222 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
18223 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
18224 appropriate name, don't you think?)
18226 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
18227 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
18228 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
18229 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
18232 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
18233 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
18234 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
18235 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
18236 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
18237 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
18238 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
18239 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
18240 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
18241 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
18245 @node Gnus Versions
18246 @subsection Gnus Versions
18247 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
18249 @cindex September Gnus
18250 @cindex Quassia Gnus
18252 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
18253 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
18254 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
18256 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
18257 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
18259 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
18260 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
18262 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
18263 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
18265 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
18266 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
18269 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
18270 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
18271 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
18272 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
18273 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
18277 @node Other Gnus Versions
18278 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
18281 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
18282 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
18283 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
18284 @sc{mime} capabilities.
18286 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
18287 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
18288 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
18289 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
18296 What's the point of Gnus?
18298 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
18299 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
18300 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
18301 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
18302 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
18303 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
18304 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
18305 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
18306 keep track of millions of people who post?
18308 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
18309 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
18310 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
18311 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
18312 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
18313 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
18314 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
18315 every one of you to explore and invent.
18317 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
18318 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
18321 @node Compatibility
18322 @subsection Compatibility
18324 @cindex compatibility
18325 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
18326 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
18327 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
18332 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
18336 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
18339 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
18342 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
18343 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
18344 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
18345 important variables have their values copied into their global
18346 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
18347 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
18349 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
18350 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
18351 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
18352 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
18353 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
18357 @cindex highlighting
18358 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
18359 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
18360 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
18361 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
18362 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
18363 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
18366 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
18367 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
18368 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
18369 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
18371 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
18372 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
18373 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
18374 to stop doing it the old way.
18376 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
18378 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
18380 @cindex reporting bugs
18382 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
18383 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
18384 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
18386 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
18387 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
18388 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
18389 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
18394 @subsection Conformity
18396 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
18397 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
18404 There are no known breaches of this standard.
18408 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
18410 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
18411 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
18412 We do have some breaches to this one.
18418 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
18419 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
18420 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
18421 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
18422 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
18427 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
18428 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
18429 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
18430 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
18434 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
18435 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
18440 @subsection Emacsen
18446 Gnus should work on :
18454 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
18458 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
18459 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
18462 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
18463 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
18464 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
18468 @node Gnus Development
18469 @subsection Gnus Development
18471 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
18472 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
18473 propose changes and new features, post patches and new backends. This
18474 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
18475 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
18476 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
18477 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
18478 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
18480 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
18481 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
18482 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
18483 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
18484 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
18487 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
18488 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
18489 In particular, @code{nnmail-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
18490 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
18491 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
18493 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
18494 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
18495 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
18496 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
18497 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
18498 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
18499 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
18500 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
18501 usually keep up with these rapid changes, whille people on the newsgroup
18502 can't be assumed to do so.
18507 @subsection Contributors
18508 @cindex contributors
18510 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
18511 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
18512 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
18513 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
18514 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
18515 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
18516 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
18517 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
18518 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
18519 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
18521 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
18527 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
18530 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
18531 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
18532 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
18533 functionality and stuff.
18536 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
18537 well as numerous other things).
18540 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
18543 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
18546 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
18549 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
18550 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
18553 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
18556 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
18557 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
18560 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
18563 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
18566 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
18569 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
18572 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
18573 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
18576 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
18579 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
18582 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
18585 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
18589 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
18592 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
18595 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
18598 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
18599 well as autoconf support.
18603 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
18604 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
18606 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
18615 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
18619 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
18629 Alexei V. Barantsev,
18644 Massimo Campostrini,
18649 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
18650 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
18654 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
18657 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
18663 Michael Welsh Duggan,
18668 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
18672 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
18680 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
18682 Michelangelo Grigni,
18686 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
18688 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
18690 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
18697 François Felix Ingrand,
18698 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
18699 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
18701 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
18712 Peter Skov Knudsen,
18713 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
18715 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
18716 Thor Kristoffersen,
18719 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
18737 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
18738 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
18745 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
18750 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
18754 John McClary Prevost,
18760 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
18765 Christian von Roques,
18768 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
18775 Philippe Schnoebelen,
18777 Randal L. Schwartz,
18791 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
18796 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
18812 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
18817 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
18818 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
18819 (550kB and counting).
18821 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
18824 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
18825 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
18829 @subsection New Features
18830 @cindex new features
18833 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
18834 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
18835 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
18836 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
18839 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
18840 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
18841 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
18845 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
18847 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
18852 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
18853 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
18856 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
18857 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
18860 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
18863 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
18864 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
18865 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
18868 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
18869 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
18870 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
18871 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
18874 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
18875 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
18878 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
18879 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
18880 (@pxref{The Active File}).
18883 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
18884 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
18887 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
18888 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
18889 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
18892 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
18893 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
18894 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
18897 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
18898 the @file{.emacs} file.
18901 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
18902 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18905 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
18906 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
18909 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
18910 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
18913 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
18914 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
18917 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
18918 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
18921 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
18924 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
18925 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
18928 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
18929 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
18932 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
18933 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
18936 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
18939 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
18940 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
18943 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
18947 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
18951 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
18952 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
18955 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
18961 @node September Gnus
18962 @subsubsection September Gnus
18966 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
18970 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
18975 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
18976 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
18980 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
18981 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
18985 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
18989 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
18990 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
18993 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
18997 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
19000 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
19003 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
19006 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
19010 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
19011 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
19014 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
19018 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
19022 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
19026 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
19030 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
19033 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
19034 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
19037 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
19041 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
19042 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
19045 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
19048 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
19049 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
19050 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
19053 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
19057 The Gnus cache is much faster.
19060 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
19064 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
19065 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
19068 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
19069 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
19072 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
19073 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19076 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
19077 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
19078 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
19081 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
19082 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
19085 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
19088 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19091 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
19094 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
19097 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
19098 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
19101 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
19105 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
19108 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
19113 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
19116 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
19120 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19123 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
19127 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
19130 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
19133 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
19134 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
19137 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
19138 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
19142 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
19143 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
19146 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
19150 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
19151 buffer to allow easier treatment.
19154 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
19157 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
19161 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
19165 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
19166 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
19169 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
19173 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
19174 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19177 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
19178 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19181 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
19185 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19188 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
19191 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
19197 @subsubsection Red Gnus
19199 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
19203 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
19210 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
19213 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
19214 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
19217 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
19218 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
19222 Article washing status can be displayed in the
19223 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
19226 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
19229 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
19230 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
19233 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
19237 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
19238 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
19242 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
19243 Server Internals}).
19246 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
19250 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
19253 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
19254 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
19257 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
19258 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
19259 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
19262 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
19263 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
19266 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
19267 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
19270 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
19274 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
19275 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19278 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
19279 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
19282 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
19286 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
19289 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
19293 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
19294 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19297 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
19298 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
19301 A new command for reading collections of documents
19302 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
19303 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
19306 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
19310 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
19311 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
19314 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
19315 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
19316 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
19319 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
19320 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
19324 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
19328 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
19332 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
19337 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
19341 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
19345 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
19346 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
19349 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
19355 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
19357 New features in Gnus 5.6:
19362 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
19363 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
19364 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
19367 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
19368 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
19369 group, which is created automatically.
19372 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
19376 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
19379 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
19380 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
19383 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
19387 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
19390 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
19391 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
19394 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
19397 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
19398 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
19401 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
19402 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
19405 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
19406 control over simplification.
19409 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
19412 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
19416 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
19419 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
19422 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
19423 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
19424 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
19427 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
19428 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
19431 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
19435 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
19436 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
19439 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
19440 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
19443 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
19447 A history of where mails have been split is available.
19450 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
19453 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
19454 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
19457 A new function for citing in Message has been
19458 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
19461 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
19464 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
19468 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
19469 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
19472 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
19473 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
19476 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
19479 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
19484 @node Newest Features
19485 @subsection Newest Features
19488 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
19491 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
19493 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
19494 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
19497 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
19502 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
19503 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
19506 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
19509 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
19512 facep is not declared.
19515 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
19516 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
19519 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
19524 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
19525 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
19526 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
19527 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
19528 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
19529 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
19530 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
19535 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
19538 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
19541 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
19543 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
19544 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
19546 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
19548 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
19550 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
19551 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
19553 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
19555 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
19556 be marked as unread.
19558 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
19560 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
19562 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
19563 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
19565 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
19567 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
19569 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
19570 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
19572 topics that contain just groups with ticked
19573 articles aren't displayed.
19575 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
19577 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
19578 make the mail groups killed.
19580 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
19582 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
19583 and articles have to be removed.
19585 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
19588 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
19590 finding short score file names takes forever.
19592 canceling articles in foreign groups.
19594 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
19596 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
19598 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
19600 nnweb doesn't work properly.
19602 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
19604 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
19605 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
19609 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
19611 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
19612 bar and the Gnus bar.
19615 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
19616 `(canonize-message-id id)'
19617 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
19618 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
19619 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
19620 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
19625 nnml .overview directory with splits.
19629 postponed commands.
19631 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
19633 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
19636 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
19637 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
19639 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
19640 inherit copy prompts and save files.
19642 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
19644 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
19645 for backends that support that.
19647 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
19649 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
19650 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
19652 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
19653 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
19655 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
19657 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
19659 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
19661 server mode command: close/open all connections
19663 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
19664 has been changed before using it.
19666 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
19668 hide (sub)threads with low score.
19670 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
19672 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
19674 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
19675 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
19677 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
19678 contain groups that match a regexp.
19680 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
19683 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
19686 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
19687 from subject lines.
19689 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
19691 nntp-ping-before-connect
19693 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
19695 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
19696 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
19698 message annotations.
19700 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
19702 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
19703 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
19705 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
19710 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
19712 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
19714 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
19716 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
19717 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
19719 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
19721 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
19723 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
19724 finds and generate proper active ranges.
19726 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
19727 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
19729 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
19731 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
19733 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
19734 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
19736 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
19738 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
19740 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
19741 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
19744 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
19746 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
19748 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
19749 `C-c C-c' when posting.
19751 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
19754 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
19755 should be marker as expirable.
19757 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
19759 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
19760 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
19762 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
19763 Also consult Date headers.
19765 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
19767 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
19769 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
19770 Message-ID, delete the "original".
19772 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
19773 into a See-Also header.
19775 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
19777 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
19779 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
19780 should be listed as such and not as "K".
19782 generate font names dynamically.
19784 score file mode auto-alist.
19786 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
19787 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
19789 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
19790 absolutely all headers there is.
19792 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
19793 and pipe them to the process.
19795 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
19796 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
19797 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
19799 function for starting to edit a file to put into
19800 the current mail group.
19802 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
19804 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
19805 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
19807 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
19808 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
19810 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
19812 when replying to several process-marked articles,
19813 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
19815 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
19816 groups it has been mailed to.
19818 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
19820 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
19822 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
19824 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
19825 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
19827 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
19828 newlines) should be ignored.
19830 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
19831 groups in subtopics as well.
19833 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
19835 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
19838 add edit and forward secondary marks.
19840 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
19842 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
19844 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
19846 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
19848 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
19850 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
19851 or the formatted article.
19853 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
19855 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
19856 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
19858 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
19860 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
19862 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
19864 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
19865 even unread articles.
19867 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
19869 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
19871 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
19873 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
19875 canceling articles in foreign groups.
19877 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
19880 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
19881 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
19883 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
19884 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
19886 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
19888 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
19890 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
19891 from a particular server? Hm.
19893 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
19894 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
19896 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
19898 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
19899 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
19901 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
19902 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
19904 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
19905 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
19906 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
19909 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
19910 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
19912 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
19914 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
19916 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
19918 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
19921 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
19924 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
19925 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
19927 command to show and edit group scores
19929 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
19932 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
19934 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
19936 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
19937 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
19940 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
19941 that are of that length.
19943 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
19945 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
19947 asynchronous posting under nntp.
19949 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
19951 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
19953 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
19955 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
19956 a score lower than this number.
19958 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
19960 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
19962 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
19963 so that each copy can be edited separately.
19965 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
19967 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
19968 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
19970 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
19973 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
19974 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
19975 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
19976 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
19978 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
19981 command to remove all topic stuff.
19983 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
19984 and splitting the resulting digests.
19986 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
19988 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
19990 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
19991 matches an alist -- before saving.
19993 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
19995 variable to activate each group before entering them
19996 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
19998 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
19999 starting Gnus first if necessary.
20001 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
20002 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
20004 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
20006 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
20007 of several groups at once.
20009 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
20010 matches some regexp(s).
20012 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
20014 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
20016 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
20018 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
20020 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
20022 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
20024 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
20026 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
20027 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
20028 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
20029 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
20031 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
20032 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
20034 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
20036 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
20037 recently cited text.
20039 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
20041 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
20044 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
20045 server and just read the articles in the server
20047 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
20048 value of nnoo variables.
20050 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
20052 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
20053 listed in each group info.
20055 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
20058 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
20059 should only be applied to some groups.
20061 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
20062 mail-copies-to: never.
20064 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
20065 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
20067 the slave dribble files should auto-save to the slave file names.
20069 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
20072 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
20075 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
20077 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
20080 group user-defined meta-parameters.
20084 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
20086 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
20087 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
20088 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
20089 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
20090 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
20092 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
20093 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
20100 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
20101 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
20103 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
20104 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
20106 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
20107 "Return the date the group was last read."
20108 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
20113 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
20114 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
20115 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
20116 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
20120 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
20121 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
20123 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
20126 They could be used like this:
20130 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
20131 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
20132 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
20134 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
20136 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
20139 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
20142 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
20143 affect the summary line format.
20147 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
20149 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
20150 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
20152 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
20155 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
20157 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
20159 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
20161 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
20163 - For other files, just find them normally.
20165 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
20166 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
20169 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
20170 tell him what you are doing.
20173 Currently, I get prompted:
20177 decend into sci.something ?
20181 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
20182 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
20183 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
20184 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
20187 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
20188 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
20189 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
20190 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
20193 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
20194 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
20200 more than n blank lines
20202 more than m identical lines
20203 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
20205 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
20209 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
20210 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
20211 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
20212 "same" subject for threading purposes.
20215 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
20216 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
20217 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
20218 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
20221 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
20224 soup - bowl of soup
20225 score below - dim light bulb
20226 score over - bright light bulb
20229 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
20234 show-list-of-articles-in-group
20235 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
20236 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
20237 if (articles-selected)
20238 start-reading-selected-articles;
20239 junk-unread-articles;
20244 else if (key-pressed = '.')
20245 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
20246 select-thread-under-cursor;
20248 select-article-under-cursor;
20252 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
20253 if (more-pages-in-article)
20255 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
20262 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
20263 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
20264 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
20267 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
20268 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
20269 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
20270 the wildcard expression).
20273 It would be nice if it also handled
20275 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
20277 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
20282 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
20283 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
20284 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
20285 article versions) variable.
20287 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
20289 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
20290 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
20294 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
20297 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
20298 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
20299 (message-sent-hook).
20301 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
20304 * Enhancements to Gnus:
20308 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
20309 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
20312 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
20313 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
20314 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
20317 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
20318 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
20322 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
20325 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
20329 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
20330 the nnmail duplicate checking.
20333 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
20334 value of the signature file.
20337 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
20338 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
20341 (setq message-tab-alist
20342 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
20343 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
20345 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
20349 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
20352 a command to import a buffer into a group.
20355 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
20358 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
20359 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
20362 a command to process mark all unread articles.
20365 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
20366 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
20367 do more gathering by subject.
20370 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
20371 article numerical order.
20374 (gnus-thread-total-score
20375 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
20379 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
20382 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
20383 in the summary buffer.
20386 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
20387 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
20390 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
20391 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
20392 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
20393 and/or newsgroup name.
20396 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
20399 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
20402 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
20405 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
20406 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
20407 will automatically get the process mark.
20410 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
20411 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
20412 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
20415 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
20419 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
20420 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
20423 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
20424 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
20428 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
20429 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
20432 be able to post via DejaNews.
20435 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
20438 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
20439 allow them to be displayed separately.
20442 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
20443 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
20446 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
20447 articles that match a certain From header.
20450 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
20451 saving living summary buffers.
20454 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
20455 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
20458 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
20459 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
20462 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
20463 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
20466 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
20467 (goto-char (point-min))
20468 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
20469 (replace-match "`" t t))
20470 (goto-char (point-min))
20471 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
20472 (replace-match "'" t t))
20473 (goto-char (point-min))
20474 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
20475 (replace-match "\"" t t))
20476 (goto-char (point-min))
20477 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
20478 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
20483 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
20485 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
20486 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
20487 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
20488 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
20492 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
20495 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
20496 numbers and match on the age of the article.
20500 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
20501 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
20502 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
20504 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
20505 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
20507 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
20508 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
20513 all commands that react to the process mark should push
20514 the current process mark set onto the stack.
20517 gnus-article-hide-pgp
20518 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
20520 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
20522 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
20523 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
20526 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
20527 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
20530 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
20534 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
20535 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
20538 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
20541 nndraft-request-group should tally auto-save files.
20544 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
20547 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
20551 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
20557 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
20560 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
20564 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
20565 X characters in the body.
20568 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
20571 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
20574 format spec to "tab" to a position.
20577 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
20580 command to display all dormant articles.
20583 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
20586 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
20587 to something someone else has said.
20590 Read Netscape discussion groups:
20591 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
20594 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
20595 the displayed version.
20598 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
20602 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
20605 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
20606 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
20607 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
20611 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
20612 in the head or body.
20615 Allow breaking lengthy @sc{nntp} commands.
20618 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
20621 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
20622 in a special, unique buffer.
20625 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
20628 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
20629 is less than a certain number of days old.
20632 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
20635 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
20638 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
20639 file, for instance.
20642 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
20643 in any other dummy thread will make gnus highlight the
20644 dummy root instead of the first article.
20647 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
20648 topics for displaying.
20651 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
20652 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
20655 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
20658 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
20659 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
20660 summary buffer for each article.
20663 Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
20666 Group parameters and summary commands for un/subscribing to mailing
20670 Introduce nnmail-home-directory.
20673 gnus-fetch-group and friends should exit Gnus when the user
20677 The jingle is only played on the second invocation of Gnus.
20680 Bouncing articles should do MIME.
20683 Crossposted articles should "inherit" the % or @ mark from the other
20684 groups it has been crossposted to, or something. (Agent.)
20687 If point is on a group that appears multiple times in topics, and
20688 you press `l', point will move to the first instance of the group.
20691 A spec for the group line format to display the number of
20692 agent-downloaded articles in the group.
20695 Some nntp servers never respond when posting, so there should be a
20696 timeout for all commands.
20699 When stading on a topic line and `t'-ing, point goes to the last line.
20700 It should go somewhere else.
20703 I'm having trouble accessing a newsgroup with a "+" in its name with
20704 Gnus. There is a new newsgroup on msnews.microsoft.com named
20705 "microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time" that I'm trying to
20707 "nntp+msnews.microsoft.com:microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time"
20708 but it gives an error that it cant access the group.
20710 Is the "+" character illegal in newsgroup names? Is there any way in
20711 Gnus to work around this? (gnus 5.6.45 - XEmacs 20.4)
20718 Subject: Answer to your mails 01.01.1999-01.05.1999
20719 --text follows this line--
20720 Sorry I killfiled you...
20722 Under the subject "foo", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
20724 Under the subject "foo1", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
20729 Allow "orphan" scores in the Agent scoring.
20733 - Edit article's summary line.
20735 - Sort lines in buffer by subject
20737 --> the old subject line appears in Summary buffer, not the one that was
20743 Remove list identifiers from the subject in the summary when doing `^'
20747 Have the Agent write out articles, one by one, as it retrieves them,
20748 to avoid having to re-fetch them all if Emacs should crash while
20752 Be able to forward groups of messages as MIME digests.
20755 nnweb should include the "get whole article" article when getting articles.
20758 When I type W W c (gnus-article-hide-citation) in the summary
20759 buffer, the citations are revealed, but the [+] buttons don't turn
20760 into [-] buttons. (If I click on one of the [+] buttons, it does
20761 turn into a [-] button.)
20764 Perhaps there should be a command to "attach" a buffer of comments to
20765 a message? That is, `B WHATEVER', you're popped into a buffer, write
20766 something, end with `C-c C-c', and then the thing you've written gets
20767 to be the child of the message you're commenting.
20770 Solve the halting problem.
20779 @section The Manual
20783 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
20784 either @code{texi2dvi}
20786 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
20787 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
20789 to get what you hold in your hands now.
20791 The following conventions have been used:
20796 This is a @samp{string}
20799 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
20802 This is a @file{file}
20805 This is a @code{symbol}
20809 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
20813 (setq flargnoze "yes")
20816 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
20819 (setq flumphel 'yes)
20822 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
20823 ever get them confused.
20827 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
20828 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
20829 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
20830 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
20831 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
20832 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
20833 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
20839 @node On Writing Manuals
20840 @section On Writing Manuals
20842 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
20843 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
20844 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
20845 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
20846 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
20847 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
20850 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
20851 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
20852 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
20855 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
20856 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
20861 @section Terminology
20863 @cindex terminology
20868 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
20869 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
20870 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
20871 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
20872 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
20876 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
20877 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
20878 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
20879 not posting, and replying is not following up.
20883 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
20887 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
20892 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
20893 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
20894 is all done by the backends.
20898 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
20899 default, way of getting news.
20903 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
20904 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
20909 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
20910 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
20914 A message that has been posted as news.
20917 @cindex mail message
20918 A message that has been mailed.
20922 A mail message or news article
20926 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
20931 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
20936 A line from the head of an article.
20940 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
20941 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
20945 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
20946 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
20947 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
20948 normal @sc{head} format.
20952 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
20953 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
20954 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
20955 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
20956 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
20957 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
20959 @item killed groups
20960 @cindex killed groups
20961 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
20962 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
20964 @item zombie groups
20965 @cindex zombie groups
20966 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
20969 @cindex active file
20970 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
20971 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
20972 is rather large, as you might surmise.
20975 @cindex bogus groups
20976 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
20977 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
20978 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
20981 @cindex activating groups
20982 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
20983 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
20984 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
20988 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
20990 @item select method
20991 @cindex select method
20992 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
20995 @item virtual server
20996 @cindex virtual server
20997 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
20998 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
20999 whole is a virtual server.
21003 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
21004 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
21007 @item ephemeral groups
21008 @cindex ephemeral groups
21009 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
21010 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
21011 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
21014 @cindex solid groups
21015 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
21016 group buffer are solid groups.
21018 @item sparse articles
21019 @cindex sparse articles
21020 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
21021 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21025 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21026 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21030 @cindex thread root
21031 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21032 articles in the thread.
21036 An article that has responses.
21040 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21044 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21045 specified by RFC1153.
21051 @node Customization
21052 @section Customization
21053 @cindex general customization
21055 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
21056 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
21057 for some quite common situations.
21060 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
21061 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
21062 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
21063 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
21067 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
21068 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
21070 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
21071 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
21072 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
21076 @item gnus-read-active-file
21077 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
21078 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
21079 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21080 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
21081 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
21083 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
21084 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
21085 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
21086 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
21090 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21091 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21093 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21094 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21095 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21099 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21100 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21101 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21102 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21103 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21105 @item gnus-visible-headers
21106 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21107 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21108 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21109 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21111 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21113 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21114 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21115 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21118 @item gnus-use-full-window
21119 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21120 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21121 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21122 want to read them anyway.
21124 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21125 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21128 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21129 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21130 lines, which might save some time.
21134 @node Little Disk Space
21135 @subsection Little Disk Space
21138 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21139 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21143 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21144 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21145 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21146 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21149 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21150 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21151 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21152 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21155 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21156 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21157 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21158 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21159 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
21165 @subsection Slow Machine
21166 @cindex slow machine
21168 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
21169 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
21171 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21172 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
21174 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
21175 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
21176 summary buffer faster.
21180 @node Troubleshooting
21181 @section Troubleshooting
21182 @cindex troubleshooting
21184 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
21192 Make sure your computer is switched on.
21195 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
21196 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
21200 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
21201 like @samp{T-gnus 6.14.* (based on Pterodactyl Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*,
21202 FLIM 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you
21203 get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some
21204 old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
21207 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
21211 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
21212 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
21213 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
21214 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
21215 something like that.
21218 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
21221 @cindex reporting bugs
21223 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21225 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
21226 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
21227 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
21228 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
21230 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
21231 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
21232 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
21233 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
21236 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
21237 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
21238 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
21239 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
21240 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
21241 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
21243 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
21244 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
21245 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
21248 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
21249 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
21251 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
21252 @cindex ding mailing list
21253 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
21254 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
21258 @node Gnus Reference Guide
21259 @section Gnus Reference Guide
21261 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
21262 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
21263 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
21264 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
21267 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
21268 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
21269 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
21270 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
21271 and general methods of operation.
21274 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
21275 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
21276 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
21277 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
21278 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
21279 * Group Info:: The group info format.
21280 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
21281 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
21282 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
21286 @node Gnus Utility Functions
21287 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
21288 @cindex Gnus utility functions
21289 @cindex utility functions
21291 @cindex internal variables
21293 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
21294 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
21295 Below is a list of the most common ones.
21299 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
21300 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
21301 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
21303 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
21304 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
21305 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
21307 @item gnus-group-real-name
21308 @findex gnus-group-real-name
21309 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
21312 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
21313 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
21314 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
21315 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
21317 @item gnus-get-info
21318 @findex gnus-get-info
21319 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
21321 @item gnus-group-unread
21322 @findex gnus-group-unread
21323 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
21327 @findex gnus-active
21328 The active entry for @var{group}.
21330 @item gnus-set-active
21331 @findex gnus-set-active
21332 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
21334 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21335 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21336 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
21339 @item gnus-continuum-version
21340 @findex gnus-continuum-version
21341 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
21342 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
21345 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
21346 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
21347 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
21349 @item gnus-news-group-p
21350 @findex gnus-news-group-p
21351 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
21353 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21354 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21355 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
21357 @item gnus-server-to-method
21358 @findex gnus-server-to-method
21359 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
21361 @item gnus-server-equal
21362 @findex gnus-server-equal
21363 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
21365 @item gnus-group-native-p
21366 @findex gnus-group-native-p
21367 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
21369 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
21370 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
21371 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
21373 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
21374 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
21375 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
21377 @item group-group-find-parameter
21378 @findex group-group-find-parameter
21379 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
21380 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
21382 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
21383 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
21384 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
21386 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
21387 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
21388 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
21390 @item gnus-check-backend-function
21391 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
21392 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
21393 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
21396 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
21400 @item gnus-read-method
21401 @findex gnus-read-method
21402 Prompts the user for a select method.
21407 @node Backend Interface
21408 @subsection Backend Interface
21410 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
21411 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
21412 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
21413 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
21414 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
21415 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
21417 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
21418 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
21419 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
21420 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
21421 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
21422 been opened, the function should fail.
21424 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
21425 name. Take this example:
21429 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
21430 (nntp-port-number 4324))
21433 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
21434 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
21436 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
21437 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
21438 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
21440 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
21441 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
21442 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
21444 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
21445 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
21446 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
21447 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
21448 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
21449 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
21452 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
21453 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
21454 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
21455 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
21458 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
21461 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
21464 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
21465 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
21466 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
21467 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
21468 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
21469 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
21473 @node Required Backend Functions
21474 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
21478 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
21480 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
21481 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
21482 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
21483 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
21485 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
21486 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
21487 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
21488 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
21490 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
21491 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
21492 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
21493 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
21494 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
21495 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
21496 number, do maximum fetches.
21498 Here's an example HEAD:
21501 221 1056 Article retrieved.
21502 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
21503 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
21504 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
21505 Subject: Re: Something very droll
21506 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
21507 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
21509 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
21510 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
21511 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
21515 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
21516 these in the data buffer.
21518 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
21522 head = error / valid-head
21523 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
21524 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
21525 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
21526 header = <text> eol
21529 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
21530 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
21534 nov-buffer = *nov-line
21535 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
21536 field = <text except TAB>
21539 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
21543 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
21545 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
21546 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
21548 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
21549 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
21550 server. In fact, it should do so.
21552 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
21553 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
21556 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
21558 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
21559 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
21562 There should be no data returned.
21565 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
21567 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
21568 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
21569 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
21570 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
21572 There should be no data returned.
21575 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
21577 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
21578 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
21579 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
21580 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
21582 There should be no data returned.
21585 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
21587 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
21589 There should be no data returned.
21592 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
21594 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
21595 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
21596 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
21597 it would be nice if that were possible.
21599 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
21600 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
21601 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
21602 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
21603 into its article buffer.
21605 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
21606 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
21607 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
21608 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
21609 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
21610 on successful article retrieval.
21613 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
21615 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
21616 making @var{group} the current group.
21618 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
21621 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
21624 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
21627 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
21628 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
21629 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
21630 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
21631 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
21632 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
21633 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
21634 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
21637 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
21638 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
21639 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
21643 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
21645 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
21646 a no-op on most backends.
21648 There should be no data returned.
21651 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
21653 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
21656 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
21659 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
21660 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
21663 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
21664 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
21667 active-file = *active-line
21668 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
21670 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
21673 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
21674 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
21675 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
21678 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
21680 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
21681 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
21682 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
21683 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
21684 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
21685 clear if the posting could not be completed.
21687 There should be no result data from this function.
21692 @node Optional Backend Functions
21693 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
21697 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
21699 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
21700 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
21701 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
21703 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
21704 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
21705 former is in the same format as the data from
21706 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
21707 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
21710 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
21714 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
21716 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
21717 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
21718 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
21719 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
21720 should return the (altered) group info.
21722 There should be no result data from this function.
21725 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
21727 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
21728 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
21729 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
21730 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
21731 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
21732 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
21733 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
21734 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
21736 There should be no result data from this function.
21739 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
21741 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
21742 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
21743 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
21744 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
21745 propagate the mark information to the server.
21747 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
21750 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
21753 Range is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. Action is
21754 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
21755 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
21756 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
21757 mentioned) marks. Mark is a list of marks; where each mark is a symbol.
21758 Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
21759 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
21760 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
21761 not limit itself to these.
21763 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
21764 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
21765 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
21766 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
21768 An example action list:
21771 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
21772 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
21773 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
21776 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
21777 mark on (currently not used for anything).
21779 There should be no result data from this function.
21781 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
21783 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
21784 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
21785 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
21786 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
21787 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
21789 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
21790 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
21791 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
21794 There should be no result data from this function.
21797 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
21799 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
21800 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
21801 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
21802 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
21803 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
21804 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
21805 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
21807 There should be no result data from this function.
21810 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
21812 The result data from this function should be a description of
21816 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
21818 description = <text>
21821 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
21823 The result data from this function should be the description of all
21824 groups available on the server.
21827 description-buffer = *description-line
21831 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
21833 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
21834 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
21835 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
21838 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
21840 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
21842 There should be no return data.
21845 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
21847 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
21848 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
21849 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
21850 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
21851 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
21854 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
21857 There should be no result data returned.
21860 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
21863 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
21864 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
21866 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
21867 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
21868 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
21869 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
21870 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
21871 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
21873 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
21874 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
21877 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
21878 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
21880 There should be no data returned.
21883 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
21885 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
21886 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
21887 this function in short order.
21889 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
21890 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
21892 There should be no data returned.
21895 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
21897 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
21898 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
21900 There should be no data returned.
21903 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
21905 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
21906 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
21907 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
21909 There should be no data returned.
21912 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
21914 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
21915 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
21917 There should be no data returned.
21922 @node Error Messaging
21923 @subsubsection Error Messaging
21925 @findex nnheader-report
21926 @findex nnheader-get-report
21927 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
21928 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
21929 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
21930 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
21931 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
21932 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
21935 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
21937 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
21940 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
21941 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
21942 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
21943 takes one argument---the server symbol.
21945 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
21946 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
21947 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
21950 @node Writing New Backends
21951 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
21953 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
21954 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
21955 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
21956 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
21957 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
21960 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
21961 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
21962 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
21964 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
21965 package called @code{nnoo}.
21967 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
21968 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
21974 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
21975 parameters. For instance:
21978 (nnoo-declare nndir
21982 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
21983 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
21986 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
21987 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
21988 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
21990 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
21991 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
21992 a function in those backends.
21995 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
21996 "Where nndir will look for groups."
21997 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22000 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
22001 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
22002 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
22004 @item nnoo-define-basics
22005 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
22009 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22013 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
22014 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
22015 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
22017 @item nnoo-map-functions
22018 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
22019 functions from the parent backends.
22022 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22023 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22024 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
22027 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
22028 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
22029 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
22030 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
22033 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
22034 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
22035 haven't already been defined.
22041 nnmh-request-newgroups)
22045 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
22046 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
22047 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
22052 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
22055 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
22056 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22060 (require 'nnheader)
22064 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
22066 (nnoo-declare nndir
22069 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22070 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22071 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22073 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
22074 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
22077 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
22078 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
22079 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
22081 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
22082 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
22084 ;;; Interface functions.
22086 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22088 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22089 (setq nndir-directory
22090 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22092 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22093 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22094 (push `(nndir-current-group
22095 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22097 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22098 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22100 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22102 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22103 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22104 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22105 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22106 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22110 nnmh-status-message
22112 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22118 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22119 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22121 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22122 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
22123 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22124 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22126 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
22127 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
22132 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
22135 The abilities can be:
22139 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
22141 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
22143 This backend supports both mail and news.
22145 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
22148 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
22149 articles and groups.
22151 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
22152 true for almost all backends.
22153 @item prompt-address
22154 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
22155 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
22156 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
22160 @node Mail-like Backends
22161 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
22163 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
22164 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
22165 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
22166 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
22169 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
22170 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
22171 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
22174 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
22175 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
22178 This function takes four parameters.
22182 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
22185 @item exit-function
22186 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
22188 @item temp-directory
22189 Where the temporary files should be stored.
22192 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
22193 performed for one group only.
22196 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
22197 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
22198 find the article number assigned to this article.
22200 The function also uses the following variables:
22201 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
22202 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
22203 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
22204 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
22208 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
22209 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
22213 @node Score File Syntax
22214 @subsection Score File Syntax
22216 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
22217 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
22218 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
22220 Here's a typical score file:
22224 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
22231 BNF definition of a score file:
22234 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
22235 element = rule / atom
22236 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
22237 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
22238 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
22239 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
22241 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
22242 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
22243 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
22244 date-header = "date"
22245 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22246 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22247 score = "nil" / <integer>
22248 date = "nil" / <natural number>
22249 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
22250 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
22251 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
22252 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
22253 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22254 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22255 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
22256 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22257 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
22258 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
22259 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
22260 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
22261 exclude-files / read-only / touched
22262 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
22263 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
22264 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
22265 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
22266 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
22267 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
22268 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
22269 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
22270 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
22271 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
22272 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
22273 eval = "eval" space <form>
22274 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
22277 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
22280 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
22281 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
22282 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
22283 one looong line, then that's ok.
22285 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
22286 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22290 @subsection Headers
22292 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
22293 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
22294 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
22295 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
22297 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
22298 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
22299 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
22300 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
22301 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
22302 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
22303 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
22305 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
22306 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
22307 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
22308 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
22309 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
22311 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
22312 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
22318 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
22319 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
22321 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
22322 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
22323 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
22324 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
22326 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
22330 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
22333 is transformed into
22336 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
22339 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
22340 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
22343 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
22346 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
22347 is slightly tricky:
22350 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
22356 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
22359 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
22365 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
22372 and is equal to the previous range.
22374 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
22375 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
22376 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
22380 range = simple-range / normal-range
22381 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
22382 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
22383 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
22384 number *[ " " contents ]
22387 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
22388 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
22389 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
22390 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
22391 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
22396 @subsection Group Info
22398 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
22399 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
22400 describes the group.
22402 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
22403 second is a more complex one:
22406 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
22408 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
22409 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
22411 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
22414 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
22415 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
22416 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
22417 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
22418 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
22419 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
22420 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
22421 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
22422 this section is about.
22424 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
22425 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
22426 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
22428 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
22431 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
22432 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
22433 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22434 group = quote <string> quote
22435 ralevel = rank / level
22436 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22437 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
22438 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22440 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
22441 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
22442 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
22443 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
22446 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
22447 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
22450 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
22451 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
22454 @item gnus-info-group
22455 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
22456 @findex gnus-info-group
22457 @findex gnus-info-set-group
22458 Get/set the group name.
22460 @item gnus-info-rank
22461 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
22462 @findex gnus-info-rank
22463 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
22464 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
22466 @item gnus-info-level
22467 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
22468 @findex gnus-info-level
22469 @findex gnus-info-set-level
22470 Get/set the group level.
22472 @item gnus-info-score
22473 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
22474 @findex gnus-info-score
22475 @findex gnus-info-set-score
22476 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
22478 @item gnus-info-read
22479 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
22480 @findex gnus-info-read
22481 @findex gnus-info-set-read
22482 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
22484 @item gnus-info-marks
22485 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
22486 @findex gnus-info-marks
22487 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
22488 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
22490 @item gnus-info-method
22491 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
22492 @findex gnus-info-method
22493 @findex gnus-info-set-method
22494 Get/set the group select method.
22496 @item gnus-info-params
22497 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
22498 @findex gnus-info-params
22499 @findex gnus-info-set-params
22500 Get/set the group parameters.
22503 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
22504 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
22506 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
22507 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
22508 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
22509 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
22512 @node Extended Interactive
22513 @subsection Extended Interactive
22514 @cindex interactive
22515 @findex gnus-interactive
22517 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
22518 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
22519 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
22522 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
22523 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
22528 The best thing to do would have been to implement
22529 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
22530 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
22531 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
22532 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
22533 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
22534 @code{interactive}.
22536 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
22541 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
22542 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
22546 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
22547 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
22548 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
22551 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
22555 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
22559 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
22565 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
22566 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
22570 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
22571 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
22572 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
22574 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
22575 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
22576 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
22577 Gnus, that's very useful.
22579 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
22580 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
22581 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
22582 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
22583 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
22584 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
22585 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
22586 following function:
22589 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
22593 (,function ,@@args))
22597 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
22598 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
22599 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
22602 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
22603 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
22604 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
22606 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
22607 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
22608 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
22611 @node Various File Formats
22612 @subsection Various File Formats
22615 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
22616 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
22620 @node Active File Format
22621 @subsubsection Active File Format
22623 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
22624 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
22627 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
22630 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
22631 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
22632 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
22633 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
22634 no.general 1000 900 y
22637 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
22640 active = *group-line
22641 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
22642 group = <non-white-space string>
22644 high-number = <non-negative integer>
22645 low-number = <positive integer>
22646 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
22649 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
22650 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
22653 @node Newsgroups File Format
22654 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
22656 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
22657 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
22658 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
22661 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
22662 Here's the definition:
22666 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
22667 group = <non-white-space string>
22669 description = <string>
22674 @node Emacs for Heathens
22675 @section Emacs for Heathens
22677 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
22678 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
22679 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
22680 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
22681 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
22682 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
22683 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
22687 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
22688 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
22693 @subsection Keystrokes
22697 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
22700 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
22703 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
22704 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
22705 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
22706 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
22707 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
22708 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
22710 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
22711 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
22712 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
22713 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
22714 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
22715 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
22716 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
22718 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
22719 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
22720 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
22721 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
22722 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
22723 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
22724 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
22726 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
22727 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
22728 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
22729 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
22730 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
22736 @subsection Emacs Lisp
22738 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
22739 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
22740 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
22741 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
22743 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
22744 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
22745 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
22746 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
22747 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
22748 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
22749 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
22752 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
22753 write the following:
22756 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
22759 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
22760 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
22761 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
22764 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
22765 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
22766 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
22767 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
22768 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
22770 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
22771 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
22772 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
22776 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
22780 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
22783 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
22784 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
22787 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
22790 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
22791 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
22794 @include gnus-faq.texi