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4 @settitle T-gnus 6.14 Manual
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 can
385 even read news with it!
387 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
388 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
389 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
390 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
391 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
398 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
399 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
400 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
401 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
402 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
403 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
404 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
405 * Various:: General purpose settings.
406 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
407 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
408 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
409 * Key Index:: Key Index.
413 @chapter Starting gnus
418 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
419 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
422 @findex gnus-other-frame
423 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
424 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
425 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
427 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
428 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
429 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
431 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
432 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
435 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
436 * The First Time:: What does gnus do the first time you start it?
437 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
438 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one gnus active at a time.
439 * Fetching a Group:: Starting gnus just to read a group.
440 * New Groups:: What is gnus supposed to do with new groups?
441 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
442 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
443 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
444 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
445 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
449 @node Finding the News
450 @section Finding the News
453 @vindex gnus-select-method
455 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
456 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
457 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
458 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
461 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
462 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
465 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
468 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
471 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
474 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
475 certainly be much faster.
477 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
479 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
480 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
481 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
482 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
483 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
484 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
486 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
487 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
488 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
489 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
491 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
492 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
493 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
494 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
495 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
496 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
497 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
498 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
499 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
502 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
504 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
505 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
506 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
507 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
508 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
509 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
511 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
513 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
514 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
515 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
516 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
517 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
518 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
521 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
522 would typically set this variable to
525 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
530 @section The First Time
531 @cindex first time usage
533 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
534 be subscribed by default.
536 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
537 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
538 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
539 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
542 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
543 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
544 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
546 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
547 help you with most common problems.
549 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
550 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
554 @node The Server is Down
555 @section The Server is Down
556 @cindex server errors
558 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
559 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
560 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
562 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
563 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
564 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
565 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
566 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
567 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
568 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
570 @findex gnus-no-server
571 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
573 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
574 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
575 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
576 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
577 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
578 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
583 @section Slave Gnusae
586 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
587 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
588 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
589 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
591 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
594 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
595 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
596 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
597 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
598 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
599 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
600 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
602 Anyways, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
603 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
604 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
605 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
606 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
607 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
608 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
609 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
611 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
612 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
615 @node Fetching a Group
616 @section Fetching a Group
617 @cindex fetching a group
619 @findex gnus-fetch-group
620 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
621 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
622 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
623 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
624 It takes the group name as a parameter.
632 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
633 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
634 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
635 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
636 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
637 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
638 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
639 @code{always}, then gnus will query the backends for new groups even
640 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
643 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
644 * Subscription Methods:: What gnus should do with new groups.
645 * Filtering New Groups:: Making gnus ignore certain new groups.
649 @node Checking New Groups
650 @subsection Checking New Groups
652 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
653 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
654 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
655 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
656 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
657 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
658 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
659 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
660 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
661 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
663 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
664 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
665 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
666 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
667 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
668 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
669 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
670 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
671 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
672 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
673 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
675 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
676 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
677 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
678 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
679 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
680 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
683 @node Subscription Methods
684 @subsection Subscription Methods
686 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
687 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
688 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
690 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
691 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
693 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
697 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
698 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
699 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
700 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
701 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
703 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
704 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
705 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
706 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
708 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
709 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
710 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
712 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
713 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
714 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
715 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
716 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
717 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
718 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
719 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
720 up. Or something like that.
722 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
723 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
724 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
725 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
726 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
728 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
729 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
732 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
733 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
734 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
735 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
736 topic parameter that looks like
742 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
745 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
750 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
751 A closely related variable is
752 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
753 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
754 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
755 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
758 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
759 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
760 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
761 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
764 @node Filtering New Groups
765 @subsection Filtering New Groups
767 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
768 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
769 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
772 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
775 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
776 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
777 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
778 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
779 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
780 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
781 subscribing these groups.
782 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
783 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
785 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
786 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
787 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
788 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
789 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
790 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
791 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
792 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
794 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
795 Yet another variable that meddles here is
796 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
797 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
798 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
799 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
800 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
801 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
802 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
803 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
805 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
806 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
809 @node Changing Servers
810 @section Changing Servers
811 @cindex changing servers
813 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
814 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
815 very flaky and you want to use another.
817 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
818 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
822 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
823 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
824 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
825 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
828 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
829 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
830 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
831 functions more than absolutely necessary.
833 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
834 @findex gnus-change-server
835 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
836 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
837 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
838 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
839 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
841 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
842 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
843 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
844 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
845 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
847 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
848 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
849 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
850 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
851 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
852 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
854 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
855 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
856 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
860 @section Startup Files
861 @cindex startup files
866 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
867 information is traditionally stored in this file.
869 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
870 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
871 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
872 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
873 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
874 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
875 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
877 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
878 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
879 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
880 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
881 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
882 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
884 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
885 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
886 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
887 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
888 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
889 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
890 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
891 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
892 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
893 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
895 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
896 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
897 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
898 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
899 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
900 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
901 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
902 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
903 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
904 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
905 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
906 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
908 @vindex gnus-startup-file
909 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
910 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
911 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
913 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
914 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
915 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
916 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
917 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
918 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
919 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
920 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
921 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
922 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
925 (defun turn-off-backup ()
926 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
928 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
929 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
932 @vindex gnus-init-file
933 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
934 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
935 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
936 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
937 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
938 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
939 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
940 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
941 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
950 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
951 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
952 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
953 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
954 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
957 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
958 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
961 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
962 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
963 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
965 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
966 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
967 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
968 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
969 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
970 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
972 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
973 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
974 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
977 @node The Active File
978 @section The Active File
980 @cindex ignored groups
982 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
983 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
984 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
986 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
987 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
988 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
989 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
990 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
991 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
992 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
995 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
996 @c if you set it to anything else.
998 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1000 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1001 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1002 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1004 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1005 you actually subscribe to.
1007 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1008 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1009 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1010 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1012 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1013 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1014 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1015 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1016 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1017 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1019 Some news servers (Leafnode and old versions of INN, for instance) do
1020 not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these servers, @code{nil}
1021 is probably the most efficient value for this variable.
1023 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1024 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1025 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1026 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1027 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1028 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1030 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1031 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1033 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1034 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1036 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1037 secondary select methods.
1040 @node Startup Variables
1041 @section Startup Variables
1045 @item gnus-load-hook
1046 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1047 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1048 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1049 times you start gnus.
1051 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1052 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1053 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1055 @item gnus-startup-hook
1056 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1057 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1059 @item gnus-started-hook
1060 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1061 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1064 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1065 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1066 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1067 generating the group buffer.
1069 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1070 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1071 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1072 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1073 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1074 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1075 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1076 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1078 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1079 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1080 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1081 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1082 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1083 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1085 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1086 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1087 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1089 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1090 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1091 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1093 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1094 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1095 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1096 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1101 @node The Group Buffer
1102 @chapter The Group Buffer
1103 @cindex group buffer
1105 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1106 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1107 long as gnus is active.
1111 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1112 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1113 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1114 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1115 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1116 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1117 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1118 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1124 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1125 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1126 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1127 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1128 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1129 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1130 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1131 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1132 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1133 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1134 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1135 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1136 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1137 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1138 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1139 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1140 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1144 @node Group Buffer Format
1145 @section Group Buffer Format
1148 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1149 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1150 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1154 @node Group Line Specification
1155 @subsection Group Line Specification
1156 @cindex group buffer format
1158 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1159 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1161 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1164 25: news.announce.newusers
1165 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1170 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1171 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1172 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1173 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1175 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1176 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1177 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1178 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1179 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1180 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1182 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1184 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1185 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1186 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1187 never examined by gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1190 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1191 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1192 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1194 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1199 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1202 Whether the group is subscribed.
1205 Level of subscribedness.
1208 Number of unread articles.
1211 Number of dormant articles.
1214 Number of ticked articles.
1217 Number of read articles.
1220 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1221 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1224 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1227 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1236 Newsgroup description.
1239 @samp{m} if moderated.
1242 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1251 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1255 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1258 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1259 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1260 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1261 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1262 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1265 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1267 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1271 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1275 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1276 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1277 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1278 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1279 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1280 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1285 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1286 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1287 group, or a bogus native group.
1290 @node Group Modeline Specification
1291 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1292 @cindex group modeline
1294 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1295 The mode line can be changed by setting
1296 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1297 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1301 The native news server.
1303 The native select method.
1307 @node Group Highlighting
1308 @subsection Group Highlighting
1309 @cindex highlighting
1310 @cindex group highlighting
1312 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1313 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1314 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1315 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1316 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1318 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1322 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-1
1323 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))))
1324 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-2
1325 '((t (:foreground "SeaGreen" :bold t))))
1326 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-3
1327 '((t (:foreground "SpringGreen" :bold t))))
1328 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-4
1329 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))))
1330 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-5
1331 '((t (:foreground "SkyBlue" :bold t))))
1333 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1334 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1335 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1336 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1337 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1338 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1341 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1343 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1350 The number of unread articles in the group.
1354 Whether the group is a mail group.
1356 The level of the group.
1358 The score of the group.
1360 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1362 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1363 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1365 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1366 topic being inserted.
1369 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1370 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1371 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1373 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1374 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1375 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1376 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1377 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1380 @node Group Maneuvering
1381 @section Group Maneuvering
1382 @cindex group movement
1384 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1385 expected, hopefully.
1391 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1392 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1393 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1399 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1400 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1401 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1405 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1406 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1410 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1411 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1415 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1416 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1417 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1421 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1422 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1423 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1426 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1432 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1433 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1434 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1439 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1440 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1441 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1445 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1446 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1447 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1450 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1451 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1452 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1453 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1457 @node Selecting a Group
1458 @section Selecting a Group
1459 @cindex group selection
1464 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1465 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1466 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1467 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1468 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1469 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1470 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1471 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1472 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1473 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
1477 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1478 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1479 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1480 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1481 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1485 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1486 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1487 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1488 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1489 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1490 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1491 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1492 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1493 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1494 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1497 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1498 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1499 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1500 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1501 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1504 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1505 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1506 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1507 doing any processing of its contents
1508 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1509 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1510 manner will have no permanent effects.
1514 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1515 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
1516 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1517 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
1518 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1519 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1520 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1521 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1524 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1525 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1526 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1527 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1532 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1533 full summary buffer.
1536 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1539 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
1544 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
1545 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
1546 Useful functions include:
1549 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
1550 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
1551 don't select the article.
1553 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
1554 Select the first unread article.
1556 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
1557 Select the highest-scored unread article.
1561 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1562 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1563 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1567 @node Subscription Commands
1568 @section Subscription Commands
1569 @cindex subscription
1577 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1578 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
1579 Toggle subscription to the current group
1580 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1586 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1587 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1588 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1589 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1595 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1596 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
1597 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1603 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1604 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1607 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1608 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1609 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1610 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1611 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1617 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1618 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1622 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1623 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1626 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1627 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1628 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1629 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1630 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1631 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1632 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1633 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1634 @file{.newsrc} file.
1638 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1648 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1649 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1650 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
1651 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1652 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1653 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
1658 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1659 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1660 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1664 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1665 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1666 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1668 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1669 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1670 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1671 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1672 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1673 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1680 @section Group Levels
1684 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1685 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1686 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1687 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1688 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1690 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1696 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1697 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1698 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1699 prompted for a level.
1702 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1703 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1704 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1705 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1706 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
1707 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1708 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1709 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1710 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1711 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
1712 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
1713 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
1714 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
1715 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
1716 reasons of efficiency.
1718 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1719 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1721 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1722 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1723 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1725 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1726 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1727 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1728 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1729 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1730 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1731 relevant valid ranges.
1733 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1734 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1735 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
1736 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1737 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1738 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1741 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1742 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1743 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1746 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1747 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1748 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1749 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1752 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1753 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1754 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1755 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1757 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1758 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
1759 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
1760 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
1761 to 5. The default is 6.
1765 @section Group Score
1770 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1771 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1772 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1775 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
1776 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
1777 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
1778 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
1779 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
1780 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
1781 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
1782 least significant part.))
1784 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1785 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1786 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1787 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1788 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1789 action after each summary exit, you can add
1790 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1791 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1792 slow things down somewhat.
1795 @node Marking Groups
1796 @section Marking Groups
1797 @cindex marking groups
1799 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1800 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1801 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1802 bidding on those groups.
1804 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1805 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1806 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1814 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1815 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1821 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1822 Remove the mark from the current group
1823 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1827 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1828 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1832 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1833 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1837 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1838 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1842 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1843 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1844 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1847 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1849 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1850 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1851 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1852 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1853 the command to be executed.
1856 @node Foreign Groups
1857 @section Foreign Groups
1858 @cindex foreign groups
1860 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1861 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1862 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1863 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1870 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1871 @cindex making groups
1872 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1873 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1874 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1878 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1879 @cindex renaming groups
1880 Rename the current group to something else
1881 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
1882 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1888 @findex gnus-group-customize
1889 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
1893 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1894 @cindex renaming groups
1895 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1896 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1900 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1901 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1902 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1906 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1907 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1908 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1912 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1914 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1915 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1920 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1921 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1925 @cindex (ding) archive
1926 @cindex archive group
1927 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1928 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1929 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1930 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1931 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1932 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1933 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1937 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1939 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1940 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1941 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1942 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1946 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1948 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
1949 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1950 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1954 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1955 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1957 Make a group based on some file or other
1958 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1959 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1960 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1961 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
1962 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
1963 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
1964 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
1968 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
1969 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
1970 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
1971 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
1975 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1980 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1981 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1982 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1983 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
1984 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1985 @xref{Web Searches}.
1987 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
1988 to a particular group by using a match string like
1989 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
1992 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1993 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1994 This function will delete the current group
1995 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1996 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1997 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1998 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
1999 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2003 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2004 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2005 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2009 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2010 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2011 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2014 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2017 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2018 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2019 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2020 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2021 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2022 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2026 @node Group Parameters
2027 @section Group Parameters
2028 @cindex group parameters
2030 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2031 Here's an example group parameter list:
2034 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2038 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2039 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2040 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2041 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2043 The following group parameters can be used:
2048 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2051 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2054 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2055 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2056 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2057 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2058 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2060 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2061 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2062 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2063 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2064 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2065 list address instead.
2069 Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
2072 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2075 It is totally ignored
2076 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2077 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2079 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2080 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2081 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2082 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2083 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2085 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2086 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2087 sending the message.
2091 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2092 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2093 of whether it has any unread articles.
2095 @item broken-reply-to
2096 @cindex broken-reply-to
2097 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2098 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2099 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2100 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2101 broken behavior. So there!
2105 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2106 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2110 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2111 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2112 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2117 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2118 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2119 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2120 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2121 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2122 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2123 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2127 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2128 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2129 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2132 @cindex total-expire
2133 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2134 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2135 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2136 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2141 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2142 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2143 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2144 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2145 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2146 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2149 @cindex score file group parameter
2150 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2151 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2152 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2155 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2156 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2157 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2158 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2161 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2162 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2163 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2164 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2167 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2168 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2172 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2175 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2180 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2181 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2182 gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2186 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2187 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2188 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2190 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2191 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2192 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2193 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2194 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2195 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2196 @code{eval}ed there.
2198 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2199 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2200 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2201 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2202 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2205 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2206 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2207 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2208 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2209 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2211 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2212 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2213 like this in the group parameters:
2218 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2223 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2224 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2228 @node Listing Groups
2229 @section Listing Groups
2230 @cindex group listing
2232 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2240 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2241 List all groups that have unread articles
2242 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2243 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2244 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2245 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2252 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2253 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2254 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2255 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2256 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2257 unsubscribed groups).
2261 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2262 List all unread groups on a specific level
2263 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2264 with no unread articles.
2268 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2269 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2270 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2271 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2276 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2277 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2281 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2282 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2283 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2287 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2288 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2292 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2293 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2294 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2295 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2296 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2297 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2298 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2299 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2303 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2304 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2305 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2309 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2310 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2311 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2315 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2316 @cindex visible group parameter
2317 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2318 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2319 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2320 get the same effect.
2322 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2323 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2324 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2325 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2326 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2329 @node Sorting Groups
2330 @section Sorting Groups
2331 @cindex sorting groups
2333 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2334 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2335 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2336 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2337 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2338 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2343 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2344 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2345 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2347 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2348 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2349 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2351 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2352 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2353 Sort by group level.
2355 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2356 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2357 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2359 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2360 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2361 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2362 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2364 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2365 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2366 Sort by number of unread articles.
2368 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2369 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2370 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2375 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2376 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2380 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2381 some sorting criteria:
2385 @kindex G S a (Group)
2386 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2387 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2388 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2391 @kindex G S u (Group)
2392 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2393 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2394 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2397 @kindex G S l (Group)
2398 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2399 Sort the group buffer by group level
2400 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2403 @kindex G S v (Group)
2404 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2405 Sort the group buffer by group score
2406 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2409 @kindex G S r (Group)
2410 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2411 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2412 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2415 @kindex G S m (Group)
2416 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2417 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2418 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2422 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
2423 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2425 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2426 commands will sort in reverse order.
2428 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2432 @kindex G P a (Group)
2433 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2434 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2435 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2438 @kindex G P u (Group)
2439 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2440 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2441 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2444 @kindex G P l (Group)
2445 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2446 Sort the groups by group level
2447 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2450 @kindex G P v (Group)
2451 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2452 Sort the groups by group score
2453 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2456 @kindex G P r (Group)
2457 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2458 Sort the groups by group rank
2459 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2462 @kindex G P m (Group)
2463 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2464 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
2465 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2471 @node Group Maintenance
2472 @section Group Maintenance
2473 @cindex bogus groups
2478 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2479 Find bogus groups and delete them
2480 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2484 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2485 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2486 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2487 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
2488 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
2492 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2493 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2494 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2495 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2498 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2499 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2500 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2501 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2506 @node Browse Foreign Server
2507 @section Browse Foreign Server
2508 @cindex foreign servers
2509 @cindex browsing servers
2514 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2515 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2516 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2517 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2520 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2521 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2522 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2523 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2525 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2530 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2531 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2535 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2536 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2539 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2540 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2541 Enter the current group and display the first article
2542 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2545 @kindex RET (Browse)
2546 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2547 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2551 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2552 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2553 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2559 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2560 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2564 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2565 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2566 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2571 @section Exiting gnus
2572 @cindex exiting gnus
2574 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
2579 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2580 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
2581 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2582 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2586 @findex gnus-group-exit
2587 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
2588 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2592 @findex gnus-group-quit
2593 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2594 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2597 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2598 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2599 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
2600 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
2601 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2606 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2607 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2608 trying to customize meta-variables.
2613 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2614 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2615 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2621 @section Group Topics
2624 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2625 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2626 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2627 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2628 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2629 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2633 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
2634 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
2645 2: alt.religion.emacs
2648 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2650 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2651 13: comp.sources.unix
2654 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2656 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2657 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2658 is a toggling command.)
2660 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2661 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2662 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2663 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2666 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2667 the hook for the group mode:
2670 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2674 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2675 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2676 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2677 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2678 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2682 @node Topic Variables
2683 @subsection Topic Variables
2684 @cindex topic variables
2686 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2687 really neat, I think.
2689 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2690 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2691 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2704 Number of groups in the topic.
2706 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2708 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2711 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2712 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2713 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2716 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2717 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2719 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2720 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2721 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2724 @node Topic Commands
2725 @subsection Topic Commands
2726 @cindex topic commands
2728 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2729 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2730 definitions slightly.
2736 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2737 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2738 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2742 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2743 Move the current group to some other topic
2744 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2745 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2749 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
2750 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
2754 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2755 Copy the current group to some other topic
2756 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2757 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2761 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2762 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2763 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
2764 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
2765 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
2766 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
2767 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
2770 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2771 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2775 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2776 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2777 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2781 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2782 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2783 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2787 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
2788 Toggle hiding empty topics
2789 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
2793 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2794 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2795 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2798 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2799 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2800 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2801 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2805 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2807 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2808 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2809 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2810 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2813 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
2814 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
2815 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2816 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
2820 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2822 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2823 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2824 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2825 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2826 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2827 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2830 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
2831 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
2832 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the expiry
2833 process (if any) (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}).
2837 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2838 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2839 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2843 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2844 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2845 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2850 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2851 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2854 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2855 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2856 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2860 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2861 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2862 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2866 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2867 @cindex group parameters
2868 @cindex topic parameters
2870 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2871 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2877 @subsection Topic Sorting
2878 @cindex topic sorting
2880 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2886 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2887 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2888 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2889 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2892 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2893 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2894 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2895 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2898 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2899 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2900 Sort the current topic by group level
2901 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2904 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2905 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2906 Sort the current topic by group score
2907 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2910 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2911 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2912 Sort the current topic by group rank
2913 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2916 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2917 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2918 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2919 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2923 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
2926 @node Topic Topology
2927 @subsection Topic Topology
2928 @cindex topic topology
2931 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2937 2: alt.religion.emacs
2940 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2942 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2943 13: comp.sources.unix
2946 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2947 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2948 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
2953 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2954 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2958 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2959 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2960 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2961 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2962 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2963 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2965 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2966 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2967 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2970 @node Topic Parameters
2971 @subsection Topic Parameters
2972 @cindex topic parameters
2974 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2975 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
2976 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2978 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
2983 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
2984 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
2985 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
2990 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2991 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2992 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2993 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2999 2: alt.religion.emacs
3003 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3005 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3006 13: comp.sources.unix
3010 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3011 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3012 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3013 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3014 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3015 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3017 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3018 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3019 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3020 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3021 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3023 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3024 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3025 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3026 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3027 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3028 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3029 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3030 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3033 @node Misc Group Stuff
3034 @section Misc Group Stuff
3037 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3038 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and gnus.
3039 * Group Timestamp:: Making gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3040 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the gnus files.
3047 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3048 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3049 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
3053 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3054 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3055 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3059 @findex gnus-group-mail
3060 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3064 Variables for the group buffer:
3068 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3069 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3070 is called after the group buffer has been
3073 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3074 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3075 is called after the group buffer is
3076 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3079 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3080 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3081 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3082 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3084 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3085 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3086 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3087 whether they are empty or not.
3092 @node Scanning New Messages
3093 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3094 @cindex new messages
3095 @cindex scanning new news
3101 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3102 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3103 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3104 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3105 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3106 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3111 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3112 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3113 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3114 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3115 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3116 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3117 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3119 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3120 @cindex activating groups
3122 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3123 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3128 @findex gnus-group-restart
3129 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3130 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3131 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
3135 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3136 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3138 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3139 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3143 @node Group Information
3144 @subsection Group Information
3145 @cindex group information
3146 @cindex information on groups
3153 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3154 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3157 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3158 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3159 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3160 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3161 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3162 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3163 for fetching the file.
3165 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
3166 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3170 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3172 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3173 @cindex describing groups
3174 @cindex group description
3175 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3176 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3177 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3181 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3182 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3183 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3190 @findex gnus-version
3191 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3195 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3196 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3199 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3202 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3203 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3207 @node Group Timestamp
3208 @subsection Group Timestamp
3210 @cindex group timestamps
3212 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
3213 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3214 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3217 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3220 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3222 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3223 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3226 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3227 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3230 This will result in lines looking like:
3233 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3234 0: custom 19961002T012713
3237 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3238 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3242 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3243 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3248 @subsection File Commands
3249 @cindex file commands
3255 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3256 @vindex gnus-init-file
3257 @cindex reading init file
3258 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3259 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3263 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3264 @cindex saving .newsrc
3265 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3266 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3267 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3270 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3271 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3272 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3277 @node The Summary Buffer
3278 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3279 @cindex summary buffer
3281 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3282 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3284 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3285 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3287 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3290 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3291 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3292 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3293 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3294 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3295 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3296 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3297 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3298 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3299 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3300 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3301 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3302 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3303 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3304 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3305 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3306 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3307 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
3308 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3309 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3310 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3311 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3312 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3313 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3314 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3315 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3316 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3317 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3321 @node Summary Buffer Format
3322 @section Summary Buffer Format
3323 @cindex summary buffer format
3327 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3328 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3329 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3335 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3336 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3337 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3338 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3341 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3342 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3343 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3344 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3345 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3346 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
3347 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3348 fast, and too simplistic solution;
3349 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
3350 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
3351 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
3352 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
3353 other function instead:
3356 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3357 'mail-extract-address-components)
3360 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3361 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3362 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3363 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3366 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3367 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3369 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3370 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3371 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3372 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3373 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3375 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3377 The following format specification characters are understood:
3383 Subject string. List identifiers stripped, @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
3385 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3386 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3387 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3389 Full @code{From} header.
3391 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3393 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3394 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3396 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3397 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3398 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3399 may be more thorough.
3401 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3404 Number of lines in the article.
3406 Number of characters in the article.
3408 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3410 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3411 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3413 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3414 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3416 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3417 for adopted articles.
3419 One space for each thread level.
3421 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3426 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3427 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3431 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3433 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3434 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3435 default level. If the difference between
3436 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3437 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3445 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3447 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3453 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3454 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3456 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3457 article has any children.
3463 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3464 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3465 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3466 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3467 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3468 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3471 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3472 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
3473 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3474 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3475 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3476 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3478 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3479 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3481 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
3484 @node To From Newsgroups
3485 @subsection To From Newsgroups
3489 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
3490 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
3491 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
3492 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
3493 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
3497 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
3498 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
3499 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
3503 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3504 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
3507 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
3508 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
3511 @findex gnus-extra-header
3512 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
3513 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
3514 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
3517 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
3521 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
3522 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
3523 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
3524 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
3525 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
3526 headers are used instead.
3530 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
3531 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
3532 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
3533 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
3536 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3537 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
3538 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
3539 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
3541 In summary, you'd typically do something like the following:
3544 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3546 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
3547 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
3548 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
3549 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
3553 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
3554 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
3561 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
3562 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
3565 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3566 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3568 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3569 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
3570 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
3571 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3573 Here are the elements you can play with:
3579 Unprefixed group name.
3581 Current article number.
3583 Current article score.
3587 Number of unread articles in this group.
3589 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
3592 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3593 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3594 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3595 and no unselected ones.
3597 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3598 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3600 Subject of the current article.
3602 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
3604 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
3606 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3608 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3610 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3612 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3616 @node Summary Highlighting
3617 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3621 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3622 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3623 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3624 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3625 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3627 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3628 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3629 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3630 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3632 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3633 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3634 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
3635 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3637 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3638 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3639 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3640 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
3641 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
3642 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
3645 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3646 ((> score default) . bold))
3648 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3649 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
3653 @node Summary Maneuvering
3654 @section Summary Maneuvering
3655 @cindex summary movement
3657 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3658 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3660 None of these commands select articles.
3665 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3666 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3667 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3668 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3669 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3673 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3674 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3675 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3676 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3677 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3682 @kindex G j (Summary)
3683 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3684 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
3685 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3688 @kindex G g (Summary)
3689 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3690 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
3691 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3694 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3695 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3696 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3697 to the group buffer.
3699 Variables related to summary movement:
3703 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3704 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3705 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
3706 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
3707 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
3708 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
3709 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
3710 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
3711 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
3712 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
3713 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
3714 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
3715 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
3716 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
3718 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3719 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3720 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3721 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3722 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3723 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
3724 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
3726 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3728 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3729 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3730 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3731 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3732 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3734 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3735 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3736 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3737 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3738 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3739 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3740 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3741 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3744 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
3745 the given number of lines from the top.
3750 @node Choosing Articles
3751 @section Choosing Articles
3752 @cindex selecting articles
3755 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3756 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3760 @node Choosing Commands
3761 @subsection Choosing Commands
3763 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3764 and they all select and display an article.
3768 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3769 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3770 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3771 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3776 @kindex G n (Summary)
3777 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3778 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
3779 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3784 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3785 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
3786 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3791 @kindex G N (Summary)
3792 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3793 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3798 @kindex G P (Summary)
3799 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3800 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3803 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3804 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3805 Go to the next article with the same subject
3806 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3809 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3810 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3811 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3812 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3816 @kindex G f (Summary)
3818 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3819 Go to the first unread article
3820 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3824 @kindex G b (Summary)
3826 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3827 Go to the article with the highest score
3828 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3833 @kindex G l (Summary)
3834 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3835 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3838 @kindex G o (Summary)
3839 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3841 @cindex article history
3842 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3843 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3844 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3845 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
3846 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
3847 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
3851 @node Choosing Variables
3852 @subsection Choosing Variables
3854 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3857 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3858 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3859 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3860 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3861 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3862 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3864 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3865 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3866 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3867 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3869 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3870 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3871 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3872 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3873 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3874 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3875 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3876 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3877 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3878 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3879 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3880 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3881 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3882 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3887 @node Paging the Article
3888 @section Scrolling the Article
3889 @cindex article scrolling
3894 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3895 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3896 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3897 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3898 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3901 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3902 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3903 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3906 @kindex RET (Summary)
3907 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3908 Scroll the current article one line forward
3909 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3912 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
3913 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
3914 Scroll the current article one line backward
3915 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
3919 @kindex A g (Summary)
3921 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3922 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
3923 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3924 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3925 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3926 the way it came from the server.
3928 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
3929 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
3930 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
3933 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
3938 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
3943 @kindex A < (Summary)
3944 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3945 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3946 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3951 @kindex A > (Summary)
3952 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3953 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3957 @kindex A s (Summary)
3959 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3960 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3961 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3965 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
3966 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
3971 @node Reply Followup and Post
3972 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3975 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3976 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3977 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
3978 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
3982 @node Summary Mail Commands
3983 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3985 @cindex composing mail
3987 Commands for composing a mail message:
3993 @kindex S r (Summary)
3995 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3996 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
3997 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
3998 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3999 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4004 @kindex S R (Summary)
4005 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4006 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4007 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4008 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4009 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4012 @kindex S w (Summary)
4013 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4014 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4015 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4016 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4017 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4020 @kindex S W (Summary)
4021 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4022 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4023 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4024 the process/prefix convention.
4027 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4028 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4029 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4030 Forward the current article to some other person
4031 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4032 headers of the forwarded article.
4037 @kindex S m (Summary)
4038 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4039 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4040 Send a mail to some other person
4041 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4044 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4045 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4046 @cindex bouncing mail
4047 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4048 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4049 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4050 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4051 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4052 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
4053 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4054 very well fail, though.
4057 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4058 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4059 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4060 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4061 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4062 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4063 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4064 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4065 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4066 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4068 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4069 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4070 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4071 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4072 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4074 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4075 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4078 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4079 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4080 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4081 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4082 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4085 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4086 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4087 @cindex crossposting
4088 @cindex excessive crossposting
4089 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4090 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4092 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4093 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4094 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4095 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4096 command understands the process/prefix convention
4097 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4101 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4104 @node Summary Post Commands
4105 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4107 @cindex composing news
4109 Commands for posting a news article:
4115 @kindex S p (Summary)
4116 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4117 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4118 Post an article to the current group
4119 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4124 @kindex S f (Summary)
4125 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4126 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4127 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4131 @kindex S F (Summary)
4133 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4134 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4135 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4136 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4137 process/prefix convention.
4140 @kindex S n (Summary)
4141 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4142 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4143 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4146 @kindex S N (Summary)
4147 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4148 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4149 message through mail and include the original message
4150 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4151 the process/prefix convention.
4154 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4155 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4156 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4157 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4158 headers of the forwarded article.
4161 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4162 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4164 @cindex making digests
4165 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4166 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4167 process/prefix convention.
4170 @kindex S u (Summary)
4171 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4172 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4173 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4174 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4177 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4180 @node Summary Message Commands
4181 @subsection Summary Message Commands
4185 @kindex S y (Summary)
4186 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
4187 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
4188 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
4189 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
4190 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4195 @node Canceling and Superseding
4196 @subsection Canceling Articles
4197 @cindex canceling articles
4198 @cindex superseding articles
4200 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4201 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4203 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4205 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4207 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4208 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4209 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4210 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4211 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4212 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4214 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4215 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4218 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4219 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4220 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4222 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4223 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4224 your original article.
4226 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4228 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4229 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4230 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4233 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4234 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4235 have posted almost the same article twice.
4237 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4238 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4239 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4240 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4241 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4242 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4243 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4244 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4245 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4246 canceled/superseded.
4248 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4251 @node Marking Articles
4252 @section Marking Articles
4253 @cindex article marking
4254 @cindex article ticking
4257 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4259 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4260 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4261 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4263 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4266 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4267 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4268 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4272 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4276 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4277 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
4278 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4282 @node Unread Articles
4283 @subsection Unread Articles
4285 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4290 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4291 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4293 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4294 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4295 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4296 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4297 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4301 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4302 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4304 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4305 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4306 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4309 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4310 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4312 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4317 @subsection Read Articles
4318 @cindex expirable mark
4320 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4325 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4326 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4327 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4330 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4331 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4334 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4335 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4336 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4339 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4340 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4343 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4344 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4347 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4348 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4351 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4352 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4355 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4356 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4359 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4360 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4363 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4364 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4368 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4369 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4370 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4374 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4375 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4377 One more special mark, though:
4381 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4382 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4384 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4385 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4386 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4387 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
4393 @subsection Other Marks
4394 @cindex process mark
4397 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4403 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4404 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4405 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4406 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4407 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
4410 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4411 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4412 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4413 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4416 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4417 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4418 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4421 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4422 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4423 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4424 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4427 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4428 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4429 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4430 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4431 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4434 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4435 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4436 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4437 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4438 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4439 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4443 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4444 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4445 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4447 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4448 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4449 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4453 @subsection Setting Marks
4454 @cindex setting marks
4456 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4461 @kindex M c (Summary)
4462 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4463 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4464 @cindex mark as unread
4465 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4466 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4472 @kindex M t (Summary)
4473 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4474 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4475 @xref{Article Caching}.
4480 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4481 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4482 Mark the current article as dormant
4483 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4487 @kindex M d (Summary)
4489 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4490 Mark the current article as read
4491 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4495 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4496 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4497 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
4502 @kindex M k (Summary)
4503 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
4504 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
4505 and then select the next unread article
4506 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
4510 @kindex M K (Summary)
4511 @kindex C-k (Summary)
4512 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
4513 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
4514 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4517 @kindex M C (Summary)
4518 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4519 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
4520 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4523 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4524 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4525 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4526 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4529 @kindex M H (Summary)
4530 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4531 Catchup the current group to point
4532 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4535 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4536 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4537 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4538 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
4541 @kindex M V k (Summary)
4542 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
4543 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
4544 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
4548 @kindex M e (Summary)
4550 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
4551 Mark the current article as expirable
4552 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
4555 @kindex M b (Summary)
4556 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
4557 Set a bookmark in the current article
4558 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
4561 @kindex M B (Summary)
4562 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
4563 Remove the bookmark from the current article
4564 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
4567 @kindex M V c (Summary)
4568 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
4569 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
4570 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4573 @kindex M V u (Summary)
4574 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
4575 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
4576 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
4579 @kindex M V m (Summary)
4580 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
4581 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
4582 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
4583 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4586 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
4587 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
4588 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
4589 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
4590 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
4591 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
4592 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
4593 The default is @code{t}.
4596 @node Generic Marking Commands
4597 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
4599 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
4600 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
4601 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
4602 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
4603 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
4606 Multiply these five behaviours with five different marking commands, and
4607 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
4610 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
4611 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
4612 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
4613 to list in this manual.
4615 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
4616 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
4617 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
4618 article, you could say something like:
4621 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
4622 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
4623 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
4629 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
4630 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
4634 @node Setting Process Marks
4635 @subsection Setting Process Marks
4636 @cindex setting process marks
4643 @kindex M P p (Summary)
4644 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
4645 Mark the current article with the process mark
4646 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
4647 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
4651 @kindex M P u (Summary)
4652 @kindex M-# (Summary)
4653 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
4654 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
4657 @kindex M P U (Summary)
4658 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
4659 Remove the process mark from all articles
4660 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
4663 @kindex M P i (Summary)
4664 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
4665 Invert the list of process marked articles
4666 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
4669 @kindex M P R (Summary)
4670 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
4671 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
4672 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
4675 @kindex M P r (Summary)
4676 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
4677 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
4680 @kindex M P t (Summary)
4681 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4682 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4683 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4686 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4687 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4688 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4689 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4692 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4693 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4694 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4695 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4698 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4699 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4700 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4703 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4704 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4705 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4706 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4709 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4710 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4711 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4714 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4715 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4716 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4717 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4720 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4721 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4722 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4723 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4726 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4727 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4728 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4729 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4732 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4733 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4734 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4735 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4744 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4745 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4746 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4749 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
4750 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
4751 additional articles.
4757 @kindex / / (Summary)
4758 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4759 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4760 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4763 @kindex / a (Summary)
4764 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4765 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4766 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4769 @kindex / x (Summary)
4770 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
4771 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
4772 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
4773 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4777 @kindex / u (Summary)
4779 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4780 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
4781 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4782 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4783 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4786 @kindex / m (Summary)
4787 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4788 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
4789 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4792 @kindex / t (Summary)
4793 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
4794 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
4795 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}). If given a prefix, limit to
4796 articles younger than that number of days.
4799 @kindex / n (Summary)
4800 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4801 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4802 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4803 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4806 @kindex / w (Summary)
4807 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4808 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4809 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4813 @kindex / v (Summary)
4814 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4815 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4816 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4820 @kindex M S (Summary)
4821 @kindex / E (Summary)
4822 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4823 Include all expunged articles in the limit
4824 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4827 @kindex / D (Summary)
4828 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4829 Include all dormant articles in the limit
4830 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4833 @kindex / * (Summary)
4834 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
4835 Include all cached articles in the limit
4836 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
4839 @kindex / d (Summary)
4840 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4841 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
4842 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4845 @kindex / M (Summary)
4846 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
4847 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
4850 @kindex / T (Summary)
4851 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
4852 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
4855 @kindex / c (Summary)
4856 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4857 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
4858 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4861 @kindex / C (Summary)
4862 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4863 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4864 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4865 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4873 @cindex article threading
4875 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
4876 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
4877 hierarchical fashion.
4879 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
4880 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
4881 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
4882 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
4883 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
4884 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
4885 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
4887 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
4891 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
4894 A tree-like article structure.
4897 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
4900 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
4901 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
4902 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
4903 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
4904 called loose threads.
4906 @item thread gathering
4907 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
4909 @item sparse threads
4910 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
4911 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
4917 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4918 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4922 @node Customizing Threading
4923 @subsection Customizing Threading
4924 @cindex customizing threading
4927 * Loose Threads:: How gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
4928 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
4929 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
4930 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
4935 @subsubsection Loose Threads
4938 @cindex loose threads
4941 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4942 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4943 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4944 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4945 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4946 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4948 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
4949 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
4950 There are four possible values:
4954 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
4955 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
4956 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4957 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4958 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4963 @cindex adopting articles
4968 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4969 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4970 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4971 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4974 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4975 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4976 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4977 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4978 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4979 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4980 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4983 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4984 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4985 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4989 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4990 display them after one another.
4993 Don't gather loose threads.
4996 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4997 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4998 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4999 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
5000 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5001 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5002 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
5003 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
5004 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
5005 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
5006 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
5008 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
5009 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
5010 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
5013 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5014 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5015 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
5016 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
5017 simplification is used.
5019 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5020 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5021 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
5022 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
5024 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
5026 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5032 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
5033 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
5034 "answer" "reference" "announce"
5035 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
5040 (mapconcat 'identity
5041 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
5043 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
5046 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
5049 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5050 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5051 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
5052 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
5053 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
5054 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
5056 Useful functions to put in this list include:
5059 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
5060 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
5061 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
5063 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5064 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5067 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
5068 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
5069 Remove excessive whitespace.
5072 You may also write your own functions, of course.
5075 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5076 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5077 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
5078 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
5079 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
5080 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
5081 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
5082 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
5084 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5085 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5086 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
5087 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
5088 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
5089 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
5090 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
5091 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
5092 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
5096 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5097 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5098 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
5099 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
5101 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5102 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5103 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
5106 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
5110 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5111 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
5117 @node Filling In Threads
5118 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
5121 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
5122 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
5123 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
5124 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
5125 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
5126 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
5127 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
5128 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
5129 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
5130 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
5131 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
5132 expired by the server, there's not much gnus can do about that.
5134 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
5135 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
5136 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
5138 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
5139 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
5140 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
5141 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
5142 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
5143 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
5144 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
5145 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
5146 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
5147 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
5148 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
5149 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
5150 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
5151 @code{nil} by default.
5156 @node More Threading
5157 @subsubsection More Threading
5160 @item gnus-show-threads
5161 @vindex gnus-show-threads
5162 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
5163 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
5164 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
5165 slower and more awkward.
5167 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5168 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5169 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
5172 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
5173 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5174 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5175 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5176 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5177 threads are expunged.
5179 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5180 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5181 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5184 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5185 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5186 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5187 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
5188 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
5191 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5192 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5193 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5196 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5197 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5198 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
5199 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
5200 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
5201 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
5202 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to. Setting
5203 this variable to an alternate value
5204 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
5205 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
5206 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
5211 @node Low-Level Threading
5212 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5216 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5217 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5218 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
5219 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
5220 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
5221 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
5223 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5224 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5225 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5226 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5227 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5228 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5229 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5230 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5231 meaningful. Here's one example:
5234 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5236 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5237 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5239 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5241 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5248 @node Thread Commands
5249 @subsection Thread Commands
5250 @cindex thread commands
5256 @kindex T k (Summary)
5257 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5258 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5259 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5260 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5261 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5266 @kindex T l (Summary)
5267 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5268 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5269 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5270 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5273 @kindex T i (Summary)
5274 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5275 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5276 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5279 @kindex T # (Summary)
5280 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5281 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5282 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5285 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5286 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5287 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5288 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5291 @kindex T T (Summary)
5292 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5293 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5296 @kindex T s (Summary)
5297 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5298 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5299 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5302 @kindex T h (Summary)
5303 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5304 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5307 @kindex T S (Summary)
5308 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5309 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5312 @kindex T H (Summary)
5313 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5314 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5317 @kindex T t (Summary)
5318 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5319 Re-thread the current article's thread
5320 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5321 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5324 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5325 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5326 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5327 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5331 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5332 understand the numeric prefix.
5337 @kindex T n (Summary)
5338 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5339 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5342 @kindex T p (Summary)
5343 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5344 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5347 @kindex T d (Summary)
5348 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5349 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5352 @kindex T u (Summary)
5353 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5354 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5357 @kindex T o (Summary)
5358 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5359 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5362 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5363 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5364 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5365 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5366 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5367 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5368 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5369 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5370 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5371 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5372 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5373 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5380 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5381 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5382 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5383 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5384 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5385 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5386 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5387 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5388 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
5389 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
5390 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
5392 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5393 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5394 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5395 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5396 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5398 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5399 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5400 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
5402 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
5403 last function in the list. You should probably always include
5404 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5405 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5406 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5407 ascending article order.
5409 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
5410 by number, you could do something like:
5413 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5414 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5415 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5416 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
5419 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5420 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5421 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5422 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5423 which the articles arrived.
5425 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
5429 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5431 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
5432 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5435 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5436 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5437 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5438 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5441 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5442 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5443 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5444 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5445 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5446 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5447 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5448 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5449 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5450 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5451 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5452 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5453 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5455 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5459 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5460 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5461 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5466 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5467 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5468 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5469 @cindex article pre-fetch
5472 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5473 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5474 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5475 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5476 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5478 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5479 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
5481 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
5482 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
5483 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
5484 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
5485 connection is blocked.
5487 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
5488 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
5489 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
5490 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
5492 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
5493 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
5494 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
5495 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
5498 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
5501 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
5502 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
5503 happen automatically.
5505 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
5506 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
5507 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
5508 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
5509 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
5510 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
5511 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
5513 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
5514 @findex gnus-async-read-p
5515 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
5516 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
5517 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
5518 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
5519 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
5520 data structure as the only parameter.
5522 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
5525 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
5526 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
5527 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
5528 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
5531 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
5534 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
5535 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
5536 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
5538 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
5539 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
5540 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
5541 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
5545 Remove articles when they are read.
5548 Remove articles when exiting the group.
5551 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
5553 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
5554 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
5555 @c from the next group.
5558 @node Article Caching
5559 @section Article Caching
5560 @cindex article caching
5563 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
5564 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
5565 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
5566 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
5567 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
5569 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
5571 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5572 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
5573 @vindex gnus-use-cache
5574 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
5575 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
5576 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
5577 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
5578 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
5580 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
5581 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
5582 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
5583 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
5584 as dormant, and don't worry.
5586 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
5588 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
5589 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
5590 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
5591 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
5592 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
5593 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
5594 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
5595 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
5596 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
5597 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
5599 @findex gnus-jog-cache
5600 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
5601 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
5602 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
5603 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
5604 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
5605 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
5606 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
5607 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
5608 not then be downloaded by this command.
5610 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
5611 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
5612 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
5613 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
5614 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
5615 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
5617 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
5618 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
5619 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
5620 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
5621 variables, the group is not cached.
5623 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
5624 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
5625 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
5626 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
5627 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
5628 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
5629 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
5630 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
5631 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
5635 @node Persistent Articles
5636 @section Persistent Articles
5637 @cindex persistent articles
5639 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
5640 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
5641 useful in my opinion.
5643 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
5644 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
5645 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
5646 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
5647 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
5648 the expiry going on at the news server.
5650 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
5651 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
5652 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
5658 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
5659 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
5662 @kindex M-* (Summary)
5663 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
5664 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
5665 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
5669 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
5671 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
5672 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
5673 interested in persistent articles:
5676 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
5680 @node Article Backlog
5681 @section Article Backlog
5683 @cindex article backlog
5685 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
5686 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
5687 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
5688 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
5689 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
5690 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
5691 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
5692 increase memory usage some.
5694 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
5695 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
5696 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
5697 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
5698 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
5699 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
5700 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
5702 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
5705 @node Saving Articles
5706 @section Saving Articles
5707 @cindex saving articles
5709 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
5710 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
5711 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
5712 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
5713 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
5715 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
5716 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
5717 unwanted headers before saving the article.
5719 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
5720 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
5721 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
5722 deleted before saving.
5728 @kindex O o (Summary)
5730 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
5731 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
5732 Save the current article using the default article saver
5733 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
5736 @kindex O m (Summary)
5737 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
5738 Save the current article in mail format
5739 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
5742 @kindex O r (Summary)
5743 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
5744 Save the current article in rmail format
5745 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
5748 @kindex O f (Summary)
5749 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
5750 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
5751 Save the current article in plain file format
5752 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
5755 @kindex O F (Summary)
5756 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
5757 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
5758 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
5761 @kindex O b (Summary)
5762 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
5763 Save the current article body in plain file format
5764 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
5767 @kindex O h (Summary)
5768 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
5769 Save the current article in mh folder format
5770 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
5773 @kindex O v (Summary)
5774 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
5775 Save the current article in a VM folder
5776 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
5779 @kindex O p (Summary)
5780 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
5781 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
5782 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
5785 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
5786 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
5787 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
5788 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
5789 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
5790 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
5791 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
5792 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
5793 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
5794 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
5795 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
5796 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
5800 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
5801 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
5802 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
5803 functions below, or you can create your own.
5807 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5808 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5809 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
5810 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5811 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
5812 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5813 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5815 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5816 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5817 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
5818 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
5819 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5820 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5822 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
5823 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
5824 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
5825 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5826 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
5827 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5828 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5830 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5831 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5832 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
5833 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5834 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5836 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5837 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5838 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
5839 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
5840 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
5843 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
5844 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
5845 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
5846 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
5847 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
5849 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5850 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5851 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
5852 reader to use this setting.
5855 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
5856 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
5857 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
5858 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
5861 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
5862 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
5863 available functions that generate names:
5867 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
5868 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
5869 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5871 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
5872 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5873 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5875 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
5876 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
5877 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5879 @item gnus-plain-save-name
5880 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5881 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5884 @vindex gnus-split-methods
5885 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
5886 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
5887 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
5888 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
5892 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
5893 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
5894 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
5895 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
5898 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
5899 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
5900 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5901 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5902 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5903 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5904 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5905 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5906 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5908 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5909 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5910 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5911 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5913 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5914 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5915 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
5918 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
5919 lots of mail groups called things like
5920 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
5921 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
5922 following will do just that:
5925 (defun my-save-name (group)
5926 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
5927 (substring group (match-end 0))))
5929 (setq gnus-split-methods
5930 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
5935 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5936 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5937 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5938 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5939 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5940 all the files in the top level directory
5941 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5942 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5943 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5944 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5946 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5947 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5948 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5949 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5950 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5953 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5957 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5958 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5961 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5962 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5963 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5964 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5967 @node Decoding Articles
5968 @section Decoding Articles
5969 @cindex decoding articles
5971 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5972 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5975 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5976 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
5977 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5978 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
5979 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5980 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5984 @cindex article series
5985 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5986 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5987 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5988 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5989 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5991 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5992 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5993 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5995 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
5996 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5997 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5999 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
6000 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
6001 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
6004 @node Uuencoded Articles
6005 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
6007 @cindex uuencoded articles
6012 @kindex X u (Summary)
6013 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
6014 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
6015 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
6018 @kindex X U (Summary)
6019 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
6020 Uudecodes and saves the current series
6021 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6024 @kindex X v u (Summary)
6025 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
6026 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
6029 @kindex X v U (Summary)
6030 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
6031 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
6032 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
6036 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
6037 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
6038 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
6039 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
6040 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6042 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
6043 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
6044 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
6045 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
6048 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
6049 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
6050 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
6051 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
6052 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
6053 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
6057 @node Shell Archives
6058 @subsection Shell Archives
6060 @cindex shell archives
6061 @cindex shared articles
6063 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
6064 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
6065 some commands to deal with these:
6070 @kindex X s (Summary)
6071 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
6072 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
6075 @kindex X S (Summary)
6076 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
6077 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
6080 @kindex X v s (Summary)
6081 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
6082 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
6085 @kindex X v S (Summary)
6086 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
6087 Unshars, views and saves the current series
6088 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
6092 @node PostScript Files
6093 @subsection PostScript Files
6099 @kindex X p (Summary)
6100 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
6101 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
6104 @kindex X P (Summary)
6105 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
6106 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
6107 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
6110 @kindex X v p (Summary)
6111 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
6112 View the current PostScript series
6113 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
6116 @kindex X v P (Summary)
6117 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
6118 View and save the current PostScript series
6119 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
6124 @subsection Other Files
6128 @kindex X o (Summary)
6129 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
6130 Save the current series
6131 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
6134 @kindex X b (Summary)
6135 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
6136 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
6137 doesn't really work yet.
6141 @node Decoding Variables
6142 @subsection Decoding Variables
6144 Adjective, not verb.
6147 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
6148 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
6149 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
6153 @node Rule Variables
6154 @subsubsection Rule Variables
6155 @cindex rule variables
6157 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
6158 variables are of the form
6161 (list '(regexp1 command2)
6168 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6169 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6171 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
6172 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
6175 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6176 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
6179 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6180 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6181 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
6182 user and default view rules.
6184 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6185 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6186 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6191 @node Other Decode Variables
6192 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6195 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6197 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6198 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6199 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6200 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6201 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6205 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6206 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6209 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6210 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6211 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6214 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6215 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6216 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6217 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6218 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6221 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6222 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6223 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6225 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6226 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6227 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6228 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6229 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6232 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6233 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6234 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6236 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6237 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6238 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6239 looking for files to display.
6241 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6242 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6243 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6246 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6247 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6248 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6251 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6252 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6253 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6256 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6257 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6258 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6261 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6262 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6263 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6264 decoded articles as unread.
6266 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6267 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6268 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6269 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6271 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6272 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6273 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6275 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6276 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6278 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6279 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6280 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6281 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6283 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6284 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6285 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6286 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6287 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6288 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
6289 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6290 simply dropped them.
6295 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6296 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6300 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6301 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6302 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6303 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6304 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6305 for you when you post the article.
6307 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6308 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6309 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6310 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6312 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6313 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6314 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6315 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6316 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6317 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6318 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6320 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6321 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6322 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6323 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6324 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6325 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6326 Default is @code{t}.
6332 @subsection Viewing Files
6333 @cindex viewing files
6334 @cindex pseudo-articles
6336 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
6337 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6338 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6339 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
6340 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6341 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6342 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6344 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6345 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6346 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6347 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6349 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6350 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6351 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6353 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6354 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6355 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6356 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6357 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6359 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6360 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6361 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6362 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6363 a list of parameters to that command.
6365 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6366 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6367 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6369 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6370 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6371 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6374 @node Article Treatment
6375 @section Article Treatment
6377 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6378 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6379 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6380 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6381 these articles easier.
6384 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6385 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6386 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6387 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6388 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6389 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6390 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6391 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
6395 @node Article Highlighting
6396 @subsection Article Highlighting
6397 @cindex highlighting
6399 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6400 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6405 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6406 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6407 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6408 Do much highlighting of the current article
6409 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
6410 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
6413 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6414 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6415 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6416 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6417 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6418 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
6419 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
6420 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6421 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6422 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6423 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6424 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
6427 @kindex W H c (Summary)
6428 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
6429 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
6431 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
6434 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6436 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6437 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
6438 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
6440 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6441 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6442 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6444 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6445 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6446 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6448 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6449 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6450 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
6451 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
6452 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
6453 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
6455 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6456 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6457 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6459 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6460 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6461 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6463 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6464 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6465 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6466 that it's a citation.
6468 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6469 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6470 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6472 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6473 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6474 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6476 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6477 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6478 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6479 cited text belonging to the attribution.
6485 @kindex W H s (Summary)
6486 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6487 @vindex gnus-signature-face
6488 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
6489 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
6490 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
6491 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
6492 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
6497 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
6500 @node Article Fontisizing
6501 @subsection Article Fontisizing
6503 @cindex article emphasis
6505 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
6506 @kindex W e (Summary)
6507 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
6508 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
6509 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
6510 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
6512 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
6513 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
6514 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
6515 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
6516 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
6517 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
6518 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
6519 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
6523 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
6524 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
6525 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
6534 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
6535 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
6536 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
6537 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
6538 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
6539 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
6540 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
6541 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
6542 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
6543 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
6544 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
6545 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
6546 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
6548 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
6549 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
6550 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
6554 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
6557 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
6559 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
6560 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
6561 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
6562 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
6564 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
6567 @node Article Hiding
6568 @subsection Article Hiding
6569 @cindex article hiding
6571 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
6572 too much cruft in most articles.
6577 @kindex W W a (Summary)
6578 @findex gnus-article-hide
6579 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
6580 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
6581 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
6584 @kindex W W h (Summary)
6585 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
6586 Toggle hiding of headers (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}). @xref{Hiding
6590 @kindex W W b (Summary)
6591 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6592 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
6593 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
6596 @kindex W W s (Summary)
6597 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
6598 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
6602 @kindex W W l (Summary)
6603 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
6604 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
6605 Hide list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. Theese
6606 are strings some list servers add to the beginning of all @code{Subject}
6607 headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}.
6611 @item gnus-list-identifiers
6612 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
6613 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
6614 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
6619 @kindex W W p (Summary)
6620 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
6621 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6622 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
6623 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
6624 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
6625 articles that have signatures in them do:
6627 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
6629 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
6631 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
6632 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
6634 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6637 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
6642 @kindex W W P (Summary)
6643 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
6644 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
6645 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
6648 @kindex W W B (Summary)
6649 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
6652 @cindex stripping advertisments
6653 @cindex advertisments
6654 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
6655 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
6656 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
6657 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
6658 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
6659 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
6660 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
6661 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
6662 signature should be removed.
6665 @kindex W W c (Summary)
6666 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
6667 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
6668 customizing the hiding:
6672 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
6673 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
6674 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
6675 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
6676 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
6677 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
6678 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
6683 Starting point of the hidden text.
6685 Ending point of the hidden text.
6687 Number of characters in the hidden region.
6689 Number of lines of hidden text.
6692 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
6693 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
6694 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
6699 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
6700 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
6702 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
6703 following two variables:
6706 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6707 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6708 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
6709 50), hide the cited text.
6711 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6712 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6713 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
6718 @kindex W W C (Summary)
6719 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
6720 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
6721 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
6722 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
6723 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
6727 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
6728 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
6729 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
6731 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
6732 citation customization.
6734 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
6738 @node Article Washing
6739 @subsection Article Washing
6741 @cindex article washing
6743 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
6744 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
6746 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
6747 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
6753 @kindex W l (Summary)
6754 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
6755 Remove page breaks from the current article
6756 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
6760 @kindex W r (Summary)
6761 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
6762 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
6763 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
6764 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
6765 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
6766 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
6768 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
6769 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
6770 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
6771 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
6774 @kindex W t (Summary)
6775 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
6776 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
6777 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
6780 @kindex W v (Summary)
6781 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
6782 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
6783 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
6786 @kindex W m (Summary)
6787 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
6788 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
6789 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
6792 @kindex W o (Summary)
6793 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
6794 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
6797 @kindex W d (Summary)
6798 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
6799 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
6801 @cindex M******** sm*rtq**t*s
6803 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s according to
6804 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
6805 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
6806 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
6810 @kindex W w (Summary)
6811 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
6812 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
6814 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
6818 @kindex W Q (Summary)
6819 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
6820 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
6823 @kindex W C (Summary)
6824 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
6825 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
6826 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
6829 @kindex W c (Summary)
6830 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
6831 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
6832 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
6833 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
6834 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
6837 @kindex W f (Summary)
6839 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
6840 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
6841 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
6842 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
6848 Look for and display any X-Face headers
6849 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
6850 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
6851 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
6852 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
6853 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
6854 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
6855 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
6856 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
6857 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
6858 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
6859 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
6860 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
6861 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
6865 @kindex W b (Summary)
6866 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
6867 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
6868 @xref{Article Buttons}.
6871 @kindex W B (Summary)
6872 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
6873 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
6874 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
6877 @kindex W W H (Summary)
6878 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
6879 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
6880 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
6883 @kindex W E l (Summary)
6884 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
6885 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
6886 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
6889 @kindex W E m (Summary)
6890 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
6891 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
6892 lines with a single empty line.
6893 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
6896 @kindex W E t (Summary)
6897 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
6898 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
6899 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
6902 @kindex W E a (Summary)
6903 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
6904 Do all the three commands above
6905 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
6908 @kindex W E A (Summary)
6909 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
6910 Remove all blank lines
6911 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
6914 @kindex W E s (Summary)
6915 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
6916 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
6917 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
6920 @kindex W E e (Summary)
6921 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
6922 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
6923 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
6927 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
6930 @node Article Buttons
6931 @subsection Article Buttons
6934 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
6935 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
6936 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
6937 button on these references.
6939 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
6940 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
6941 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
6946 @item gnus-button-alist
6947 @vindex gnus-button-alist
6948 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
6951 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6957 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
6958 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
6959 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
6962 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
6963 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
6964 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
6967 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
6968 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
6969 avoid false matches.
6972 This function will be called when you click on this button.
6975 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
6976 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
6980 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
6983 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
6986 @item gnus-header-button-alist
6987 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
6988 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
6989 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
6990 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
6993 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6996 @var{header} is a regular expression.
6998 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
6999 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
7000 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
7001 default values of the variables above.
7003 @item gnus-article-button-face
7004 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
7005 Face used on buttons.
7007 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
7008 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
7009 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
7013 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
7017 @subsection Article Date
7019 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
7020 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
7021 when the article was sent.
7026 @kindex W T u (Summary)
7027 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
7028 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
7029 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
7032 @kindex W T i (Summary)
7033 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
7035 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
7036 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
7039 @kindex W T l (Summary)
7040 @findex gnus-article-date-local
7041 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
7044 @kindex W T s (Summary)
7045 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
7046 @findex gnus-article-date-user
7047 @findex format-time-string
7048 Display the date using a user-defined format
7049 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
7050 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
7051 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
7052 for a list of possible format specs.
7055 @kindex W T e (Summary)
7056 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
7057 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
7058 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
7059 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
7060 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
7063 X-Sent: 9 years, 6 weeks, 4 days, 9 hours, 3 minutes, 28 seconds ago
7066 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
7067 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
7070 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
7071 into wonderful absurdities.
7073 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
7076 (gnus-start-date-timer)
7079 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
7080 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
7084 @kindex W T o (Summary)
7085 @findex gnus-article-date-original
7086 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
7087 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
7088 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
7089 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
7090 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
7094 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
7095 preferred format automatically.
7098 @node Article Signature
7099 @subsection Article Signature
7101 @cindex article signature
7103 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7104 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
7105 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
7106 that says what is to be considered a signature is
7107 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
7108 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
7109 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
7110 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
7111 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
7114 (setq gnus-signature-separator
7115 '("^-- $" ; The standard
7116 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
7117 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
7118 ; line of dashes. Shame!
7119 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
7120 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
7121 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
7124 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
7127 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
7128 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
7129 signature when displaying articles.
7133 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
7136 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
7139 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
7140 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
7142 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
7143 in question is not a signature.
7146 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
7147 listed above. Here's an example:
7150 (setq gnus-signature-limit
7151 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
7154 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
7155 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
7156 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
7157 signature after all.
7160 @node Article Miscellania
7161 @subsection Article Miscellania
7165 @kindex A t (Summary)
7166 @findex gnus-article-babel
7167 Translate the article from one language to another
7168 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
7174 @section @sc{mime} Commands
7175 @cindex MIME decoding
7177 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
7178 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
7184 @kindex K v (Summary)
7185 View the @sc{mime} part.
7188 @kindex K o (Summary)
7189 Save the @sc{mime} part.
7192 @kindex K c (Summary)
7193 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
7196 @kindex K e (Summary)
7197 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
7200 @kindex K i (Summary)
7201 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
7204 @kindex K | (Summary)
7205 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
7208 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
7213 @kindex K b (Summary)
7214 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in from of them.
7217 @kindex K m (Summary)
7218 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
7219 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
7220 be viewed in a more pleasant manner.
7223 @kindex X m (Summary)
7224 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
7225 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
7226 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
7227 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7230 @kindex M-t (Summary)
7231 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
7232 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
7233 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
7236 @kindex W M w (Summary)
7237 Decode RFC2047-encoded words in the article headers
7238 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
7241 @kindex W M c (Summary)
7242 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
7243 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
7245 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
7246 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
7247 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
7248 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
7249 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
7250 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
7253 @kindex W M v (Summary)
7254 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
7255 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
7262 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
7263 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
7264 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7265 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
7268 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
7271 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
7275 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7276 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7277 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7278 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
7279 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
7281 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
7282 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
7283 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
7284 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
7285 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
7286 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
7287 save all jpegs into some directory).
7289 Here's an example function the does the latter:
7292 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
7293 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
7295 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
7296 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
7297 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
7298 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
7299 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
7302 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7303 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7304 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
7313 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
7314 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
7315 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
7316 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
7317 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
7318 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
7319 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
7321 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
7322 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
7323 variable, which is an alist of regexps (to match group names) and
7324 default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
7326 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
7327 aren't. These blitely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
7328 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
7329 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
7330 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
7331 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
7332 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
7333 something some agents insist on having in there.
7339 @cindex coding system aliases
7340 @cindex preferred charset
7342 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
7344 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
7345 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
7348 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
7349 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
7352 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
7353 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
7355 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
7358 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
7361 This will almost do the right thing.
7363 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
7367 (codepage-setup 1251)
7368 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
7372 @node Article Commands
7373 @section Article Commands
7380 @kindex A P (Summary)
7381 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
7382 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
7383 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
7384 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
7385 run just before printing the buffer.
7390 @node Summary Sorting
7391 @section Summary Sorting
7392 @cindex summary sorting
7394 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
7395 can't really see why you'd want that.
7400 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
7401 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
7402 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
7405 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
7406 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
7407 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
7410 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
7411 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
7412 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
7415 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
7416 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
7417 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
7420 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
7421 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
7422 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
7425 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
7426 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
7427 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
7430 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
7431 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
7432 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
7435 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
7436 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
7437 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
7438 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
7439 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
7443 @node Finding the Parent
7444 @section Finding the Parent
7445 @cindex parent articles
7446 @cindex referring articles
7451 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
7452 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
7453 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
7454 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
7455 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
7456 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
7457 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
7458 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
7459 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
7461 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
7462 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
7463 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
7464 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
7465 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
7469 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
7470 @kindex A R (Summary)
7471 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
7472 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
7475 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
7476 @kindex A T (Summary)
7477 Display the full thread where the current article appears
7478 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
7479 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
7480 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
7481 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
7482 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
7483 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
7485 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
7486 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
7487 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
7488 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
7489 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
7490 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
7493 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
7494 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
7496 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
7497 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
7498 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
7499 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
7500 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
7501 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
7502 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
7505 The current select method will be used when fetching by
7506 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
7507 by giving this command a prefix.
7509 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
7510 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
7511 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
7512 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
7513 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
7514 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
7517 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
7518 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
7519 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
7522 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
7523 then ask Deja if that fails:
7526 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
7528 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
7531 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
7532 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
7533 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
7534 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
7535 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
7536 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
7539 @node Alternative Approaches
7540 @section Alternative Approaches
7542 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
7543 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
7546 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
7547 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
7552 @subsection Pick and Read
7553 @cindex pick and read
7555 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
7556 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
7557 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
7558 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
7560 @findex gnus-pick-mode
7561 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
7562 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
7563 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
7564 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
7565 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
7567 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
7572 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
7573 Pick the article or thread on the current line
7574 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
7575 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
7576 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
7577 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
7578 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
7579 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
7582 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
7583 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
7584 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
7585 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
7589 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
7590 Unpick the thread or article
7591 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
7592 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
7593 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
7594 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
7595 the thread or article at that line.
7599 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
7600 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
7601 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
7602 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
7603 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
7604 will still be visible when you are reading.
7608 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
7609 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
7610 which is mapped to the same function
7611 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
7613 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
7616 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
7619 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
7620 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
7622 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
7623 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
7624 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
7626 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
7627 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
7628 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
7629 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
7630 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
7631 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
7632 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
7636 @subsection Binary Groups
7637 @cindex binary groups
7639 @findex gnus-binary-mode
7640 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
7641 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
7642 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
7643 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
7644 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
7645 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
7648 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
7649 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
7650 command, when you have turned on this mode
7651 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
7653 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
7654 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
7658 @section Tree Display
7661 @vindex gnus-use-trees
7662 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
7663 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
7664 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
7667 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
7670 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
7671 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
7672 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
7674 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
7675 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
7676 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
7677 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
7678 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
7680 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
7681 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
7682 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
7683 default is @code{modeline}.
7685 @item gnus-tree-line-format
7686 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
7687 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
7688 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
7689 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
7690 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
7691 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
7697 The name of the poster.
7699 The @code{From} header.
7701 The number of the article.
7703 The opening bracket.
7705 The closing bracket.
7710 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
7712 Variables related to the display are:
7715 @item gnus-tree-brackets
7716 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
7717 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
7718 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
7719 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
7720 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
7722 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7723 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7724 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
7725 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
7729 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
7730 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
7731 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
7732 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
7733 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
7734 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
7735 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
7736 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
7737 other windows displayed next to it.
7739 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
7740 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
7741 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7742 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
7743 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
7744 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
7745 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
7749 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
7752 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
7762 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
7766 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
7767 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
7769 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
7771 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
7776 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
7777 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
7778 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
7781 (setq gnus-use-trees t
7782 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7783 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
7784 (gnus-add-configuration
7788 (summary 0.75 point)
7793 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
7796 @node Mail Group Commands
7797 @section Mail Group Commands
7798 @cindex mail group commands
7800 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
7801 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
7803 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
7804 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7809 @kindex B e (Summary)
7810 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
7811 Expire all expirable articles in the group
7812 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
7815 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
7816 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
7817 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
7818 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
7819 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
7820 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
7823 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
7824 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
7825 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
7826 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
7827 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
7828 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
7831 @kindex B m (Summary)
7833 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
7834 Move the article from one mail group to another
7835 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
7838 @kindex B c (Summary)
7840 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
7841 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
7842 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
7843 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
7846 @kindex B B (Summary)
7847 @cindex crosspost mail
7848 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
7849 Crosspost the current article to some other group
7850 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
7851 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
7852 be properly updated.
7855 @kindex B i (Summary)
7856 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
7857 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
7858 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
7859 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
7862 @kindex B r (Summary)
7863 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
7864 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
7865 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
7866 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
7867 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
7871 @kindex B w (Summary)
7873 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
7874 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
7875 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
7876 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
7877 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
7878 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
7881 @kindex B q (Summary)
7882 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
7883 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
7884 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
7885 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
7888 @kindex B t (Summary)
7889 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
7890 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
7891 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
7894 @kindex B p (Summary)
7895 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
7896 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
7897 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
7898 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
7899 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
7900 article from your news server (or rather, from
7901 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
7902 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
7903 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
7904 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
7905 just not have arrived yet.
7909 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
7910 @cindex moving articles
7911 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
7912 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
7913 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
7914 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
7915 suggestions you find reasonable.
7918 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
7919 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
7920 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
7921 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
7925 @node Various Summary Stuff
7926 @section Various Summary Stuff
7929 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
7930 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
7931 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
7932 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
7936 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
7937 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
7938 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
7940 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
7941 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
7942 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
7943 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
7944 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
7945 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
7948 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7949 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7950 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
7951 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
7952 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
7954 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
7955 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
7956 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
7959 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7960 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7961 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
7962 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
7963 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
7964 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
7965 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
7966 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
7967 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
7968 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
7973 @node Summary Group Information
7974 @subsection Summary Group Information
7979 @kindex H f (Summary)
7980 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
7981 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
7982 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
7983 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
7984 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
7985 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
7986 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
7987 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
7988 be used for fetching the file.
7991 @kindex H d (Summary)
7992 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
7993 Give a brief description of the current group
7994 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
7995 rereading the description from the server.
7998 @kindex H h (Summary)
7999 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
8000 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
8001 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
8004 @kindex H i (Summary)
8005 @findex gnus-info-find-node
8006 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
8010 @node Searching for Articles
8011 @subsection Searching for Articles
8016 @kindex M-s (Summary)
8017 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
8018 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
8019 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
8022 @kindex M-r (Summary)
8023 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
8024 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
8025 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
8029 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
8030 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
8031 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
8032 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
8036 @kindex M-& (Summary)
8037 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
8038 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
8039 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
8042 @node Summary Generation Commands
8043 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
8048 @kindex Y g (Summary)
8049 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
8050 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
8053 @kindex Y c (Summary)
8054 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
8055 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
8056 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
8061 @node Really Various Summary Commands
8062 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
8068 @kindex C-d (Summary)
8069 @kindex A D (Summary)
8070 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
8071 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
8072 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
8073 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
8074 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
8075 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
8076 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
8077 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
8081 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
8082 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
8083 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
8084 several documents into one biiig group
8085 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
8086 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
8087 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
8088 command understands the process/prefix convention
8089 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8092 @kindex C-t (Summary)
8093 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
8094 Toggle truncation of summary lines
8095 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
8096 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
8097 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
8101 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
8102 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
8103 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
8106 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
8107 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
8108 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8109 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
8112 @kindex M-C-g (Summary)
8113 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
8114 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8115 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
8120 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
8121 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
8122 @cindex summary exit
8123 @cindex exiting groups
8125 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
8126 group and return you to the group buffer.
8132 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
8134 @findex gnus-summary-exit
8135 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
8136 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
8137 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
8138 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
8139 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
8140 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
8141 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
8142 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
8143 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
8144 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
8148 @kindex Z E (Summary)
8150 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
8151 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
8152 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
8156 @kindex Z c (Summary)
8158 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
8159 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
8160 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
8161 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
8164 @kindex Z C (Summary)
8165 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
8166 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
8167 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
8170 @kindex Z n (Summary)
8171 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
8172 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
8173 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
8176 @kindex Z R (Summary)
8177 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
8178 Exit this group, and then enter it again
8179 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
8180 all articles, both read and unread.
8184 @kindex Z G (Summary)
8185 @kindex M-g (Summary)
8186 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
8187 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
8188 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
8189 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
8190 articles, both read and unread.
8193 @kindex Z N (Summary)
8194 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
8195 Exit the group and go to the next group
8196 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
8199 @kindex Z P (Summary)
8200 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
8201 Exit the group and go to the previous group
8202 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
8205 @kindex Z s (Summary)
8206 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
8207 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
8208 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
8209 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
8210 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
8213 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
8214 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
8217 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
8218 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
8219 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
8220 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
8221 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
8222 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
8223 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
8224 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
8225 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
8226 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
8227 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
8228 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
8230 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
8232 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
8233 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
8234 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
8235 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
8236 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
8237 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
8238 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
8239 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
8240 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
8243 @node Crosspost Handling
8244 @section Crosspost Handling
8248 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
8249 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
8250 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
8251 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
8252 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
8253 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
8256 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
8257 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
8258 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
8259 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
8260 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
8262 @cindex cross-posting
8265 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
8266 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
8267 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
8268 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
8269 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
8270 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
8271 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
8272 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
8273 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
8274 the cross reference mechanism.
8276 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
8277 @cindex overview.fmt
8278 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
8279 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
8280 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
8281 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
8282 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
8283 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
8286 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
8287 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
8288 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
8293 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
8296 @node Duplicate Suppression
8297 @section Duplicate Suppression
8299 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
8300 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
8301 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
8302 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
8307 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
8308 is evil and not very common.
8311 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
8312 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
8315 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
8316 different @sc{nntp} servers.
8319 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
8322 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
8323 well, but these four are the most common situations.
8325 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
8326 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
8327 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
8328 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
8329 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
8330 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
8331 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
8334 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
8335 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
8336 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
8337 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
8338 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
8342 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
8343 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
8344 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
8346 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
8347 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
8348 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
8349 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
8350 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
8351 session are suppressed.
8353 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
8354 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
8355 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
8356 suppression list. The default is 10000.
8358 @item gnus-duplicate-file
8359 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
8360 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
8361 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
8364 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
8365 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
8366 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
8367 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
8368 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
8369 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
8370 to you to figure out, I think.
8373 @node The Article Buffer
8374 @chapter The Article Buffer
8375 @cindex article buffer
8377 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
8378 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
8379 tell gnus otherwise.
8382 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
8383 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
8384 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
8385 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
8386 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
8390 @node Hiding Headers
8391 @section Hiding Headers
8392 @cindex hiding headers
8393 @cindex deleting headers
8395 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
8396 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
8398 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
8399 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
8400 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
8401 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
8402 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
8403 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
8404 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
8405 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
8406 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
8408 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
8412 @item gnus-visible-headers
8413 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
8414 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
8415 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
8416 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
8418 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
8419 the article and the subject, you'd say:
8422 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
8425 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
8428 @item gnus-ignored-headers
8429 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
8430 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
8431 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
8432 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
8433 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
8435 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
8436 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
8439 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
8442 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
8445 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
8446 variable will have no effect.
8450 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
8451 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
8452 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
8453 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
8454 the headers are to be displayed.
8456 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
8457 and then the subject, you might say something like:
8460 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
8463 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
8464 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
8466 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8467 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
8468 You can hide further boring headers by setting
8469 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
8470 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
8471 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
8472 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
8475 These conditions are:
8478 Remove all empty headers.
8480 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
8481 @code{Newsgroups} header.
8483 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
8486 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
8489 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
8492 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
8494 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
8497 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
8500 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
8501 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
8504 This is also the default value for this variable.
8508 @section Using @sc{mime}
8511 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
8512 while people stand around yawning.
8514 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
8515 while all newsreaders die of fear.
8517 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
8518 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
8519 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
8521 @vindex gnus-show-mime
8522 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
8523 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
8524 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
8525 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
8526 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
8527 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
8528 calls the SEMI MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
8529 information on SEMI MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is not
8530 existed yet, sorry).
8532 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
8533 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
8534 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
8535 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
8536 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
8537 buffer. These can't be avoided.
8539 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
8540 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
8541 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
8542 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
8543 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
8544 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
8545 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
8546 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
8547 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
8550 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
8552 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
8553 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
8554 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
8555 buffer when there are nobody else.
8557 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
8560 @node Customizing Articles
8561 @section Customizing Articles
8562 @cindex article customization
8564 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
8565 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
8566 called automatically when you select the articles.
8568 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
8569 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
8570 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
8571 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
8573 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
8574 for sensible values.
8578 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
8581 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
8584 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
8587 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
8590 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
8594 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
8595 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
8596 regexps in the list.
8599 A list where the first element is not a string:
8601 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
8602 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
8603 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
8607 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
8611 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
8616 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
8617 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
8618 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
8619 considered to contain just a single part.
8621 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
8622 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
8623 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
8624 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
8625 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
8626 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
8627 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
8629 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
8630 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
8631 group. Values in brackets are suggested sensible values. Others are possible
8632 but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
8635 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
8636 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
8637 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
8638 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
8639 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
8640 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
8641 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
8642 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
8643 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
8644 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
8645 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
8646 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
8647 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
8648 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
8649 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
8650 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
8651 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
8652 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
8653 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
8654 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
8655 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
8656 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
8657 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
8658 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
8659 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
8660 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
8661 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
8662 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
8663 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
8664 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
8665 @item gnus-treat-translate
8666 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset
8669 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
8670 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
8671 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
8672 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
8673 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
8677 @node Article Keymap
8678 @section Article Keymap
8680 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
8681 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
8682 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
8683 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
8686 A few additional keystrokes are available:
8691 @kindex SPACE (Article)
8692 @findex gnus-article-next-page
8693 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
8696 @kindex DEL (Article)
8697 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
8698 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
8701 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
8702 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
8703 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
8704 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
8705 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
8708 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
8709 @findex gnus-article-mail
8710 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
8711 given a prefix, include the mail.
8715 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
8716 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
8717 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
8721 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
8722 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
8723 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
8726 @kindex TAB (Article)
8727 @findex gnus-article-next-button
8728 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
8729 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
8732 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
8733 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
8734 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
8740 @section Misc Article
8744 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
8745 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
8746 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
8747 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
8750 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
8751 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
8753 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
8754 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
8756 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
8757 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
8758 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
8759 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
8760 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
8761 the contents of the article buffer.
8763 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
8764 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
8765 Hook called in article mode buffers.
8767 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
8768 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
8769 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
8770 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
8772 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
8773 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
8774 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
8775 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
8776 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with one
8781 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
8782 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
8785 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
8788 @vindex gnus-break-pages
8790 @item gnus-break-pages
8791 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
8792 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
8793 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
8794 paging will not be done.
8796 @item gnus-page-delimiter
8797 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
8798 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
8803 @node Composing Messages
8804 @chapter Composing Messages
8805 @cindex composing messages
8808 @cindex sending mail
8813 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
8814 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
8815 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
8816 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
8817 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
8818 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
8819 to make gnus try to post using the foreign server.
8822 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
8823 * Post:: Posting and following up.
8824 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
8825 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
8826 * Archived Messages:: Where gnus stores the messages you've sent.
8827 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
8828 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
8829 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
8832 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
8833 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
8839 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
8842 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
8843 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
8844 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
8845 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
8847 @item gnus-add-to-list
8848 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
8849 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
8850 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
8858 Variables for composing news articles:
8861 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8862 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8863 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
8864 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
8865 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
8866 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
8867 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
8868 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
8869 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want gnus to keep a history
8872 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8873 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8874 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
8875 file. It is 1000 by default.
8880 @node Posting Server
8881 @section Posting Server
8883 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
8884 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
8886 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
8888 @vindex gnus-post-method
8890 It can be quite complicated. Normally, gnus will use the same native
8891 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
8892 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
8893 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
8894 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
8897 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
8900 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
8901 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
8902 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
8903 the ``current'' server for posting.
8905 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
8906 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
8908 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
8909 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
8912 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
8913 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
8914 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
8919 @section Mail and Post
8921 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
8925 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
8926 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
8927 @cindex mailing lists
8929 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
8930 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
8931 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
8932 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
8933 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
8934 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
8935 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
8936 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
8937 still a pain, though.
8941 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
8942 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
8943 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
8946 @findex ispell-message
8948 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
8952 @node Archived Messages
8953 @section Archived Messages
8954 @cindex archived messages
8955 @cindex sent messages
8957 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
8958 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
8959 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
8960 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
8963 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
8964 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
8965 use to store sent messages. The default is:
8969 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
8970 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
8971 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
8972 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
8975 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
8976 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
8977 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
8978 directory chosen, you could say something like:
8981 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
8982 '(nnfolder "archive"
8983 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
8984 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
8985 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
8988 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
8990 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
8991 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
8992 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
8994 This variable can be used to do the following:
8998 Messages will be saved in that group.
8999 @item a list of strings
9000 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
9001 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
9002 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
9004 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
9009 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
9011 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
9014 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
9016 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
9019 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
9021 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9022 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
9023 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
9024 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
9029 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9030 '((if (message-news-p)
9035 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
9036 messages in one file per month:
9039 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9040 '((if (message-news-p)
9042 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
9045 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
9046 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
9048 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
9049 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
9050 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
9051 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
9052 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
9053 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
9054 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
9055 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
9056 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
9057 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
9059 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
9060 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
9061 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
9062 this will disable archiving.
9065 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
9066 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
9067 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
9068 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
9069 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
9072 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
9073 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
9074 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
9077 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
9078 but the latter is the preferred method.
9082 @node Posting Styles
9083 @section Posting Styles
9084 @cindex posting styles
9087 All them variables, they make my head swim.
9089 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
9090 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
9091 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
9094 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
9095 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
9096 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
9097 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
9098 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
9103 (signature "Peace and happiness")
9104 (organization "What me?"))
9106 (signature "Death to everybody"))
9107 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
9108 (organization "Emacs is it")))
9111 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
9112 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
9113 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
9114 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
9115 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
9116 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
9117 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
9118 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
9120 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
9121 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
9122 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header that
9123 match the next element in the match, and compare that to the last header
9124 in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function will be called
9125 with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
9126 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
9127 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
9130 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
9131 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} . @var{value})} pair. The
9132 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
9133 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
9134 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
9135 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
9136 article. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated,
9137 and the result is thrown away.
9139 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
9140 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
9141 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
9142 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
9143 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
9144 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
9146 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
9147 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
9148 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
9150 @findex message-mail-p
9151 @findex message-news-p
9153 So here's a new example:
9156 (setq gnus-posting-styles
9158 (signature-file "~/.signature")
9160 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
9161 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
9163 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
9164 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
9165 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
9167 (signature my-news-signature))
9168 ((header "From.*To" "larsi.*org")
9169 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
9170 ((posting-from-work-p)
9171 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
9172 (address "user@@bar.foo")
9173 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
9174 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
9176 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
9184 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
9185 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
9186 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
9187 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
9188 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
9190 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
9191 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
9192 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
9193 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
9194 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
9198 @vindex nndraft-directory
9199 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
9200 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
9201 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
9202 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
9203 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
9204 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
9206 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
9207 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
9210 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
9211 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
9212 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
9213 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
9214 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
9215 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
9216 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
9217 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
9218 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
9219 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
9220 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
9221 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
9222 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
9223 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
9225 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
9226 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
9227 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
9229 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
9231 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
9232 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
9233 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
9235 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
9238 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
9239 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
9240 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
9241 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
9242 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
9243 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
9244 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
9247 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
9248 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
9249 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
9252 @node Rejected Articles
9253 @section Rejected Articles
9254 @cindex rejected articles
9256 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
9257 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
9258 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
9259 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
9261 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
9262 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
9263 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
9264 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
9265 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
9267 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
9268 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
9269 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
9272 @node Select Methods
9273 @chapter Select Methods
9274 @cindex foreign groups
9275 @cindex select methods
9277 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
9278 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
9279 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
9280 personal mail group.
9282 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
9283 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
9284 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
9285 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
9286 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
9287 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
9289 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
9290 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
9292 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
9295 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
9296 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
9297 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
9298 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
9299 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
9301 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
9304 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
9305 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
9306 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
9307 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
9308 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
9309 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
9310 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
9314 @node The Server Buffer
9315 @section The Server Buffer
9317 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
9318 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
9319 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
9320 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
9321 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
9322 backend represents a virtual server.
9324 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
9325 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
9326 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
9327 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
9329 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
9330 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
9331 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
9332 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
9333 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
9334 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
9335 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
9337 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
9338 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
9341 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
9342 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
9343 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
9344 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
9345 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
9346 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
9347 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
9350 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
9351 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
9354 @node Server Buffer Format
9355 @subsection Server Buffer Format
9356 @cindex server buffer format
9358 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
9359 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
9360 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
9361 variable, with some simple extensions:
9366 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
9369 The name of this server.
9372 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
9375 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
9378 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
9379 The mode line can also be customized by using the
9380 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
9381 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
9391 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
9394 @node Server Commands
9395 @subsection Server Commands
9396 @cindex server commands
9402 @findex gnus-server-add-server
9403 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
9407 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
9408 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
9411 @kindex SPACE (Server)
9412 @findex gnus-server-read-server
9413 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
9417 @findex gnus-server-exit
9418 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
9422 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
9423 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
9427 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
9428 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
9432 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
9433 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
9437 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
9438 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
9442 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
9443 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
9444 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
9449 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
9450 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
9451 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
9452 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
9457 @node Example Methods
9458 @subsection Example Methods
9460 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
9463 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
9466 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
9472 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
9473 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
9476 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
9477 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
9479 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
9480 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
9484 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
9487 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
9488 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
9490 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
9491 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
9492 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
9496 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
9499 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
9502 Here's the method for a public spool:
9506 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
9507 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
9510 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
9511 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
9512 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
9513 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
9514 should probably look something like this:
9518 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
9519 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
9520 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
9521 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
9522 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
9525 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
9526 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
9527 server that would look something like this:
9531 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
9532 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
9533 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
9534 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
9535 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
9536 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
9539 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
9540 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
9541 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
9542 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
9545 @node Creating a Virtual Server
9546 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
9548 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
9549 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
9551 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
9552 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
9553 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
9555 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
9557 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
9558 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
9559 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
9560 will contain the following:
9570 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
9571 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
9572 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
9575 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
9576 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
9577 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
9580 @node Server Variables
9581 @subsection Server Variables
9583 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
9584 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
9585 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
9586 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
9587 won't change the "derived" variables.
9589 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
9590 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
9591 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
9592 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
9593 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
9594 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
9595 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
9596 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
9597 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
9601 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
9602 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
9603 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
9607 @node Servers and Methods
9608 @subsection Servers and Methods
9610 Wherever you would normally use a select method
9611 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
9612 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
9613 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
9617 @node Unavailable Servers
9618 @subsection Unavailable Servers
9620 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
9621 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
9622 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
9623 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
9624 actually the case or not.
9626 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
9627 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
9628 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
9629 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
9630 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
9631 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
9632 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
9633 it will regard that server as ``down''.
9635 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
9636 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
9638 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
9639 with the following commands:
9645 @findex gnus-server-open-server
9646 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
9647 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
9651 @findex gnus-server-close-server
9652 Close the connection (if any) to the server
9653 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
9657 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
9658 Mark the current server as unreachable
9659 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
9662 @kindex M-o (Server)
9663 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
9664 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
9665 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
9668 @kindex M-c (Server)
9669 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
9670 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
9671 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
9675 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
9676 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
9677 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
9683 @section Getting News
9684 @cindex reading news
9685 @cindex news backends
9687 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
9688 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
9689 or it can read from a local spool.
9692 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
9693 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
9698 @subsection @sc{nntp}
9701 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
9702 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
9703 server as the, uhm, address.
9705 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
9706 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
9707 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
9708 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
9710 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
9711 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
9712 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
9714 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
9719 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
9720 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
9721 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
9723 @cindex authentification
9724 @cindex nntp authentification
9725 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
9726 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
9727 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
9728 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
9729 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
9730 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
9731 present in this hook.
9733 @item nntp-authinfo-function
9734 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
9735 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
9736 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
9737 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
9738 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
9739 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
9740 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
9741 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
9742 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
9743 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
9744 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
9748 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
9751 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
9752 valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
9753 @samp{default} and @samp{force}. (The latter is not a valid
9754 @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} token, which is the only way the
9755 @file{.authinfo} file format deviates from the @file{.netrc} file
9760 Here's an example file:
9763 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
9764 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
9767 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
9768 have to be first, for instance.
9770 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
9771 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
9772 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
9773 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
9774 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
9775 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
9776 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
9778 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
9779 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
9785 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
9786 previously mentioned.
9788 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
9790 @item nntp-server-action-alist
9791 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
9792 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
9793 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
9794 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
9797 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
9801 You probably don't want to do that, though.
9803 The default value is
9806 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
9807 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
9810 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
9811 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
9813 @item nntp-maximum-request
9814 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
9815 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
9816 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
9817 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
9818 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
9819 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
9820 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
9822 @item nntp-connection-timeout
9823 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
9824 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
9825 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
9826 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
9827 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
9828 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
9829 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
9830 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
9831 no timeouts are done.
9833 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
9834 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
9835 @c @cindex PPP connections
9836 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
9837 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
9838 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
9839 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
9840 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
9841 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
9842 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
9843 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
9844 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
9845 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
9847 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
9848 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
9849 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
9850 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
9853 @item nntp-server-hook
9854 @vindex nntp-server-hook
9855 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
9858 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
9859 @findex nntp-open-telnet
9860 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
9861 @item nntp-open-connection-function
9862 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
9863 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
9864 functions are supplied:
9867 @item nntp-open-network-stream
9868 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
9871 @item nntp-open-rlogin
9872 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
9873 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
9876 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
9880 @item nntp-rlogin-program
9881 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
9882 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
9883 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
9885 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
9886 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
9887 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
9889 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9890 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9891 User name on the remote system.
9895 @item nntp-open-telnet
9896 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
9897 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
9899 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
9902 @item nntp-telnet-command
9903 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
9904 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
9906 @item nntp-telnet-switches
9907 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
9908 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
9910 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
9911 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
9912 User name for log in on the remote system.
9914 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
9915 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
9916 Password to use when logging in.
9918 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
9919 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
9920 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
9923 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9924 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9925 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
9926 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
9928 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9929 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9930 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
9931 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
9932 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
9936 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
9937 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
9938 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
9939 you must have SSLay installed
9940 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
9941 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
9942 define a server as follows:
9945 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
9947 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
9949 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
9950 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
9951 (nntp-port-number "snews")
9952 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
9957 @item nntp-end-of-line
9958 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
9959 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
9960 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
9961 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
9963 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9964 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9965 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
9969 @vindex nntp-address
9970 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
9972 @item nntp-port-number
9973 @vindex nntp-port-number
9974 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
9977 @item nntp-buggy-select
9978 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
9979 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
9981 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
9982 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
9983 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
9984 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
9987 @item nntp-xover-commands
9988 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
9991 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
9992 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
9996 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
9997 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
9998 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
9999 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
10000 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
10001 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
10002 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
10003 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
10004 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
10005 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
10006 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
10008 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
10009 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
10010 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
10012 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10013 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10014 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
10015 server closes connection.
10017 @item nntp-record-commands
10018 @vindex nntp-record-commands
10019 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
10020 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
10021 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
10022 that doesn't seem to work.
10028 @subsection News Spool
10032 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
10033 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
10034 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
10037 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
10038 anything else) as the address.
10040 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
10041 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
10042 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
10043 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
10047 @item nnspool-inews-program
10048 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
10049 Program used to post an article.
10051 @item nnspool-inews-switches
10052 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
10053 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
10055 @item nnspool-spool-directory
10056 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
10057 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
10058 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
10060 @item nnspool-nov-directory
10061 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
10062 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
10063 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
10065 @item nnspool-lib-dir
10066 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
10067 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
10069 @item nnspool-active-file
10070 @vindex nnspool-active-file
10071 The path to the active file.
10073 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
10074 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
10075 The path to the group descriptions file.
10077 @item nnspool-history-file
10078 @vindex nnspool-history-file
10079 The path to the news history file.
10081 @item nnspool-active-times-file
10082 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
10083 The path to the active date file.
10085 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
10086 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
10087 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
10090 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10091 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10093 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
10094 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
10095 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
10101 @section Getting Mail
10102 @cindex reading mail
10105 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
10109 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
10110 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
10111 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
10112 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
10113 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
10114 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
10115 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
10116 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
10117 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
10118 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
10119 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
10120 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
10121 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
10125 @node Mail in a Newsreader
10126 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
10128 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
10129 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
10130 of a culture shock.
10132 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
10133 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
10135 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
10136 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
10137 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
10138 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
10140 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
10142 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
10143 deleted? How awful!
10145 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
10146 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
10147 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
10148 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
10151 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
10152 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
10153 they want to treat a message.
10155 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
10156 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
10157 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
10158 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
10159 archived somewhere else.
10161 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
10162 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
10163 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
10164 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
10165 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
10167 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
10168 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
10169 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
10171 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
10172 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
10175 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
10176 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
10177 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
10178 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
10179 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
10181 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
10182 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
10183 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
10184 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
10185 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
10186 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
10190 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
10191 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
10193 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
10194 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
10195 and things will happen automatically.
10197 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
10198 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
10201 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
10202 '((nnml "private")))
10205 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
10206 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
10207 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
10208 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
10209 like any other group.
10211 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
10214 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10215 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
10216 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
10220 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
10221 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
10222 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
10225 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
10226 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
10227 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
10230 @node Splitting Mail
10231 @subsection Splitting Mail
10232 @cindex splitting mail
10233 @cindex mail splitting
10235 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
10236 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
10237 to be split into groups.
10240 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10241 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
10242 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
10243 ("mail.other" "")))
10246 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
10247 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
10248 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
10249 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
10250 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
10251 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
10252 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
10255 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
10258 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
10259 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
10260 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
10261 mail belongs in that group.
10263 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
10264 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
10265 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
10266 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
10267 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
10268 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
10270 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
10271 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
10272 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
10273 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
10274 thinks should carry this mail message.
10276 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
10277 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
10278 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
10279 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
10281 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
10282 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
10283 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
10284 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
10285 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
10287 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
10290 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
10291 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
10292 links. If that's the case for you, set
10293 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
10294 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
10296 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
10297 @kindex nnmail-split-history
10298 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
10299 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
10301 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
10302 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
10303 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
10304 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
10305 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
10306 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
10307 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
10308 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
10309 month's rent money.
10313 @subsection Mail Sources
10315 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
10316 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
10320 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
10321 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
10322 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
10326 @node Mail Source Specifiers
10327 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
10329 @cindex mail server
10332 @cindex mail source
10334 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
10335 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
10340 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
10343 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
10344 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
10345 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
10348 The following mail source types are available:
10352 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
10358 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
10359 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
10362 An example file mail source:
10365 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
10368 Or using the default path:
10374 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
10375 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not you ange-ftp
10376 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
10379 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
10383 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
10386 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
10390 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
10393 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
10395 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
10398 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
10402 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
10403 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
10409 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
10413 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
10417 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
10418 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
10419 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
10420 predicate are considered.
10424 Script run before/after fetching mail.
10428 An example directory mail source:
10431 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
10436 Get mail from a POP server.
10442 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
10443 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
10446 The port number of the POP server. The default is @samp{pop3}.
10449 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
10453 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
10457 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This is should be
10458 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
10461 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
10464 The valid format specifier characters are:
10468 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
10469 included in this string.
10472 The name of the server.
10475 The port number of the server.
10478 The user name to use.
10481 The password to use.
10484 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
10485 corresponding keywords.
10488 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
10489 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
10492 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
10493 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
10496 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
10497 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
10500 @item :authentication
10501 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
10502 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
10507 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
10508 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
10510 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
10511 default user name, and default fetcher:
10517 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
10520 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
10521 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
10524 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
10527 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
10531 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
10532 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
10533 contains exactly one mail.
10539 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
10540 @samp{~/Maildir/new}.
10542 If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
10543 them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
10544 @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
10547 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
10548 from locking problems).
10552 Two example maildir mail sources:
10555 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/cur")
10559 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/new")
10563 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap} as intended,
10564 as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for some reason or
10565 other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server and fetches
10566 articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox.
10572 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
10573 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
10576 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
10577 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
10580 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
10584 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
10588 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
10589 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
10590 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{ssl} or the default @samp{network}.
10592 @item :authenticator
10593 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is one
10594 of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now, this means
10595 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default
10599 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
10600 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
10603 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default,
10604 @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people,
10605 but if you sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark
10606 some articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to
10607 @samp{nil}. Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter
10608 what. For a complete list of predicates, see RFC2060 §6.4.4.
10611 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
10612 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
10613 would simply mark them as read. Theese are the two most likely choices,
10614 but more flags are defined in RFC2060 §2.3.2.
10617 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
10618 after finishing the fetch.
10622 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
10625 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com" :stream kerberos4)
10629 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
10630 mail.yahoo.com, and www.netaddress.com.
10632 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on w3 (url) package, whose version of "WWW
10633 4.0pre.46 1999/10/01" or previous ones may not work.
10635 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
10641 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
10642 alternatives are @code{yahoo}, @code{netaddress}.
10645 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
10649 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
10654 An example webmail source:
10657 (webmail :subtype 'yahoo :user "user-name" :password "secret")
10662 @node Mail Source Customization
10663 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
10665 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
10666 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
10670 @item mail-source-crash-box
10671 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
10672 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
10673 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
10675 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
10676 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
10677 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
10679 @item mail-source-directory
10680 @vindex mail-source-directory
10681 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
10682 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
10683 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
10686 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
10687 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
10688 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
10693 @node Fetching Mail
10694 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
10696 @vindex mail-sources
10697 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
10698 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
10699 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
10700 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
10702 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
10703 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
10706 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
10707 mail server, you'd say something like:
10712 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
10713 :password "secret")))
10716 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
10720 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
10721 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
10724 :password "secret")))
10728 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
10729 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
10730 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
10731 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
10732 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
10733 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
10737 @node Mail Backend Variables
10738 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
10740 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
10744 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
10745 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
10746 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
10747 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
10749 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
10750 @item nnmail-split-hook
10751 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
10752 @findex RFC1522 decoding
10753 @findex RFC2047 decoding
10754 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
10755 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
10756 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
10757 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
10758 in the buffer will show up in any files.
10759 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
10762 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
10763 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
10764 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
10765 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
10766 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
10767 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
10768 starting to handle the new mail) and
10769 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
10770 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
10771 default file modes the new mail files get:
10774 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
10775 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
10777 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
10778 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
10781 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
10782 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
10783 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
10784 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
10785 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
10786 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
10787 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
10789 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
10790 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
10791 @findex delete-file
10792 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
10794 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
10795 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
10796 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
10797 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
10798 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
10803 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
10804 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
10805 @cindex mail splitting
10806 @cindex fancy mail splitting
10808 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
10809 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
10810 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
10811 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
10812 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
10813 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
10815 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
10818 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
10819 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
10820 ;; from real errors.
10821 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
10823 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
10824 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
10825 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
10826 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
10827 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
10828 ;; Other mailing lists...
10829 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
10830 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
10831 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
10832 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
10833 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
10834 ;; message was really cross-posted.
10835 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
10836 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
10838 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
10839 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
10843 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
10844 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
10845 the five possible split syntaxes:
10850 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
10851 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
10855 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict} @code{[-} @var{restrict} @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]]}
10856 @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the first element of which is a
10857 string, then store the message as specified by @var{split}, if header
10858 @var{field} (a regexp) contains @var{value} (also a regexp). If
10859 @var{restrict} (yet another regexp) matches some string after
10860 @var{field} and before the end of the matched @var{value}, the
10861 @var{split} is ignored. If none of the @var{restrict} clauses match,
10862 @var{split} is processed.
10865 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
10866 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
10867 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
10868 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
10871 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
10872 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
10875 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
10876 this message. Use with extreme caution.
10879 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
10880 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
10881 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
10882 function should return a @var{split}.
10885 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
10886 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
10887 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
10891 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
10895 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
10896 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
10897 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
10898 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
10899 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
10901 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
10902 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
10903 are expanded as specified by the variable
10904 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
10905 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
10908 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
10909 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
10910 when all this splitting is performed.
10912 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
10913 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
10914 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
10917 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
10920 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
10921 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
10923 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
10924 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
10925 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
10926 groupings 1 through 9.
10929 @node Group Mail Splitting
10930 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
10931 @cindex mail splitting
10932 @cindex group mail splitting
10934 @findex gnus-group-split
10935 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
10936 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
10937 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
10938 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
10939 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
10940 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
10941 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
10942 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
10944 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
10945 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
10946 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
10947 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
10949 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
10950 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
10951 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
10952 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
10953 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
10954 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
10955 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
10957 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
10958 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
10959 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
10960 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
10961 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
10962 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
10963 @code{gnus-group-split}.
10965 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
10966 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
10967 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
10968 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
10969 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
10970 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
10971 that group is used as the catch-all group. Note that, in this case,
10972 there's no cross-posting, as a @code{|} fancy split encloses the
10973 @code{&} split and the catch-all group.
10975 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
10980 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
10981 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
10983 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
10984 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
10985 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
10986 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
10988 ((split-spec . catch-all))
10991 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
10992 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
10993 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
10996 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
10997 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
10998 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
11002 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
11003 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
11004 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
11008 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
11011 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
11012 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
11013 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
11014 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} may be the name
11015 of a group to be used as the default catch-all group. If
11016 @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
11017 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
11018 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
11019 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
11021 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
11022 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
11023 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
11024 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
11025 used to select @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
11026 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
11027 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
11028 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
11029 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
11031 @findex gnus-group-split-update
11032 However, if you change group parameters, you have to update
11033 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
11034 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
11035 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
11036 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
11039 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
11042 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
11043 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
11044 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
11045 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional),
11046 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
11049 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
11050 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
11051 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
11052 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
11054 @node Incorporating Old Mail
11055 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
11057 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
11058 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
11059 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
11062 Doing so can be quite easy.
11064 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
11065 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
11066 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
11067 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
11068 your @code{nnml} groups.
11074 Go to the group buffer.
11077 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
11078 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11081 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
11084 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
11085 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
11088 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
11089 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
11092 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
11093 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
11094 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
11095 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
11096 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
11098 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
11099 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
11100 using the new mail backend.
11103 @node Expiring Mail
11104 @subsection Expiring Mail
11105 @cindex article expiry
11107 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
11108 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
11109 different approach to mail reading.
11111 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
11112 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
11113 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
11114 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
11115 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
11116 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
11119 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
11120 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
11121 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
11122 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
11123 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
11124 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
11125 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
11126 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
11128 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
11129 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
11130 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
11131 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
11132 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
11133 column in the summary buffer.
11135 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
11136 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
11137 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
11138 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
11141 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
11143 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
11144 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
11145 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
11148 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
11149 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
11150 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
11151 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
11152 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
11154 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
11155 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
11158 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
11159 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
11162 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
11163 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
11165 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
11166 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
11167 don't really mix very well.
11169 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
11170 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
11171 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
11172 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
11175 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
11176 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
11177 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
11178 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
11181 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
11183 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
11185 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
11187 ((string= group "mail.junk")
11189 ((string= group "important")
11195 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
11196 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
11198 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
11199 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
11200 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
11203 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
11204 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
11206 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
11207 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
11208 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
11209 easier for procmail users.
11211 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
11212 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
11213 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
11214 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
11215 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
11216 caution. Even more dangerous is the
11217 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
11218 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
11219 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
11220 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
11221 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
11222 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
11223 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
11226 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
11228 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
11229 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
11230 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
11231 auto-expire turned on.
11235 @subsection Washing Mail
11236 @cindex mail washing
11237 @cindex list server brain damage
11238 @cindex incoming mail treatment
11240 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
11241 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
11242 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
11243 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
11244 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
11245 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
11247 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
11248 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
11249 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
11252 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
11253 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
11254 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
11255 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
11258 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
11259 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
11260 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
11261 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
11262 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
11265 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
11266 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
11267 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
11268 Emacs running on MS machines.
11272 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
11273 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
11274 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
11275 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
11278 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
11279 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
11280 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
11281 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
11283 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
11284 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
11285 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
11286 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
11287 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
11288 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
11289 also be a list of regexp.
11291 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
11292 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
11295 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
11296 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
11299 This can also be done non-destructively with
11300 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
11302 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
11303 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
11304 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
11306 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
11307 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
11309 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
11310 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
11311 @code{References} headers.
11315 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
11316 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
11317 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
11321 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
11322 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
11323 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
11330 @subsection Duplicates
11332 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
11333 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
11334 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
11335 @cindex duplicate mails
11336 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
11337 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
11338 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
11339 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
11340 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
11341 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
11342 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
11343 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
11344 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
11345 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
11346 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
11347 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
11348 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
11350 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
11351 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
11352 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
11353 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
11355 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
11358 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
11359 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
11363 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
11364 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
11365 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
11366 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
11367 (any mail "mail.misc")
11374 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11375 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
11380 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
11381 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
11382 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
11383 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
11384 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
11387 @node Not Reading Mail
11388 @subsection Not Reading Mail
11390 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
11391 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
11392 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
11394 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
11395 @code{nil}, none of the backends will ever attempt to read incoming
11396 mail, which should help.
11398 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
11399 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
11400 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
11401 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
11402 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
11403 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
11404 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
11405 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
11406 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
11407 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
11408 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
11410 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
11411 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
11415 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
11416 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
11418 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
11419 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
11420 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
11422 There are five different mail backends in the standard Gnus, and more
11423 backends are available separately. The mail backend most people use
11424 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
11425 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
11428 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
11429 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
11430 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
11431 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
11432 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
11433 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
11437 @node Unix Mail Box
11438 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
11440 @cindex unix mail box
11442 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
11443 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
11444 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
11445 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
11446 which group it belongs in.
11448 Virtual server settings:
11451 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
11452 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
11453 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
11455 @item nnmbox-active-file
11456 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
11457 The name of the active file for the mail box.
11459 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
11460 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
11461 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
11467 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
11471 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
11472 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
11473 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
11474 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
11475 article to say which group it belongs in.
11477 Virtual server settings:
11480 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
11481 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
11482 The name of the rmail mbox file.
11484 @item nnbabyl-active-file
11485 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
11486 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
11488 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
11489 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
11490 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
11495 @subsubsection Mail Spool
11497 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
11499 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
11500 format. It should be used with some caution.
11502 @vindex nnml-directory
11503 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
11504 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
11505 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
11506 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
11508 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
11511 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
11512 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
11513 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
11514 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
11515 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
11516 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
11517 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
11518 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
11520 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
11521 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
11522 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
11523 backend when it comes to reading mail.
11525 Virtual server settings:
11528 @item nnml-directory
11529 @vindex nnml-directory
11530 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
11532 @item nnml-active-file
11533 @vindex nnml-active-file
11534 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
11536 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
11537 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
11538 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
11541 @item nnml-get-new-mail
11542 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
11543 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
11545 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
11546 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
11547 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
11549 @item nnml-nov-file-name
11550 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
11551 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
11553 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
11554 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
11555 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
11559 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
11560 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
11561 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
11562 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
11563 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
11564 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
11565 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
11570 @subsubsection MH Spool
11572 @cindex mh-e mail spool
11574 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
11575 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
11576 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
11577 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
11579 Virtual server settings:
11582 @item nnmh-directory
11583 @vindex nnmh-directory
11584 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
11586 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
11587 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
11588 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
11591 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
11592 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
11593 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
11594 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
11595 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
11596 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
11597 to set this variable to @code{t}.
11602 @subsubsection Mail Folders
11604 @cindex mbox folders
11605 @cindex mail folders
11607 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
11608 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
11609 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
11612 Virtual server settings:
11615 @item nnfolder-directory
11616 @vindex nnfolder-directory
11617 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
11619 @item nnfolder-active-file
11620 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
11621 The name of the active file.
11623 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
11624 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
11625 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
11627 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
11628 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
11629 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
11631 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
11632 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
11633 @cindex backup files
11634 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
11635 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
11636 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
11637 your @file{.emacs} file:
11640 (defun turn-off-backup ()
11641 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
11643 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
11646 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
11647 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
11648 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
11649 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
11650 extract some information from it before removing it.
11655 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
11656 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
11657 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
11658 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
11659 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
11660 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
11663 @node Comparing Mail Backends
11664 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Backends
11666 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{backend} is the common word for a
11667 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
11668 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
11669 and so selection of a suitable backend is required in order to get that
11670 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
11672 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
11673 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
11674 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
11675 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
11676 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
11677 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
11678 @code{nnspool} backends, to select between these methods, if one happens
11679 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
11682 The goal in selecting a mail backend is to pick one which
11683 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
11684 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
11685 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
11690 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
11691 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
11692 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
11693 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
11694 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
11695 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
11696 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
11697 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
11698 this backend, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
11699 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
11700 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
11701 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
11702 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
11707 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
11708 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
11709 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
11710 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
11711 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
11712 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
11713 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
11714 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
11715 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
11716 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
11717 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
11718 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
11719 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
11720 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
11722 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
11723 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
11728 @code{nnml} is the backend which smells the most as though you were
11729 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
11730 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
11731 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
11732 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
11733 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
11734 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
11735 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
11736 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
11737 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
11738 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
11739 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
11740 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
11741 provided by the active file and overviews.
11743 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
11744 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
11745 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
11746 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
11747 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
11750 It is also problematic using this backend if you are living in a
11751 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
11756 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
11757 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
11758 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
11759 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
11760 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
11761 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
11762 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
11766 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
11767 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
11768 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
11769 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
11770 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
11771 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
11772 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
11773 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
11774 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
11776 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
11777 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
11778 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
11779 friendly mail backend all over.
11784 @node Browsing the Web
11785 @section Browsing the Web
11787 @cindex browsing the web
11791 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
11792 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
11793 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
11794 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
11795 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
11796 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
11797 even know what a news group is.
11799 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
11800 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
11801 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
11802 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
11803 you mad in the end.
11805 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
11808 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of backends for providing
11809 interfaces to these sources.
11812 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
11813 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
11814 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
11815 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
11818 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
11819 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
11820 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus backend
11821 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these backends,
11822 though, you should be ok.
11824 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
11825 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
11826 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
11827 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
11828 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
11832 @subsection Web Searches
11836 @cindex InReference
11837 @cindex Usenet searches
11838 @cindex searching the Usenet
11840 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
11841 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
11842 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
11843 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
11844 searches without having to use a browser.
11846 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
11847 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
11848 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
11849 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
11850 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
11852 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
11853 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
11854 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
11855 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
11856 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
11857 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
11858 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
11859 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
11860 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
11861 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
11864 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
11865 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
11866 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
11867 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
11868 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
11869 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
11871 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
11872 to use @code{nnweb}.
11874 Virtual server variables:
11879 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
11880 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
11884 @vindex nnweb-search
11885 The search string to feed to the search engine.
11887 @item nnweb-max-hits
11888 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
11889 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
11892 @item nnweb-type-definition
11893 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
11894 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
11895 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
11900 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
11904 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
11907 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
11910 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
11914 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
11921 @subsection Slashdot
11925 Slashdot (@file{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
11926 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
11927 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
11929 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
11930 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
11933 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
11934 '((nnslashdot "")))
11937 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} backend for new comments
11938 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
11939 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
11940 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
11941 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
11944 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
11945 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
11946 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
11947 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
11948 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
11949 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
11952 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
11955 @item nnslashdot-threaded
11956 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
11957 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
11958 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
11959 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
11960 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
11961 but much, much slower than untreaded.
11963 @item nnslashdot-login-name
11964 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
11965 The login name to use when posting.
11967 @item nnslashdot-password
11968 @vindex nnslashdot-password
11969 The password to use when posting.
11971 @item nnslashdot-directory
11972 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
11973 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default value is
11974 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
11976 @item nnslashdot-active-url
11977 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
11978 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
11979 news articles and comments. The default is
11980 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
11982 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
11983 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
11984 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
11986 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
11988 @item nnslashdot-article-url
11989 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
11990 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
11992 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
11994 @item nnslashdot-threshold
11995 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
11996 The score threshold. The default is -1.
11998 @item nnslashdot-group-number
11999 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
12000 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
12001 updated. The default is 0.
12008 @subsection Ultimate
12010 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
12012 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@file{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
12013 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
12014 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
12015 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
12017 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
12018 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
12019 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
12020 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
12021 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
12022 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
12023 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
12025 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
12028 @item nnultimate-directory
12029 @vindex nnultimate-directory
12030 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
12031 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
12035 @subsection Web Archive
12037 @cindex Web Archive
12039 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
12040 (@file{http://www.egroups.com/}). It has a quite regular and nice
12041 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
12044 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
12045 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
12046 gnus-group-make-nnwarchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
12047 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
12048 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
12049 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.)
12051 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
12054 @item nnwarchive-directory
12055 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
12056 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
12057 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
12059 @item nnwarchive-login
12060 @vindex nnwarchive-login
12061 The account name on the web server.
12063 @item nnwarchive-passwd
12064 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
12065 The password for your account on the web server.
12068 @node Other Sources
12069 @section Other Sources
12071 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
12072 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
12076 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
12077 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
12078 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
12079 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
12080 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
12081 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
12085 @node Directory Groups
12086 @subsection Directory Groups
12088 @cindex directory groups
12090 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
12091 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
12094 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
12095 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
12096 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
12097 backend to read directories. Big deal.
12099 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
12100 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
12101 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
12102 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
12103 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
12105 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
12107 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
12108 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
12109 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
12110 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
12113 @node Anything Groups
12114 @subsection Anything Groups
12117 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
12118 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
12119 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
12122 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
12123 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
12124 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
12125 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
12126 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
12127 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
12128 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
12129 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
12130 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
12131 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
12134 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
12135 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
12136 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
12137 in the article buffer, just as usual.
12139 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
12140 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
12141 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
12142 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
12144 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
12145 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
12146 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
12147 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
12148 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
12149 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
12150 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
12151 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
12156 @item nneething-map-file-directory
12157 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
12158 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
12159 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
12161 @item nneething-exclude-files
12162 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
12163 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
12164 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
12166 @item nneething-include-files
12167 @vindex nneething-include-files
12168 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
12169 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
12171 @item nneething-map-file
12172 @vindex nneething-map-file
12173 Name of the map files.
12177 @node Document Groups
12178 @subsection Document Groups
12180 @cindex documentation group
12183 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
12184 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
12191 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
12196 The standard Unix mbox file.
12198 @cindex MMDF mail box
12200 The MMDF mail box format.
12203 Several news articles appended into a file.
12206 @cindex rnews batch files
12207 The rnews batch transport format.
12208 @cindex forwarded messages
12211 Forwarded articles.
12214 Netscape mail boxes.
12217 MIME multipart messages.
12219 @item standard-digest
12220 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
12223 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
12226 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
12227 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
12228 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
12231 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
12232 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
12233 group. And that's it.
12235 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
12236 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
12237 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
12238 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
12239 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
12240 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
12241 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
12242 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
12243 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
12244 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
12246 Virtual server variables:
12249 @item nndoc-article-type
12250 @vindex nndoc-article-type
12251 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
12252 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
12253 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
12254 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
12256 @item nndoc-post-type
12257 @vindex nndoc-post-type
12258 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
12259 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
12264 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
12268 @node Document Server Internals
12269 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
12271 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
12272 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
12273 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
12274 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
12276 First, here's an example document type definition:
12280 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
12281 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
12284 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
12285 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
12286 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
12287 types can be defined with very few settings:
12290 @item first-article
12291 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
12292 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
12295 @item article-begin
12296 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
12297 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
12299 @item head-begin-function
12300 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
12303 @item nndoc-head-begin
12304 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
12307 @item nndoc-head-end
12308 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
12309 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
12311 @item body-begin-function
12312 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
12316 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
12319 @item body-end-function
12320 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
12324 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
12327 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
12328 regexp will be totally ignored.
12332 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
12333 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
12334 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
12335 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
12336 something that's palatable for Gnus:
12339 @item prepare-body-function
12340 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
12341 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
12342 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
12344 @item article-transform-function
12345 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
12346 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
12347 body of the article.
12349 @item generate-head-function
12350 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
12351 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
12352 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
12353 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
12357 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
12362 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
12363 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
12364 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
12365 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
12366 (head-end . "^ ?$")
12367 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
12368 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
12369 (subtype digest guess))
12372 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
12373 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
12374 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
12375 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
12376 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
12378 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
12379 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
12380 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
12381 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
12382 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
12383 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
12384 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
12385 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
12386 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
12387 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
12395 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
12396 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
12397 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
12399 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
12400 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
12401 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
12404 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
12405 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
12406 that interested in doing things properly.
12408 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
12409 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
12412 First some terminology:
12417 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
12418 get news and/or mail from.
12421 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
12422 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
12425 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
12429 @item message packets
12430 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
12431 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
12432 default, where @var{x} is a number.
12434 @item response packets
12435 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
12436 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
12437 default, where @var{x} is a number.
12447 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
12448 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
12449 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
12450 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
12453 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
12456 You put the packet in your home directory.
12459 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
12460 the native or secondary server.
12463 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
12464 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
12467 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
12471 You transfer this packet to the server.
12474 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
12477 You then repeat until you die.
12481 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
12482 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
12485 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
12486 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
12487 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
12491 @node SOUP Commands
12492 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
12494 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
12498 @kindex G s b (Group)
12499 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
12500 Pack all unread articles in the current group
12501 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
12502 process/prefix convention.
12505 @kindex G s w (Group)
12506 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
12507 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
12510 @kindex G s s (Group)
12511 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
12512 Send all replies from the replies packet
12513 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
12516 @kindex G s p (Group)
12517 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
12518 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
12521 @kindex G s r (Group)
12522 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
12523 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
12526 @kindex O s (Summary)
12527 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
12528 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
12529 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
12530 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
12535 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
12540 @item gnus-soup-directory
12541 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
12542 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
12543 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
12545 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
12546 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
12547 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
12548 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
12550 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
12551 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
12552 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
12553 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
12555 @item gnus-soup-packer
12556 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
12557 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
12558 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
12560 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
12561 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
12562 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
12563 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
12565 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
12566 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
12567 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
12569 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
12570 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
12571 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
12572 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
12578 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
12581 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
12582 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
12583 you can read them at leisure.
12585 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
12589 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
12590 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
12591 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
12592 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
12594 @item nnsoup-directory
12595 @vindex nnsoup-directory
12596 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
12597 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
12599 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
12600 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
12601 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
12602 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
12604 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
12605 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
12606 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
12607 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
12608 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
12610 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
12611 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
12612 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
12613 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
12615 @item nnsoup-active-file
12616 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
12617 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
12618 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
12619 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
12620 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
12622 @item nnsoup-packer
12623 @vindex nnsoup-packer
12624 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
12625 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
12627 @item nnsoup-unpacker
12628 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
12629 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
12630 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
12632 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
12633 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
12634 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
12637 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
12638 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
12639 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
12642 @item nnsoup-always-save
12643 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
12644 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
12650 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
12652 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
12653 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
12654 more for that to happen.
12656 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
12657 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
12658 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
12661 In specific, this is what it does:
12664 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
12665 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
12668 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
12669 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
12670 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
12673 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
12674 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
12675 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
12678 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
12679 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
12680 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
12682 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
12688 @item nngateway-address
12689 @vindex nngateway-address
12690 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
12692 @item nngateway-header-transformation
12693 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
12694 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
12695 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
12696 transformation should be called, and defaults to
12697 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
12698 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
12701 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
12702 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
12703 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
12706 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
12709 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
12712 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
12715 The following pre-defined functions exist:
12717 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
12720 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
12721 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
12722 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
12724 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
12726 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
12727 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
12728 @code{nngateway-address}.
12733 (setq gnus-post-method
12734 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
12735 (nngateway-header-transformation
12736 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
12744 So, to use this, simply say something like:
12747 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
12753 @subsection @sc{imap}
12757 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...), think of
12758 it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap} server is much similar to
12759 connecting to a news server, you just specify the network address of the
12762 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
12767 @item nnimap-address
12768 @vindex nnimap-address
12770 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual server
12771 name if not specified.
12773 @item nnimap-server-port
12774 @vindex nnimap-server-port
12775 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
12777 @item nnimap-list-pattern
12778 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
12779 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups
12780 to. This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
12781 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via @sc{imap},
12782 you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in @file{~/Mail/*}
12785 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
12786 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
12787 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
12793 ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*" ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))
12796 @item nnimap-stream
12797 @vindex nnimap-stream
12798 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
12799 will use the most secure stream your server is capable of.
12803 @dfn{kerberos4:} Uses the `imtest' program.
12805 @dfn{ssl:} Uses OpenSSL or SSLeay.
12807 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
12810 @item nnimap-authenticator
12811 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
12813 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap will
12814 use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
12818 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication.
12820 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
12822 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
12824 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
12827 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
12829 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
12830 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
12831 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has this
12832 concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually delete
12833 them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what nnimap
12834 does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or similair).
12836 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
12837 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
12838 running in circles yet?
12840 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
12841 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
12844 The possible options are:
12849 The default behaviour, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
12852 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing the
12853 articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients may allow
12854 you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command manually,
12855 @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
12857 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
12864 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
12865 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
12866 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
12871 @node Splitting in IMAP
12872 @subsubsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
12873 @cindex splitting imap mail
12875 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
12876 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many @sc{imap}
12877 server has server side splitting and those that have splitting seem to
12878 use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap} support for Gnus
12879 has to do it's own splitting.
12883 There are three variables of interest:
12887 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
12888 @cindex splitting, crosspost
12890 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
12892 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
12893 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
12895 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
12897 @item nnimap-split-inbox
12898 @cindex splitting, inbox
12900 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
12902 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap} mailboxes
12903 to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is disabled!
12906 (setq nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
12909 No nnmail equivalent.
12911 @item nnimap-split-rule
12912 @cindex Splitting, rules
12913 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
12915 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
12918 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
12919 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles matching the
12920 regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that? Neither did I, we
12924 (setq nnimap-split-rule
12925 '(("INBOX.nnimap" "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
12926 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
12927 ("INBOX.private" "")))
12930 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
12931 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
12932 into INBOX.spam and everything else in INBOX.private.
12934 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
12935 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
12939 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
12942 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12943 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
12944 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
12945 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
12947 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
12948 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
12949 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
12950 of your inbox. (This might might affect performance if you keep lots of
12951 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
12952 them every time you fetch new mail.)
12954 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
12955 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
12956 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
12958 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
12960 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
12964 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
12965 @subsubsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
12966 @cindex editing imap acls
12967 @cindex Access Control Lists
12968 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
12970 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
12972 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for limiting
12973 (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all @sc{imap}
12974 servers support this, this function will give an error if it doesn't.
12976 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
12977 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
12978 editing window with detailed instructions.
12980 Some possible uses:
12984 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
12985 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
12986 follow the list without subscribing to it.
12988 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
12989 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
12990 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
12994 @node Expunging mailboxes
12995 @subsubsection Expunging mailboxes
12999 @cindex Manual expunging
13001 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
13003 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-close},
13004 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
13005 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
13007 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
13012 @node Combined Groups
13013 @section Combined Groups
13015 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
13019 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
13020 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
13024 @node Virtual Groups
13025 @subsection Virtual Groups
13027 @cindex virtual groups
13028 @cindex merging groups
13030 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
13033 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
13034 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
13035 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
13037 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
13038 regexp to match component groups.
13040 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
13041 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
13042 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
13043 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
13044 the virtual group.)
13046 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
13047 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
13050 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
13053 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
13054 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
13056 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
13057 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
13058 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
13059 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
13062 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
13065 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
13066 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
13067 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
13069 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
13070 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
13071 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
13072 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
13073 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
13075 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
13076 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
13077 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
13079 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
13080 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
13081 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
13082 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
13083 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
13084 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
13085 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
13086 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
13087 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
13088 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
13089 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
13091 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
13092 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
13093 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
13094 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
13095 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
13096 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
13097 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
13099 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
13100 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
13104 @node Kibozed Groups
13105 @subsection Kibozed Groups
13109 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
13110 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
13111 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
13112 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
13114 @kindex G k (Group)
13115 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
13118 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
13119 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
13120 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
13121 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
13123 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
13124 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
13125 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
13127 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
13128 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
13129 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
13130 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
13131 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
13132 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
13133 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
13134 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
13136 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
13137 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
13138 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
13139 Stranger things have happened.
13141 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
13142 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
13144 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
13145 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
13146 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
13147 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
13148 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
13149 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
13151 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
13152 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
13155 @node Gnus Unplugged
13156 @section Gnus Unplugged
13161 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
13163 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
13164 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
13165 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
13166 read news. Believe it or not.
13168 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
13169 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
13170 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
13171 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
13172 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
13174 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
13175 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
13176 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
13177 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
13178 reading news on a machine.
13180 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
13184 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
13185 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
13189 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
13190 @file{.gnus.el} file:
13197 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
13199 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
13202 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
13203 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
13204 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
13205 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
13206 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
13207 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
13208 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
13209 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
13210 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
13215 @subsection Agent Basics
13217 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
13219 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
13220 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
13221 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
13222 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
13224 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
13225 connected to the net continuously.
13227 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
13228 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
13230 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
13235 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
13236 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
13237 already fetched while in this mode.
13240 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
13241 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
13242 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged}.
13245 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
13246 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
13247 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
13248 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
13251 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
13252 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
13253 then you read the news offline.
13256 And then you go to step 2.
13259 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
13265 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
13266 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
13267 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
13268 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
13269 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
13270 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
13273 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
13280 @node Agent Categories
13281 @subsection Agent Categories
13283 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
13284 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
13285 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
13286 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
13287 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
13288 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
13289 you're interested in the articles anyway.
13291 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
13292 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
13293 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
13294 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
13295 managing categories.
13298 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
13299 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
13300 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
13304 @node Category Syntax
13305 @subsubsection Category Syntax
13307 A category consists of two things.
13311 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
13312 are eligible for downloading; and
13315 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
13316 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
13317 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
13320 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
13321 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
13322 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
13323 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
13325 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
13326 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
13327 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as descibed below.
13329 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
13330 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
13331 operators sprinkled in between.
13333 Perhaps some examples are in order.
13335 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
13336 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
13342 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
13343 short (for some value of ``short'').
13345 Here's a more complex predicate:
13354 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
13355 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
13358 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
13359 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
13360 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
13362 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
13363 you want to do, you can write your own.
13367 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
13368 lines; default 100.
13371 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
13372 lines; default 200.
13375 True iff the article has a download score less than
13376 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
13379 True iff the article has a download score greater than
13380 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
13383 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
13384 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
13385 checksum and sees whether articles match.
13394 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
13395 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
13396 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
13399 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
13400 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
13401 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
13402 something along the lines of the following:
13405 (defun my-article-old-p ()
13406 "Say whether an article is old."
13407 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
13408 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
13411 with the predicate then defined as:
13414 (not my-article-old-p)
13417 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
13418 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
13419 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
13420 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
13423 (defvar gnus-category-predicate-alist
13424 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
13425 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
13428 and simply specify your predicate as:
13434 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
13435 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
13436 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
13437 just don't give a damm.
13440 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
13441 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
13442 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
13443 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
13444 parameters like so:
13447 (agent-predicate . short)
13450 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category
13451 default. Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this,
13452 the @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair
13455 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
13458 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
13461 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
13462 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
13463 predicate is assumed to be a list.
13466 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
13467 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
13468 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
13469 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
13470 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
13471 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
13473 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
13474 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
13475 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
13476 if it's to be specific to that group.
13478 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
13485 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
13486 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
13492 Category specification
13496 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
13502 Group Parameter specification
13505 (agent-score ("from"
13506 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
13511 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
13517 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
13524 Category specification
13527 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
13533 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
13537 Group Parameter specification
13540 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
13543 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
13548 Use @code{normal} score files
13550 If you dont want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
13551 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
13552 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
13553 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
13555 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
13556 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
13557 files for a group, *filtering out* those those sections that do not
13558 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
13562 Category Specification
13569 Group Parameter specification
13572 (agent-score . file)
13577 @node The Category Buffer
13578 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
13580 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
13581 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
13582 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
13584 The following commands are available in this buffer:
13588 @kindex q (Category)
13589 @findex gnus-category-exit
13590 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
13593 @kindex k (Category)
13594 @findex gnus-category-kill
13595 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
13598 @kindex c (Category)
13599 @findex gnus-category-copy
13600 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
13603 @kindex a (Category)
13604 @findex gnus-category-add
13605 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
13608 @kindex p (Category)
13609 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
13610 Edit the predicate of the current category
13611 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
13614 @kindex g (Category)
13615 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
13616 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
13617 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
13620 @kindex s (Category)
13621 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
13622 Edit the download score rule of the current category
13623 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
13626 @kindex l (Category)
13627 @findex gnus-category-list
13628 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
13632 @node Category Variables
13633 @subsubsection Category Variables
13636 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
13637 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
13638 Hook run in category buffers.
13640 @item gnus-category-line-format
13641 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
13642 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
13643 Variables}). Valid elements are:
13647 The name of the category.
13650 The number of groups in the category.
13653 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
13654 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
13655 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
13657 @item gnus-agent-short-article
13658 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
13659 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
13661 @item gnus-agent-long-article
13662 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
13663 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
13665 @item gnus-agent-low-score
13666 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
13667 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
13670 @item gnus-agent-high-score
13671 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
13672 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
13678 @node Agent Commands
13679 @subsection Agent Commands
13681 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
13682 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
13683 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
13687 * Group Agent Commands::
13688 * Summary Agent Commands::
13689 * Server Agent Commands::
13692 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
13693 following incantation:
13695 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
13697 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
13702 @node Group Agent Commands
13703 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
13707 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
13708 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
13709 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
13710 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
13713 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
13714 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
13715 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
13718 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
13719 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
13720 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
13721 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
13724 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
13725 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
13726 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
13727 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
13730 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
13731 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
13732 Add the current group to an Agent category
13733 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
13734 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13737 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
13738 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
13739 Remove the current group from its category, if any
13740 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
13741 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13746 @node Summary Agent Commands
13747 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
13751 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
13752 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
13753 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
13756 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
13757 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
13758 Remove the downloading mark from the article
13759 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
13762 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
13763 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
13764 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
13767 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
13768 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
13769 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
13774 @node Server Agent Commands
13775 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
13779 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
13780 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
13781 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
13782 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
13785 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
13786 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
13787 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
13788 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
13794 @subsection Agent Expiry
13796 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
13797 @findex gnus-agent-expire
13798 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
13799 @cindex Agent expiry
13800 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
13803 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
13804 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
13805 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
13806 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
13807 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
13808 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
13810 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
13811 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
13812 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
13813 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
13814 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
13817 @node Outgoing Messages
13818 @subsection Outgoing Messages
13820 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
13821 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
13822 after posting, and edit them at will.
13824 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
13825 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
13826 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
13827 messages in the draft group.
13831 @node Agent Variables
13832 @subsection Agent Variables
13835 @item gnus-agent-directory
13836 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
13837 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
13838 @file{~/News/agent/}.
13840 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
13841 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
13842 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
13843 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
13844 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
13847 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
13848 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
13849 Hook run when connecting to the network.
13851 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
13852 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
13853 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
13858 @node Example Setup
13859 @subsection Example Setup
13861 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
13862 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
13863 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
13866 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
13867 ;;; from your ISP's server.
13868 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
13870 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
13871 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
13872 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
13874 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
13875 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
13877 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
13881 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
13882 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
13885 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
13886 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
13887 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
13888 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
13889 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
13892 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
13893 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
13894 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
13895 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
13896 back all the killed groups.)
13898 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
13899 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
13900 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
13903 @node Batching Agents
13904 @subsection Batching Agents
13906 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
13907 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
13908 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
13912 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
13916 @node Agent Caveats
13917 @subsection Agent Caveats
13919 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
13920 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
13924 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
13929 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
13930 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
13936 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
13937 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
13944 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
13945 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
13946 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
13949 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
13950 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
13951 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
13952 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
13953 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
13955 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
13956 before generating the summary buffer.
13958 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
13959 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
13960 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
13962 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
13963 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
13964 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
13965 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
13968 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
13969 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
13970 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
13971 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
13972 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
13973 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
13974 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
13975 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
13976 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
13977 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
13978 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
13979 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
13980 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
13981 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
13982 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
13983 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
13987 @node Summary Score Commands
13988 @section Summary Score Commands
13989 @cindex score commands
13991 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
13992 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
13993 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
13994 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
13995 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
13997 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
13998 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
13999 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
14000 score file the current one.
14002 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
14007 @kindex V s (Summary)
14008 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
14009 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
14012 @kindex V S (Summary)
14013 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
14014 Display the score of the current article
14015 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
14018 @kindex V t (Summary)
14019 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
14020 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
14021 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
14024 @kindex V R (Summary)
14025 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
14026 Run the current summary through the scoring process
14027 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
14028 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
14029 effect you're having.
14032 @kindex V c (Summary)
14033 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
14034 Make a different score file the current
14035 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
14038 @kindex V e (Summary)
14039 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
14040 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
14041 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
14045 @kindex V f (Summary)
14046 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
14047 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
14048 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
14051 @kindex V F (Summary)
14052 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
14053 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
14054 after editing score files.
14057 @kindex V C (Summary)
14058 @findex gnus-score-customize
14059 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
14060 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
14064 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
14069 @kindex V m (Summary)
14070 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
14071 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
14072 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
14075 @kindex V x (Summary)
14076 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
14077 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
14078 expunge all articles below this score
14079 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
14082 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
14083 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
14086 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
14087 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
14091 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
14092 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
14094 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
14095 keys are available:
14099 Score on the author name.
14102 Score on the subject line.
14105 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
14108 Score on the @code{References} line.
14114 Score on the number of lines.
14117 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
14120 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
14121 the followups to this author.
14135 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
14136 what headers you are scoring on.
14148 Substring matching.
14151 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
14180 Greater than number.
14185 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
14186 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
14187 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
14191 Temporary score entry.
14194 Permanent score entry.
14197 Immediately scoring.
14202 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
14203 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
14204 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
14205 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
14207 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
14208 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
14209 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
14210 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
14211 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
14213 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
14214 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
14215 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
14216 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
14217 current score file.
14219 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
14220 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
14221 pretend they are keymaps or not.
14224 @node Group Score Commands
14225 @section Group Score Commands
14226 @cindex group score commands
14228 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
14233 @kindex W f (Group)
14234 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
14235 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
14236 all the time. This command will flush the cache
14237 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
14241 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
14243 @findex gnus-batch-score
14244 @cindex batch scoring
14246 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
14250 @node Score Variables
14251 @section Score Variables
14252 @cindex score variables
14256 @item gnus-use-scoring
14257 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
14258 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
14259 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
14261 @item gnus-kill-killed
14262 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
14263 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
14264 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
14265 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
14266 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
14267 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
14268 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
14270 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
14271 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
14272 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
14273 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
14274 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
14276 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
14277 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
14278 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
14279 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
14281 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
14282 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
14283 @cindex score cache
14284 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
14285 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
14286 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
14287 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
14288 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
14289 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
14292 @item gnus-save-score
14293 @vindex gnus-save-score
14294 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
14295 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
14296 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
14298 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
14299 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
14300 across group visits.
14302 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
14303 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
14304 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
14305 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
14306 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
14307 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
14308 manually entered data.
14310 @item gnus-summary-default-score
14311 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
14312 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
14314 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
14315 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
14316 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
14317 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
14318 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
14319 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
14321 @item gnus-score-over-mark
14322 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
14323 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
14324 default. Default is @samp{+}.
14326 @item gnus-score-below-mark
14327 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
14328 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
14329 default. Default is @samp{-}.
14331 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
14332 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
14333 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
14334 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
14336 Predefined functions available are:
14339 @item gnus-score-find-single
14340 @findex gnus-score-find-single
14341 Only apply the group's own score file.
14343 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
14344 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
14345 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
14346 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
14347 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
14348 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
14349 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
14350 then a regexp match is done.
14352 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
14353 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
14355 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
14356 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
14357 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
14358 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
14360 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
14361 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
14362 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
14363 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
14364 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
14367 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
14368 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
14369 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
14370 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
14371 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
14372 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
14375 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
14376 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
14377 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
14378 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
14379 are expired. It's 7 by default.
14381 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
14382 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
14383 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
14384 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
14385 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
14386 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
14387 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
14390 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
14391 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
14392 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
14394 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
14395 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
14396 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
14397 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
14398 threading---according to the current value of
14399 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
14400 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
14401 simplified in this manner.
14406 @node Score File Format
14407 @section Score File Format
14408 @cindex score file format
14410 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
14411 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
14412 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
14414 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
14418 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
14420 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
14422 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
14424 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
14429 (mark-and-expunge -10)
14433 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
14434 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
14435 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
14436 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
14440 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
14441 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
14443 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
14444 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
14445 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
14447 Six keys are supported by this alist:
14452 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
14453 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
14454 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
14455 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
14456 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
14457 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
14458 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
14459 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
14460 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
14461 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
14462 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
14463 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
14464 to articles that matches these score entries.
14466 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
14467 score entry has one to four elements.
14471 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
14472 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
14476 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
14477 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
14478 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
14479 is successful. If this element is not present, the
14480 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
14481 instead. This is 1000 by default.
14484 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
14485 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
14486 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
14487 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
14488 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
14491 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
14492 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
14493 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
14494 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
14497 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
14498 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
14499 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
14500 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
14501 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
14502 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
14503 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
14504 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
14505 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
14506 instead, if you feel like.
14509 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
14510 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
14512 These predicates are true if
14515 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
14518 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
14519 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
14526 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
14527 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
14528 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
14529 it's not. I think.)
14531 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
14532 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
14533 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
14534 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
14537 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
14538 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
14539 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
14540 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
14541 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
14542 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
14543 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
14547 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
14548 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
14549 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
14550 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
14551 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
14552 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
14553 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
14554 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
14557 @item Head, Body, All
14558 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
14562 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
14563 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
14564 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
14565 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
14566 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
14567 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
14568 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
14572 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
14573 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
14574 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
14575 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
14576 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
14577 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
14578 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
14579 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
14580 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
14581 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
14582 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
14586 @cindex Score File Atoms
14588 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
14589 lower than this number will be marked as read.
14592 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
14593 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
14595 @item mark-and-expunge
14596 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
14597 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
14600 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
14601 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
14602 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
14603 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
14604 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
14607 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
14608 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
14611 @item exclude-files
14612 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
14613 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
14617 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
14618 ignored when handling global score files.
14621 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
14622 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
14623 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
14624 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
14627 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
14628 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
14629 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
14630 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
14632 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
14636 (mark-and-expunge -100)
14639 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
14640 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
14641 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
14642 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
14643 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
14645 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
14646 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
14647 ordinary scoring rules.
14650 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
14651 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
14652 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
14653 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
14654 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
14655 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
14656 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
14657 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
14658 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
14659 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
14660 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
14664 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
14665 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
14666 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
14667 file for a number of groups.
14670 @cindex local variables
14671 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
14672 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
14673 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
14674 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
14675 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
14679 @node Score File Editing
14680 @section Score File Editing
14682 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
14683 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
14684 with a mode for that.
14686 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
14687 additional commands:
14692 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
14693 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
14694 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
14695 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
14698 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
14699 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
14700 Insert the current date in numerical format
14701 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
14702 you were wondering.
14705 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
14706 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
14707 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
14708 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
14709 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
14714 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
14716 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
14717 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
14719 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
14720 e} to begin editing score files.
14723 @node Adaptive Scoring
14724 @section Adaptive Scoring
14725 @cindex adaptive scoring
14727 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
14728 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
14729 stupidity, to be precise.
14731 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
14732 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
14733 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
14734 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
14735 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
14736 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
14737 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
14738 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
14739 variable to @code{(word line)}.
14741 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
14742 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
14743 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
14744 might look something like this:
14747 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
14748 '((gnus-unread-mark)
14749 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
14750 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
14751 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
14752 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
14753 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
14754 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
14755 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
14756 (gnus-ancient-mark)
14757 (gnus-low-score-mark)
14758 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
14761 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
14762 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
14763 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
14764 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
14765 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
14766 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
14769 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
14770 will be applied to each article.
14772 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
14773 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
14774 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
14775 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
14777 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
14778 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
14779 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
14780 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
14782 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
14783 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
14784 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
14785 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
14787 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
14788 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
14789 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
14790 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
14791 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
14792 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
14794 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
14795 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
14796 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
14797 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
14798 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
14799 aspirins afterwards.)
14801 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
14802 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
14803 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
14805 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
14806 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
14807 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
14809 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
14810 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
14811 let you use different rules in different groups.
14813 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
14814 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
14815 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
14818 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
14819 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
14820 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
14821 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
14822 the length of the match is less than
14823 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
14824 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
14827 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
14828 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
14829 headers. If you adapt on words, the
14830 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
14831 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
14834 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
14835 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
14836 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
14837 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
14838 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
14841 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
14842 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
14843 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
14844 score with 30 points.
14846 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
14847 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
14848 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
14849 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
14850 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
14852 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
14853 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
14854 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
14855 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
14857 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
14858 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
14859 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
14860 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
14862 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
14863 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
14864 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
14865 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
14866 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
14868 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
14869 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
14870 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
14872 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
14873 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
14874 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
14875 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
14878 @node Home Score File
14879 @section Home Score File
14881 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
14882 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
14883 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
14884 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
14886 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
14887 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
14888 could perhaps use the same home score file.
14890 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
14891 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
14896 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
14900 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
14901 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
14905 A list. The elements in this list can be:
14909 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
14910 group name, the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
14913 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
14914 the home score file.
14917 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
14920 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
14925 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
14928 (setq gnus-home-score-file
14929 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
14932 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
14933 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
14935 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
14937 (setq gnus-home-score-file
14938 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
14941 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
14942 Other functions include
14945 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
14946 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
14947 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
14948 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
14952 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
14953 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
14954 their own home score files:
14957 (setq gnus-home-score-file
14958 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
14959 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
14960 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
14961 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
14964 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
14965 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
14966 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
14967 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
14968 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
14970 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
14971 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
14972 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
14973 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
14974 precedence over this variable.
14977 @node Followups To Yourself
14978 @section Followups To Yourself
14980 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
14981 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
14982 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
14983 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
14984 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
14985 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
14989 @item gnus-score-followup-article
14990 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
14991 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
14994 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
14995 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
14996 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
15000 @vindex message-sent-hook
15001 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
15002 @code{message-sent-hook}.
15004 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
15005 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
15009 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
15010 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
15013 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
15014 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
15019 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
15023 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
15024 is system-dependent.
15028 @section Scoring Tips
15029 @cindex scoring tips
15035 @cindex scoring crossposts
15036 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
15037 the @code{Xref} header.
15039 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
15042 @item Multiple crossposts
15043 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
15044 more than, say, 3 groups:
15046 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
15049 @item Matching on the body
15050 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
15051 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
15052 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
15053 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
15054 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
15055 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
15056 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
15059 @item Marking as read
15060 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
15061 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
15062 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
15066 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
15068 @item Negated character classes
15069 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
15070 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
15071 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
15075 @node Reverse Scoring
15076 @section Reverse Scoring
15077 @cindex reverse scoring
15079 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
15080 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
15081 like this in your score file:
15085 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
15090 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
15091 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
15094 @node Global Score Files
15095 @section Global Score Files
15096 @cindex global score files
15098 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
15099 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
15100 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
15102 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
15103 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
15104 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
15106 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
15107 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
15108 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
15109 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
15110 files are applicable to which group.
15112 Say you want to use the score file
15113 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
15114 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
15117 (setq gnus-global-score-files
15118 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
15119 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
15122 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
15123 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
15124 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
15125 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
15126 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
15128 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
15129 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
15131 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
15132 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
15133 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
15134 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
15135 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
15136 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
15138 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
15144 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
15146 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
15148 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
15150 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
15151 lowered out of existence.
15153 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
15154 articles completely.
15157 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
15158 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
15159 old articles for a long time.
15162 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
15163 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
15164 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
15165 holding our breath yet?
15169 @section Kill Files
15172 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
15173 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
15174 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
15176 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
15177 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
15178 files into score files.
15180 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
15181 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
15182 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
15183 that isn't a very good idea.
15185 Normal kill files look like this:
15188 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
15189 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
15193 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
15194 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
15196 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
15197 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
15200 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
15205 @kindex M-k (Summary)
15206 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
15207 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
15210 @kindex M-K (Summary)
15211 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
15212 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
15215 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
15220 @kindex M-k (Group)
15221 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
15222 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
15225 @kindex M-K (Group)
15226 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
15227 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
15230 Kill file variables:
15233 @item gnus-kill-file-name
15234 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
15235 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
15236 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
15237 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
15238 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
15239 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
15241 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
15242 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
15243 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
15244 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
15247 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
15248 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
15249 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
15250 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
15251 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
15252 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
15253 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
15254 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
15255 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
15257 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
15258 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
15259 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
15264 @node Converting Kill Files
15265 @section Converting Kill Files
15267 @cindex converting kill files
15269 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
15270 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
15271 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
15274 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
15275 You can fetch it from
15276 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
15278 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
15279 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
15280 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
15288 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
15289 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
15290 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
15292 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
15293 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
15294 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
15295 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
15296 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
15297 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
15298 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
15299 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
15303 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
15304 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
15305 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
15306 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
15310 @node Using GroupLens
15311 @subsection Using GroupLens
15313 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
15315 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
15316 better bit in town at the moment.
15318 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
15322 @item gnus-use-grouplens
15323 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
15324 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
15325 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
15327 @item grouplens-pseudonym
15328 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
15329 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
15330 with the Better Bit Bureau.
15332 @item grouplens-newsgroups
15333 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
15334 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
15338 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
15339 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
15340 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
15341 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
15342 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
15343 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
15346 @node Rating Articles
15347 @subsection Rating Articles
15349 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
15350 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
15351 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
15352 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
15355 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
15360 @kindex r (GroupLens)
15361 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
15362 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
15365 @kindex k (GroupLens)
15366 @findex grouplens-score-thread
15367 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
15368 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
15369 threads in rec.humor.
15373 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
15374 the score of the article you're reading.
15379 @kindex n (GroupLens)
15380 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
15381 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
15384 @kindex , (GroupLens)
15385 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
15386 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
15390 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
15391 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
15394 @node Displaying Predictions
15395 @subsection Displaying Predictions
15397 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
15398 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
15399 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
15400 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
15401 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
15403 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
15404 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
15405 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
15406 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
15407 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
15408 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
15409 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
15410 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
15411 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
15412 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
15413 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
15414 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
15415 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
15417 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
15418 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
15419 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
15420 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
15422 The following are valid values for that variable.
15425 @item prediction-spot
15426 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
15429 @item confidence-interval
15430 A numeric confidence interval.
15432 @item prediction-bar
15433 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
15435 @item confidence-bar
15436 Numerical confidence.
15438 @item confidence-spot
15439 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
15441 @item prediction-num
15442 Plain-old numeric value.
15444 @item confidence-plus-minus
15445 Prediction +/- confidence.
15450 @node GroupLens Variables
15451 @subsection GroupLens Variables
15455 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
15456 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
15457 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
15458 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
15461 @item grouplens-bbb-host
15462 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
15465 @item grouplens-bbb-port
15466 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
15468 @item grouplens-score-offset
15469 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
15470 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
15473 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
15474 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
15475 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
15480 @node Advanced Scoring
15481 @section Advanced Scoring
15483 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
15484 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
15485 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
15486 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
15487 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
15489 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
15493 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
15494 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
15495 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
15499 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
15500 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
15502 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
15503 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
15504 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
15505 non-@code{nil} value.
15507 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
15508 operator, and various match operators.
15515 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
15516 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
15517 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
15522 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
15523 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
15524 then this operator will return @code{false}.
15529 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
15530 logical negation of the value of its argument.
15534 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
15535 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
15536 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
15537 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
15538 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
15539 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
15540 the ancestry you want to go.
15542 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
15543 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
15544 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
15545 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
15546 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
15549 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
15550 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
15552 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
15553 when he's talking about Gnus:
15557 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
15558 ("subject" "Gnus"))
15564 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
15568 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
15575 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
15576 really don't want to read what he's written:
15580 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
15581 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
15585 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
15586 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
15587 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
15594 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
15595 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
15596 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
15597 ("body" "white.*socks"))
15601 The possibilities are endless.
15604 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
15605 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
15607 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
15608 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
15609 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
15610 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
15611 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
15612 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
15613 @samp{subject}) first.
15615 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
15616 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
15627 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
15628 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
15634 ("subject" "Gnus")))
15641 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
15642 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
15647 @section Score Decays
15648 @cindex score decays
15651 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
15652 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
15653 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
15654 use them in any sensible way.
15656 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
15657 @findex gnus-decay-score
15658 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
15659 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
15660 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
15661 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
15662 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
15663 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
15664 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
15665 definition of that function:
15668 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
15670 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
15671 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
15674 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
15676 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
15678 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
15681 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
15682 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
15683 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
15684 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
15688 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
15691 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
15694 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
15698 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
15699 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
15700 the new score, which should be an integer.
15702 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
15703 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
15710 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
15711 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
15712 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
15713 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
15714 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
15715 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
15716 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
15717 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
15718 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
15719 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
15720 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
15721 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
15722 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
15723 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
15724 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
15725 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
15726 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
15727 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
15731 @node Process/Prefix
15732 @section Process/Prefix
15733 @cindex process/prefix convention
15735 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
15736 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
15738 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
15739 command to be performed on.
15743 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
15744 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
15745 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
15746 with the current one.
15748 @vindex transient-mark-mode
15749 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
15750 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
15752 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
15753 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
15756 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
15757 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
15759 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
15762 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
15763 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
15764 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
15765 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
15767 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
15768 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
15769 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
15770 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
15771 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
15772 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
15773 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
15774 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
15778 @section Interactive
15779 @cindex interaction
15783 @item gnus-novice-user
15784 @vindex gnus-novice-user
15785 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
15786 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
15787 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
15788 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
15791 @item gnus-expert-user
15792 @vindex gnus-expert-user
15793 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
15794 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
15795 matter how strange.
15797 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
15798 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
15799 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
15800 is @code{t} by default.
15802 @item gnus-interactive-exit
15803 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
15804 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
15809 @node Symbolic Prefixes
15810 @section Symbolic Prefixes
15811 @cindex symbolic prefixes
15813 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
15814 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
15815 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
15816 rule of 900 to the current article.
15818 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
15819 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
15820 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
15821 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
15822 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
15823 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
15824 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
15826 @kindex M-i (Summary)
15827 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
15828 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
15829 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
15830 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
15831 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
15832 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
15833 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
15834 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
15836 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
15837 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
15838 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
15840 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
15844 @node Formatting Variables
15845 @section Formatting Variables
15846 @cindex formatting variables
15848 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
15849 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
15850 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
15851 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
15852 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
15855 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
15856 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
15857 lots of percentages everywhere.
15860 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
15861 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
15862 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
15863 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
15864 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
15867 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
15868 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
15869 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
15870 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
15871 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
15872 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
15873 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
15874 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
15876 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
15877 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
15879 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
15880 @findex gnus-update-format
15881 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
15882 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
15883 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
15884 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
15888 @node Formatting Basics
15889 @subsection Formatting Basics
15891 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
15892 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
15893 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
15895 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
15896 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
15897 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
15898 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
15899 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
15902 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
15903 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
15904 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
15905 less than 4 characters wide.
15908 @node Mode Line Formatting
15909 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
15911 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
15912 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
15913 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
15914 with the following two differences:
15919 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
15922 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
15923 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
15924 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
15925 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
15926 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
15927 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
15928 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
15933 @node Advanced Formatting
15934 @subsection Advanced Formatting
15936 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
15937 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
15938 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
15939 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
15941 These are the valid modifiers:
15946 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
15950 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
15955 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
15958 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
15963 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
15966 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
15969 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
15972 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
15976 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
15977 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
15978 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
15979 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
15980 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
15981 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
15982 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
15984 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
15985 last operation, padding.
15987 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
15988 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
15989 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
15990 @xref{Compilation}.
15993 @node User-Defined Specs
15994 @subsection User-Defined Specs
15996 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
15997 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
15998 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
15999 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
16000 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
16001 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
16002 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
16003 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
16004 should protect against that.
16006 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
16007 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
16008 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
16009 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
16013 @node Formatting Fonts
16014 @subsection Formatting Fonts
16016 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
16017 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
16018 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
16019 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
16022 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
16023 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
16024 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
16025 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
16026 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
16027 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
16029 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
16030 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say
16031 @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
16032 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or
16033 symbols naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
16034 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
16035 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
16036 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
16038 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
16041 ;; Create three face types.
16042 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
16043 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
16045 ;; We want the article count to be in
16046 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
16047 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
16048 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
16050 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
16051 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
16053 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
16054 (setq gnus-group-line-format
16055 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
16058 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
16059 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
16061 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
16062 mode-line variables.
16065 @node Windows Configuration
16066 @section Windows Configuration
16067 @cindex windows configuration
16069 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
16071 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
16072 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
16073 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
16074 @code{t} by default.
16076 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
16077 glitches. Use at your own peril.
16079 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
16080 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
16081 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
16084 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
16085 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
16086 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
16090 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
16091 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
16092 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
16093 possible names is listed below.
16095 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
16096 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
16099 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
16103 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
16104 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
16105 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
16106 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
16107 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
16108 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
16109 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
16110 size spec per split.
16112 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
16113 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
16114 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
16115 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
16116 present) gets focus.
16118 Here's a more complicated example:
16121 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
16122 (summary 0.25 point)
16123 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
16127 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
16128 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
16129 occupy, not a percentage.
16131 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
16132 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
16133 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
16134 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
16135 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
16138 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
16141 (article (horizontal 1.0
16146 (summary 0.25 point)
16151 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
16152 @code{horizontal} thingie?
16154 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
16155 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
16156 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
16157 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
16158 the screen is to be given to this strip.
16160 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
16161 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
16162 lines from the splits.
16164 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
16168 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
16169 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
16170 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
16171 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
16172 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
16173 size = number | frame-params
16174 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
16177 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
16178 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
16179 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
16180 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
16182 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
16183 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
16184 @cindex window height
16185 @cindex window width
16186 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
16187 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
16188 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
16189 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
16190 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
16191 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
16193 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
16194 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
16195 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
16196 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
16198 @findex gnus-configure-frame
16199 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
16200 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
16201 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
16202 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
16203 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
16204 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
16205 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
16206 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
16207 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
16208 configuration list.
16211 (gnus-configure-frame
16215 (article 0.3 point))
16223 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
16224 @code{frame} split:
16227 (gnus-configure-frame
16230 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
16232 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
16233 (user-position . t)
16234 (left . -1) (top . 1))
16239 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
16240 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
16241 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
16242 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
16243 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
16244 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
16245 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
16246 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
16248 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
16249 be found in its default value.
16251 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
16252 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
16253 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
16257 (message (horizontal 1.0
16258 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
16260 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
16265 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
16266 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
16267 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
16270 (message (frame 1.0
16271 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
16272 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
16273 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
16274 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
16275 (name . "Message"))
16276 (message 1.0 point))))
16279 @findex gnus-add-configuration
16280 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
16281 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
16282 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
16283 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
16286 (gnus-add-configuration
16287 '(article (vertical 1.0
16289 (summary .25 point)
16293 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
16294 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
16295 Gnus has been loaded.
16297 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
16298 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
16299 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
16300 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
16301 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
16303 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
16304 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
16305 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
16309 @node Faces and Fonts
16310 @section Faces and Fonts
16315 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
16316 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
16317 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
16322 @section Compilation
16323 @cindex compilation
16324 @cindex byte-compilation
16326 @findex gnus-compile
16328 Remember all those line format specification variables?
16329 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
16330 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
16331 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
16332 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
16333 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
16336 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
16337 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
16338 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
16339 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
16340 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
16341 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
16342 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
16346 @section Mode Lines
16349 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
16350 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
16351 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
16352 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
16353 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
16354 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
16355 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
16358 @cindex display-time
16360 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
16361 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
16362 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
16363 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
16364 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
16365 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
16366 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
16367 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
16370 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
16372 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
16373 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
16375 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
16376 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
16377 (length display-time-string)))))
16380 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
16381 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
16382 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
16383 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
16384 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
16387 @node Highlighting and Menus
16388 @section Highlighting and Menus
16390 @cindex highlighting
16393 @vindex gnus-visual
16394 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
16395 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
16396 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
16399 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
16400 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
16403 @item group-highlight
16404 Do highlights in the group buffer.
16405 @item summary-highlight
16406 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
16407 @item article-highlight
16408 Do highlights in the article buffer.
16410 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
16412 Create menus in the group buffer.
16414 Create menus in the summary buffers.
16416 Create menus in the article buffer.
16418 Create menus in the browse buffer.
16420 Create menus in the server buffer.
16422 Create menus in the score buffers.
16424 Create menus in all buffers.
16427 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
16428 buffers, you could say something like:
16431 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
16434 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
16437 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
16440 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
16441 in all Gnus buffers.
16443 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
16446 @item gnus-mouse-face
16447 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
16448 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
16449 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
16453 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
16457 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
16458 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
16459 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
16461 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
16462 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
16463 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
16465 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
16466 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
16467 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
16469 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
16470 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
16471 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
16473 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
16474 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
16475 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
16477 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
16478 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
16479 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
16490 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
16491 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
16492 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
16493 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
16494 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
16498 @vindex gnus-carpal
16499 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
16500 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
16501 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
16506 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
16507 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
16508 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
16510 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
16511 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
16512 Face used on buttons.
16514 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
16515 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
16516 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
16518 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
16519 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
16520 Buttons in the group buffer.
16522 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
16523 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
16524 Buttons in the summary buffer.
16526 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
16527 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
16528 Buttons in the server buffer.
16530 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
16531 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
16532 Buttons in the browse buffer.
16535 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
16536 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
16537 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
16545 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
16546 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
16547 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
16548 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
16549 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
16551 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
16552 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
16553 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
16555 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
16556 been idle for thirty minutes:
16559 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
16562 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
16566 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
16569 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
16570 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
16571 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
16573 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
16574 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
16575 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
16576 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
16578 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
16579 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
16580 @var{idle} minutes.
16582 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
16583 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
16586 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
16587 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
16588 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
16590 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
16591 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
16592 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
16593 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
16595 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
16596 your @file{.gnus} file:
16598 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
16600 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
16603 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
16604 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
16605 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
16606 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
16607 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
16608 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
16609 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
16610 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
16611 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
16612 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
16613 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
16615 @findex gnus-demon-init
16616 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
16617 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
16618 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
16619 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
16620 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
16622 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
16623 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
16624 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
16633 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
16634 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
16636 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
16637 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
16638 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
16639 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
16642 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
16643 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
16644 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
16645 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
16647 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
16648 this will make spam disappear.
16650 There are some variables to customize, of course:
16653 @item gnus-use-nocem
16654 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
16655 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
16658 @item gnus-nocem-groups
16659 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
16660 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
16661 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
16662 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
16664 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
16665 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
16666 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
16667 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
16668 "rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
16669 "jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
16670 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
16672 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
16675 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
16676 @cindex Chris Lewis
16677 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
16678 usenet abuse than anybody else.
16681 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
16682 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
16683 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
16685 @item jem@@xpat.com;
16687 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
16690 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
16691 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
16692 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
16695 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
16696 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
16697 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
16698 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
16699 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
16700 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
16701 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
16702 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
16703 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
16704 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
16706 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
16707 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
16710 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
16713 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
16714 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
16717 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
16720 The specs are applied left-to-right.
16723 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
16724 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
16726 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
16727 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
16728 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
16729 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
16731 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
16732 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
16735 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
16737 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
16745 This might be dangerous, though.
16747 @item gnus-nocem-directory
16748 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
16749 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
16750 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
16752 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
16753 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
16754 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
16755 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
16756 might then see old spam.
16760 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
16761 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
16762 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
16763 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
16770 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
16771 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
16772 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
16774 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
16775 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
16776 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
16777 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
16778 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
16779 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
16780 @code{undo} function.
16782 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
16783 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
16784 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
16785 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
16786 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
16787 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
16788 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
16789 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
16790 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
16791 never be totally undoable.
16793 @findex gnus-undo-mode
16794 @vindex gnus-use-undo
16796 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
16797 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
16798 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
16799 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
16804 @section Moderation
16807 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
16808 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
16809 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
16812 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
16816 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
16819 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
16821 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
16826 You split your incoming mail by matching on
16827 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
16828 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
16831 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
16832 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
16835 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
16836 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
16840 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
16843 (setq gnus-moderated-list
16844 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
16848 @node XEmacs Enhancements
16849 @section XEmacs Enhancements
16852 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
16856 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
16857 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
16858 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
16859 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
16872 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
16873 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
16874 over your shoulder as you read news.
16877 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
16878 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
16879 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
16880 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
16881 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
16886 @subsubsection Picon Basics
16888 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
16897 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
16898 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
16899 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
16900 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
16901 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
16902 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
16903 @code{GIF} formats.
16906 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
16907 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
16908 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
16909 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
16910 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
16912 @vindex gnus-picons-database
16913 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
16914 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
16915 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
16916 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
16917 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
16920 @node Picon Requirements
16921 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
16923 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
16924 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
16927 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
16928 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
16929 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
16931 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
16932 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
16933 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
16934 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
16935 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
16939 @subsubsection Easy Picons
16941 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
16942 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
16945 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
16946 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
16949 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
16950 containing the Picons databases.
16952 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
16955 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
16956 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
16961 @subsubsection Hard Picons
16969 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
16970 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
16971 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
16972 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
16973 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
16978 @item gnus-picons-database
16979 @vindex gnus-picons-database
16980 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
16981 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
16982 subdirectories. This is only useful if
16983 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
16984 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
16986 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
16987 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
16988 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
16989 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
16990 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
16991 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
16992 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
16994 @item gnus-picons-display-where
16995 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
16996 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
16997 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
16998 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
16999 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
17000 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
17001 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
17003 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
17004 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
17005 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
17010 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
17011 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
17013 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
17014 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
17017 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
17019 @item gnus-article-display-picons
17020 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
17021 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
17022 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
17024 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
17025 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
17026 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
17032 @node Picon Useless Configuration
17033 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
17041 The following variables offer further control over how things are
17042 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
17043 don't need to worry about.
17047 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
17048 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
17049 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
17050 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
17052 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
17053 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
17054 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
17055 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
17057 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
17058 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
17059 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
17060 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
17061 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
17063 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
17064 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
17065 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
17066 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
17067 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
17068 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
17069 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
17071 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
17072 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
17073 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
17074 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
17076 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
17077 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
17078 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
17079 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
17080 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
17081 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
17082 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
17084 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
17085 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
17086 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
17087 Defaults to @code{nil}.
17089 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
17090 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
17091 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
17092 Defaults to @code{t}.
17094 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
17095 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
17096 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
17097 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
17099 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
17100 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
17101 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
17103 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
17104 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
17105 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
17106 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
17108 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
17109 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the defailt.
17111 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
17112 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
17113 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
17114 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
17115 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
17116 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
17117 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
17118 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
17129 @subsection Smileys
17134 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
17139 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
17140 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
17142 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
17143 @file{.gnus.el} file:
17146 (setq gnus-treat-display-smiley t)
17149 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
17150 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
17151 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
17152 text and maps that to file names.
17154 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
17155 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
17156 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
17157 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
17158 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
17159 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
17161 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
17162 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
17164 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
17165 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
17166 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
17168 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
17169 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
17173 @item smiley-data-directory
17174 @vindex smiley-data-directory
17175 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
17177 @item smiley-flesh-color
17178 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
17179 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
17181 @item smiley-features-color
17182 @vindex smiley-features-color
17183 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
17185 @item smiley-tongue-color
17186 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
17187 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
17189 @item smiley-circle-color
17190 @vindex smiley-circle-color
17191 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
17193 @item smiley-mouse-face
17194 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
17195 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
17201 @subsection Toolbar
17211 @item gnus-use-toolbar
17212 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
17213 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
17214 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
17215 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
17217 @item gnus-group-toolbar
17218 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
17219 The toolbar in the group buffer.
17221 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
17222 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
17223 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
17225 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
17226 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
17227 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
17233 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
17236 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
17237 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
17238 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
17239 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
17240 unusual directory structure.
17242 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
17243 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
17244 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
17245 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
17247 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
17248 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
17249 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
17250 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
17251 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
17252 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
17254 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
17255 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
17256 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
17270 @node Fuzzy Matching
17271 @section Fuzzy Matching
17272 @cindex fuzzy matching
17274 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
17275 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
17277 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
17278 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
17279 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
17281 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
17282 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
17283 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
17284 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
17285 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
17288 @node Thwarting Email Spam
17289 @section Thwarting Email Spam
17293 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
17295 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
17296 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
17297 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
17298 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
17299 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
17300 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
17301 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
17302 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
17305 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
17306 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
17307 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
17308 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
17309 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
17310 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
17314 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
17315 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
17317 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
17318 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
17319 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
17320 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
17321 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
17322 part of the mail address.)
17325 (setq message-default-news-headers
17326 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
17329 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
17330 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
17335 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
17336 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
17337 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
17343 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
17344 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
17345 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
17346 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
17348 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
17349 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
17350 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
17351 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
17352 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
17353 your fancy split rule in this way:
17358 (to "larsi" "misc")
17362 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
17363 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
17364 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
17365 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
17366 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
17368 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
17369 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
17370 at @* @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
17371 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
17372 cosmic balance somewhat.
17374 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
17375 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
17376 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
17377 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
17380 @node Various Various
17381 @section Various Various
17387 @item gnus-home-directory
17388 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
17389 defaults to @file{~/}.
17391 @item gnus-directory
17392 @vindex gnus-directory
17393 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
17394 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
17395 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
17397 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
17398 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
17399 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
17400 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
17402 @item gnus-default-directory
17403 @vindex gnus-default-directory
17404 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
17405 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
17406 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
17407 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
17408 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
17409 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
17412 @vindex gnus-verbose
17413 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
17414 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
17415 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
17416 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
17417 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
17419 @item gnus-verbose-backends
17420 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
17421 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
17422 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
17424 @item nnheader-max-head-length
17425 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
17426 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
17427 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
17428 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
17429 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
17430 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
17431 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
17432 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
17433 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
17435 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
17436 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
17437 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
17438 read when doing the operation described above.
17440 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
17441 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
17443 @cindex invalid characters in file names
17444 @cindex characters in file names
17445 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
17446 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
17447 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
17450 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
17454 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
17455 Windows (phooey) systems.
17457 @item gnus-hidden-properties
17458 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
17459 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
17460 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
17461 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
17463 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
17464 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
17465 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
17466 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
17467 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
17469 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
17470 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
17471 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
17480 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
17481 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
17483 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
17485 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
17491 Not because of victories @*
17494 but for the common sunshine,@*
17496 the largess of the spring.
17500 but for the day's work done@*
17501 as well as I was able;@*
17502 not for a seat upon the dais@*
17503 but at the common table.@*
17508 @chapter Appendices
17511 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
17512 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
17513 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
17514 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
17515 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
17516 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
17517 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
17518 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
17526 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
17527 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
17529 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
17530 can point your (feh!) web browser to
17531 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
17532 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
17533 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
17535 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
17536 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
17537 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
17538 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
17539 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
17540 appropriate name, don't you think?)
17542 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
17543 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
17544 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
17545 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
17548 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
17549 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
17550 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
17551 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
17552 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
17553 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
17554 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
17555 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
17556 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
17557 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
17561 @node Gnus Versions
17562 @subsection Gnus Versions
17563 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
17565 @cindex September Gnus
17566 @cindex Quassia Gnus
17568 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
17569 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
17570 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
17572 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
17573 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
17575 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
17576 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
17578 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
17579 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
17581 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
17582 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
17585 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
17586 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
17587 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
17588 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
17589 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
17593 @node Other Gnus Versions
17594 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
17597 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
17598 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
17599 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
17600 @sc{mime} capabilities.
17602 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
17603 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
17604 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
17605 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
17612 What's the point of Gnus?
17614 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
17615 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
17616 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
17617 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
17618 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
17619 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
17620 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
17621 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
17622 keep track of millions of people who post?
17624 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
17625 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
17626 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
17627 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
17628 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
17629 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
17630 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
17631 every one of you to explore and invent.
17633 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
17634 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
17637 @node Compatibility
17638 @subsection Compatibility
17640 @cindex compatibility
17641 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
17642 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
17643 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
17648 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
17652 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
17655 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
17658 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
17659 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
17660 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
17661 important variables have their values copied into their global
17662 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
17663 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
17665 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
17666 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
17667 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
17668 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
17669 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
17673 @cindex highlighting
17674 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
17675 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
17676 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
17677 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
17678 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
17679 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
17682 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
17683 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
17684 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
17685 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
17687 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
17688 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
17689 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
17690 to stop doing it the old way.
17692 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
17694 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
17696 @cindex reporting bugs
17698 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
17699 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
17700 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
17702 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
17703 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
17704 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
17705 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
17710 @subsection Conformity
17712 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
17713 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
17720 There are no known breaches of this standard.
17724 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
17726 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
17727 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
17728 We do have some breaches to this one.
17734 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
17735 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
17736 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
17737 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
17738 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
17743 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
17744 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
17745 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
17746 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
17750 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
17751 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
17756 @subsection Emacsen
17762 Gnus should work on :
17770 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
17774 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
17775 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
17778 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
17779 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
17780 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
17784 @node Gnus Development
17785 @subsection Gnus Development
17787 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
17788 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
17789 propose changes and new features, post patches and new backends. This
17790 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
17791 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
17792 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
17793 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
17794 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
17796 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
17797 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
17798 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
17799 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
17800 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
17803 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
17804 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
17805 In particular, @code{nnmail-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
17806 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
17807 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
17809 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
17810 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
17811 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
17812 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
17813 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
17814 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
17815 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
17816 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
17817 usually keep up with these rapid changes, whille people on the newsgroup
17818 can't be assumed to do so.
17823 @subsection Contributors
17824 @cindex contributors
17826 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
17827 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
17828 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
17829 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
17830 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
17831 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
17832 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
17833 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
17834 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
17835 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
17837 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
17843 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
17846 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
17847 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
17848 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
17849 functionality and stuff.
17852 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
17853 well as numerous other things).
17856 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
17859 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
17862 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
17863 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
17866 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
17869 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
17870 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
17873 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
17876 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
17879 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
17882 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
17885 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
17886 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
17889 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
17892 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
17895 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
17898 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
17902 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
17905 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
17908 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
17911 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
17912 well as autoconf support.
17916 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
17917 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
17919 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
17928 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
17932 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
17942 Alexei V. Barantsev,
17957 Massimo Campostrini,
17962 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
17963 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
17967 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
17970 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
17976 Michael Welsh Duggan,
17981 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
17985 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
17993 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
17995 Michelangelo Grigni,
17999 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
18001 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
18003 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
18010 François Felix Ingrand,
18011 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
18012 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
18014 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
18025 Peter Skov Knudsen,
18026 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
18028 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
18029 Thor Kristoffersen,
18032 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
18050 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
18051 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
18058 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
18063 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
18067 John McClary Prevost,
18073 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
18078 Christian von Roques,
18081 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
18088 Philippe Schnoebelen,
18090 Randal L. Schwartz,
18105 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
18110 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
18126 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
18131 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
18132 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
18133 (550kB and counting).
18135 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
18138 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
18139 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
18143 @subsection New Features
18144 @cindex new features
18147 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
18148 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
18149 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
18150 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
18153 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
18154 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
18155 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
18159 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
18161 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
18166 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
18167 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
18170 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
18171 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
18174 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
18177 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
18178 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
18179 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
18182 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
18183 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
18184 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
18185 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
18188 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
18189 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
18192 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
18193 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
18194 (@pxref{The Active File}).
18197 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
18198 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
18201 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
18202 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
18203 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
18206 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
18207 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
18208 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
18211 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
18212 the @file{.emacs} file.
18215 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
18216 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18219 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
18220 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
18223 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
18224 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
18227 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
18228 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
18231 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
18232 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
18235 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
18238 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
18239 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
18242 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
18243 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
18246 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
18247 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
18250 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
18253 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
18254 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
18257 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
18261 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
18265 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
18266 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
18269 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
18275 @node September Gnus
18276 @subsubsection September Gnus
18280 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
18284 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
18289 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
18290 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
18294 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
18295 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
18299 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
18303 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
18304 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
18307 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
18311 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
18314 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
18317 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
18320 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
18324 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
18325 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
18328 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
18332 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
18336 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
18340 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
18344 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
18347 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
18348 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
18351 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
18355 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
18356 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
18359 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
18362 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
18363 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
18364 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
18367 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
18371 The Gnus cache is much faster.
18374 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
18378 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
18379 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
18382 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
18383 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
18386 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
18387 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
18390 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
18391 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
18392 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
18395 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
18396 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
18399 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
18402 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
18405 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
18408 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
18411 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
18412 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
18415 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
18419 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
18422 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
18427 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
18430 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
18434 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
18437 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
18441 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
18444 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
18447 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
18448 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
18451 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
18452 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
18456 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
18457 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
18460 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
18464 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
18465 buffer to allow easier treatment.
18468 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
18471 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
18475 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
18479 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
18480 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
18483 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
18487 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
18488 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
18491 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
18492 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
18495 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
18499 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
18502 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
18505 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
18511 @subsubsection Red Gnus
18513 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
18517 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
18524 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
18527 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
18528 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
18531 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
18532 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
18536 Article washing status can be displayed in the
18537 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
18540 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
18543 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
18544 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
18547 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
18551 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
18552 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
18556 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
18557 Server Internals}).
18560 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
18564 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
18567 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
18568 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
18571 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
18572 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
18573 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
18576 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
18577 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
18580 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
18581 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
18584 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
18588 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
18589 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
18592 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
18593 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
18596 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
18600 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
18603 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
18607 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
18608 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
18611 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
18612 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
18615 A new command for reading collections of documents
18616 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
18617 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
18620 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
18624 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
18625 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
18628 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
18629 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
18630 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
18633 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
18634 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
18638 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
18642 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
18646 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
18651 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
18655 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
18659 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
18660 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
18663 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
18669 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
18671 New features in Gnus 5.6:
18676 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
18677 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
18678 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
18681 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
18682 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
18683 group, which is created automatically.
18686 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
18690 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
18693 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
18694 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
18697 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
18701 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
18704 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
18705 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
18708 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
18711 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
18712 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
18715 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
18716 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
18719 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
18720 control over simplification.
18723 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
18726 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
18730 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
18733 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
18736 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
18737 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
18738 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
18741 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
18742 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
18745 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
18749 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
18750 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
18753 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
18754 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
18757 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
18761 A history of where mails have been split is available.
18764 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
18767 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
18768 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
18771 A new function for citing in Message has been
18772 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
18775 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
18778 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
18782 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
18783 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
18786 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
18787 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
18790 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
18793 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
18798 @node Newest Features
18799 @subsection Newest Features
18802 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
18805 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
18807 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
18808 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
18811 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
18816 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
18817 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
18820 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
18823 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
18826 facep is not declared.
18829 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
18830 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
18833 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
18838 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
18839 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
18840 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
18841 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
18842 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
18843 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
18844 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
18849 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
18852 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
18855 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
18857 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
18858 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
18860 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
18862 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
18864 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
18865 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
18867 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
18869 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
18870 be marked as unread.
18872 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
18874 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
18876 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
18877 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
18879 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
18881 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
18883 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
18884 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
18886 topics that contain just groups with ticked
18887 articles aren't displayed.
18889 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
18891 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
18892 make the mail groups killed.
18894 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
18896 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
18897 and articles have to be removed.
18899 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
18902 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
18904 finding short score file names takes forever.
18906 canceling articles in foreign groups.
18908 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
18910 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
18912 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
18914 nnweb doesn't work properly.
18916 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
18918 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
18919 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
18923 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
18925 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
18926 bar and the Gnus bar.
18929 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
18930 `(canonize-message-id id)'
18931 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
18932 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
18933 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
18934 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
18939 nnml .overview directory with splits.
18943 postponed commands.
18945 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
18947 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
18950 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
18951 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
18953 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
18954 inherit copy prompts and save files.
18956 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
18958 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
18959 for backends that support that.
18961 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
18963 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
18964 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
18966 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
18967 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
18969 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
18971 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
18973 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
18975 server mode command: close/open all connections
18977 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
18978 has been changed before using it.
18980 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
18982 hide (sub)threads with low score.
18984 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
18986 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
18988 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
18989 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
18991 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
18992 contain groups that match a regexp.
18994 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
18997 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
19000 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
19001 from subject lines.
19003 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
19005 nntp-ping-before-connect
19007 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
19009 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
19010 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
19012 message annotations.
19014 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
19016 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
19017 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
19019 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
19024 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
19026 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
19028 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
19030 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
19031 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
19033 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
19035 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
19037 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
19038 finds and generate proper active ranges.
19040 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
19041 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
19043 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
19045 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
19047 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
19048 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
19050 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
19052 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
19054 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
19055 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
19058 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
19060 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
19062 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
19063 `C-c C-c' when posting.
19065 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
19068 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
19069 should be marker as expirable.
19071 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
19073 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
19074 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
19076 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
19077 Also consult Date headers.
19079 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
19081 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
19083 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
19084 Message-ID, delete the "original".
19086 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
19087 into a See-Also header.
19089 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
19091 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
19093 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
19094 should be listed as such and not as "K".
19096 generate font names dynamically.
19098 score file mode auto-alist.
19100 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
19101 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
19103 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
19104 absolutely all headers there is.
19106 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
19107 and pipe them to the process.
19109 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
19110 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
19111 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
19113 function for starting to edit a file to put into
19114 the current mail group.
19116 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
19118 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
19119 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
19121 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
19122 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
19124 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
19126 when replying to several process-marked articles,
19127 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
19129 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
19130 groups it has been mailed to.
19132 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
19134 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
19136 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
19138 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
19139 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
19141 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
19142 newlines) should be ignored.
19144 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
19145 groups in subtopics as well.
19147 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
19149 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
19152 add edit and forward secondary marks.
19154 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
19156 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
19158 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
19160 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
19162 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
19164 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
19165 or the formatted article.
19167 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
19169 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
19170 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
19172 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
19174 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
19176 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
19178 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
19179 even unread articles.
19181 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
19183 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
19185 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
19187 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
19189 canceling articles in foreign groups.
19191 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
19194 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
19195 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
19197 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
19198 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
19200 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
19202 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
19204 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
19205 from a particular server? Hm.
19207 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
19208 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
19210 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
19212 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
19213 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
19215 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
19216 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
19218 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
19219 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
19220 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
19223 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
19224 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
19226 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
19228 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
19230 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
19232 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
19235 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
19238 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
19239 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
19241 command to show and edit group scores
19243 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
19246 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
19248 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
19250 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
19251 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
19254 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
19255 that are of that length.
19257 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
19259 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
19261 asynchronous posting under nntp.
19263 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
19265 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
19267 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
19269 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
19270 a score lower than this number.
19272 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
19274 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
19276 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
19277 so that each copy can be edited separately.
19279 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
19281 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
19282 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
19284 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
19287 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
19288 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
19289 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
19290 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
19292 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
19295 command to remove all topic stuff.
19297 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
19298 and splitting the resulting digests.
19300 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
19302 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
19304 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
19305 matches an alist -- before saving.
19307 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
19309 variable to activate each group before entering them
19310 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
19312 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
19313 starting Gnus first if necessary.
19315 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
19316 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
19318 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
19320 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
19321 of several groups at once.
19323 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
19324 matches some regexp(s).
19326 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
19328 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
19330 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
19332 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
19334 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
19336 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
19338 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
19340 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
19341 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
19342 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
19343 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
19345 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
19346 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
19348 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
19350 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
19351 recently cited text.
19353 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
19355 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
19358 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
19359 server and just read the articles in the server
19361 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
19362 value of nnoo variables.
19364 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
19366 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
19367 listed in each group info.
19369 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
19372 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
19373 should only be applied to some groups.
19375 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
19376 mail-copies-to: never.
19378 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
19379 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
19381 the slave dribble files should auto-save to the slave file names.
19383 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
19386 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
19389 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
19391 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
19394 group user-defined meta-parameters.
19398 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
19400 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
19401 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
19402 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
19403 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
19404 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
19406 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
19407 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
19414 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
19415 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
19417 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
19418 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
19420 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
19421 "Return the date the group was last read."
19422 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
19427 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
19428 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
19429 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
19430 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
19434 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
19435 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
19437 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
19440 They could be used like this:
19444 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
19445 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
19446 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
19448 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
19450 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
19453 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
19456 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
19457 affect the summary line format.
19461 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
19463 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
19464 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
19466 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
19469 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
19471 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
19473 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
19475 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
19477 - For other files, just find them normally.
19479 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
19480 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
19483 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
19484 tell him what you are doing.
19487 Currently, I get prompted:
19491 decend into sci.something ?
19495 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
19496 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
19497 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
19498 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
19501 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
19502 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
19503 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
19504 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
19507 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
19508 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
19514 more than n blank lines
19516 more than m identical lines
19517 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
19519 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
19523 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
19524 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
19525 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
19526 "same" subject for threading purposes.
19529 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
19530 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
19531 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
19532 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
19535 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
19538 soup - bowl of soup
19539 score below - dim light bulb
19540 score over - bright light bulb
19543 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
19548 show-list-of-articles-in-group
19549 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
19550 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
19551 if (articles-selected)
19552 start-reading-selected-articles;
19553 junk-unread-articles;
19558 else if (key-pressed = '.')
19559 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
19560 select-thread-under-cursor;
19562 select-article-under-cursor;
19566 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
19567 if (more-pages-in-article)
19569 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
19576 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
19577 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
19578 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
19581 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
19582 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
19583 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
19584 the wildcard expression).
19587 It would be nice if it also handled
19589 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
19591 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
19596 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
19597 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
19598 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
19599 article versions) variable.
19601 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
19603 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
19604 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
19608 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
19611 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
19612 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
19613 (message-sent-hook).
19615 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
19618 * Enhancements to Gnus:
19622 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
19623 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
19626 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
19627 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
19628 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
19631 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
19632 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
19636 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
19639 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
19643 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
19644 the nnmail duplicate checking.
19647 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
19648 value of the signature file.
19651 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
19652 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
19655 (setq message-tab-alist
19656 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
19657 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
19659 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
19663 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
19666 a command to import a buffer into a group.
19669 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
19672 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
19673 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
19676 a command to process mark all unread articles.
19679 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
19680 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
19681 do more gathering by subject.
19684 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
19685 article numerical order.
19688 (gnus-thread-total-score
19689 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
19693 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
19696 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
19697 in the summary buffer.
19700 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
19701 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
19704 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
19705 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
19706 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
19707 and/or newsgroup name.
19710 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
19713 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
19716 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
19719 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
19720 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
19721 will automatically get the process mark.
19724 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
19725 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
19726 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
19729 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
19733 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
19734 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
19737 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
19738 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
19742 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
19743 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
19746 be able to post via DejaNews.
19749 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
19752 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
19753 allow them to be displayed separately.
19756 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
19757 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
19760 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
19761 articles that match a certain From header.
19764 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
19765 saving living summary buffers.
19768 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
19769 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
19772 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
19773 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
19776 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
19777 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
19780 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
19781 (goto-char (point-min))
19782 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
19783 (replace-match "`" t t))
19784 (goto-char (point-min))
19785 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
19786 (replace-match "'" t t))
19787 (goto-char (point-min))
19788 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
19789 (replace-match "\"" t t))
19790 (goto-char (point-min))
19791 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
19792 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
19797 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
19799 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
19800 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
19801 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
19802 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
19806 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
19809 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
19810 numbers and match on the age of the article.
19814 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
19815 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
19816 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
19818 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
19819 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
19821 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
19822 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
19827 all commands that react to the process mark should push
19828 the current process mark set onto the stack.
19831 gnus-article-hide-pgp
19832 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
19834 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
19836 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
19837 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
19840 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
19841 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
19844 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
19848 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
19849 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
19852 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
19855 nndraft-request-group should tally auto-save files.
19858 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
19861 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
19865 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
19871 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
19874 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
19878 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
19879 X characters in the body.
19882 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
19885 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
19888 format spec to "tab" to a position.
19891 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
19894 command to display all dormant articles.
19897 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
19900 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
19901 to something someone else has said.
19904 Read Netscape discussion groups:
19905 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
19908 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
19909 the displayed version.
19912 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
19916 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
19919 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
19920 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
19921 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
19925 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
19926 in the head or body.
19929 Allow breaking lengthy @sc{nntp} commands.
19932 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
19935 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
19936 in a special, unique buffer.
19939 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
19942 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
19943 is less than a certain number of days old.
19946 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
19949 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
19952 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
19953 file, for instance.
19956 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
19957 in any other dummy thread will make gnus highlight the
19958 dummy root instead of the first article.
19961 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
19962 topics for displaying.
19965 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
19966 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
19969 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
19972 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
19973 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
19974 summary buffer for each article.
19977 Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
19980 Group parameters and summary commands for un/subscribing to mailing
19984 Introduce nnmail-home-directory.
19987 gnus-fetch-group and friends should exit Gnus when the user
19991 The jingle is only played on the second invocation of Gnus.
19994 Bouncing articles should do MIME.
19997 Crossposted articles should "inherit" the % or @ mark from the other
19998 groups it has been crossposted to, or something. (Agent.)
20001 If point is on a group that appears multiple times in topics, and
20002 you press `l', point will move to the first instance of the group.
20005 A spec for the group line format to display the number of
20006 agent-downloaded articles in the group.
20009 Some nntp servers never respond when posting, so there should be a
20010 timeout for all commands.
20013 When stading on a topic line and `t'-ing, point goes to the last line.
20014 It should go somewhere else.
20017 I'm having trouble accessing a newsgroup with a "+" in its name with
20018 Gnus. There is a new newsgroup on msnews.microsoft.com named
20019 "microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time" that I'm trying to
20021 "nntp+msnews.microsoft.com:microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time"
20022 but it gives an error that it cant access the group.
20024 Is the "+" character illegal in newsgroup names? Is there any way in
20025 Gnus to work around this? (gnus 5.6.45 - XEmacs 20.4)
20032 Subject: Answer to your mails 01.01.1999-01.05.1999
20033 --text follows this line--
20034 Sorry I killfiled you...
20036 Under the subject "foo", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
20038 Under the subject "foo1", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
20043 Allow "orphan" scores in the Agent scoring.
20047 - Edit article's summary line.
20049 - Sort lines in buffer by subject
20051 --> the old subject line appears in Summary buffer, not the one that was
20057 Remove list identifiers from the subject in the summary when doing `^'
20061 Have the Agent write out articles, one by one, as it retrieves them,
20062 to avoid having to re-fetch them all if Emacs should crash while
20066 Be able to forward groups of messages as MIME digests.
20069 nnweb should include the "get whole article" article when getting articles.
20072 Solve the halting problem.
20081 @section The Manual
20085 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
20086 either @code{texi2dvi}
20088 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
20089 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
20091 to get what you hold in your hands now.
20093 The following conventions have been used:
20098 This is a @samp{string}
20101 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
20104 This is a @file{file}
20107 This is a @code{symbol}
20111 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
20115 (setq flargnoze "yes")
20118 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
20121 (setq flumphel 'yes)
20124 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
20125 ever get them confused.
20129 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
20130 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
20131 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
20132 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
20133 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
20134 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
20135 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
20141 @node On Writing Manuals
20142 @section On Writing Manuals
20144 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
20145 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
20146 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
20147 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
20148 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
20149 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
20152 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
20153 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
20154 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
20157 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
20158 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
20163 @section Terminology
20165 @cindex terminology
20170 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
20171 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
20172 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
20173 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
20174 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
20178 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
20179 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
20180 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
20181 not posting, and replying is not following up.
20185 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
20189 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
20194 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
20195 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
20196 is all done by the backends.
20200 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
20201 default, way of getting news.
20205 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
20206 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
20211 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
20212 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
20216 A message that has been posted as news.
20219 @cindex mail message
20220 A message that has been mailed.
20224 A mail message or news article
20228 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
20233 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
20238 A line from the head of an article.
20242 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
20243 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
20247 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
20248 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
20249 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
20250 normal @sc{head} format.
20254 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
20255 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
20256 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
20257 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
20258 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
20259 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
20261 @item killed groups
20262 @cindex killed groups
20263 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
20264 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
20266 @item zombie groups
20267 @cindex zombie groups
20268 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
20271 @cindex active file
20272 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
20273 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
20274 is rather large, as you might surmise.
20277 @cindex bogus groups
20278 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
20279 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
20280 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
20283 @cindex activating groups
20284 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
20285 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
20286 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
20290 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
20292 @item select method
20293 @cindex select method
20294 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
20297 @item virtual server
20298 @cindex virtual server
20299 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
20300 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
20301 whole is a virtual server.
20305 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
20306 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
20309 @item ephemeral groups
20310 @cindex ephemeral groups
20311 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
20312 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
20313 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
20316 @cindex solid groups
20317 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
20318 group buffer are solid groups.
20320 @item sparse articles
20321 @cindex sparse articles
20322 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
20323 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
20327 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
20328 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
20332 @cindex thread root
20333 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
20334 articles in the thread.
20338 An article that has responses.
20342 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
20346 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
20347 specified by RFC1153.
20353 @node Customization
20354 @section Customization
20355 @cindex general customization
20357 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
20358 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
20359 for some quite common situations.
20362 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
20363 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
20364 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
20365 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
20369 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
20370 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
20372 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
20373 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
20374 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
20378 @item gnus-read-active-file
20379 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
20380 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
20381 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
20382 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
20383 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
20385 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
20386 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
20387 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
20388 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
20392 @node Slow Terminal Connection
20393 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
20395 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
20396 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
20397 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
20401 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
20402 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
20403 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
20404 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
20405 horizontal and vertical recentering.
20407 @item gnus-visible-headers
20408 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
20409 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
20410 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
20411 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
20413 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
20415 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
20416 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
20417 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
20420 @item gnus-use-full-window
20421 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
20422 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
20423 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
20424 want to read them anyway.
20426 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
20427 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
20430 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
20431 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
20432 lines, which might save some time.
20436 @node Little Disk Space
20437 @subsection Little Disk Space
20440 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
20441 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
20445 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
20446 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
20447 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
20448 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
20451 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
20452 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
20453 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
20454 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
20457 @item gnus-save-killed-list
20458 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
20459 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
20460 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
20461 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
20467 @subsection Slow Machine
20468 @cindex slow machine
20470 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
20471 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
20473 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
20474 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
20476 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
20477 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
20478 summary buffer faster.
20482 @node Troubleshooting
20483 @section Troubleshooting
20484 @cindex troubleshooting
20486 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
20494 Make sure your computer is switched on.
20497 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
20498 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
20502 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
20503 like @samp{T-gnus 6.14.* (based on Pterodactyl Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*,
20504 FLIM 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you
20505 get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some
20506 old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
20509 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
20513 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
20514 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
20515 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
20516 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
20517 something like that.
20520 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
20523 @cindex reporting bugs
20525 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
20527 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
20528 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
20529 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
20530 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
20532 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
20533 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
20534 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
20535 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
20538 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
20539 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
20540 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
20541 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
20542 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
20543 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
20545 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
20546 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
20547 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
20550 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
20551 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
20553 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
20554 @cindex ding mailing list
20555 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
20556 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
20560 @node Gnus Reference Guide
20561 @section Gnus Reference Guide
20563 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
20564 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
20565 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
20566 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
20569 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
20570 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
20571 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
20572 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
20573 and general methods of operation.
20576 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
20577 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
20578 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
20579 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
20580 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
20581 * Group Info:: The group info format.
20582 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
20583 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
20584 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
20588 @node Gnus Utility Functions
20589 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
20590 @cindex Gnus utility functions
20591 @cindex utility functions
20593 @cindex internal variables
20595 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
20596 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
20597 Below is a list of the most common ones.
20601 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
20602 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
20603 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
20605 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
20606 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
20607 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
20609 @item gnus-group-real-name
20610 @findex gnus-group-real-name
20611 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
20614 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
20615 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
20616 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
20617 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
20619 @item gnus-get-info
20620 @findex gnus-get-info
20621 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
20623 @item gnus-group-unread
20624 @findex gnus-group-unread
20625 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
20629 @findex gnus-active
20630 The active entry for @var{group}.
20632 @item gnus-set-active
20633 @findex gnus-set-active
20634 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
20636 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
20637 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
20638 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
20641 @item gnus-continuum-version
20642 @findex gnus-continuum-version
20643 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
20644 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
20647 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
20648 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
20649 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
20651 @item gnus-news-group-p
20652 @findex gnus-news-group-p
20653 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
20655 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
20656 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
20657 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
20659 @item gnus-server-to-method
20660 @findex gnus-server-to-method
20661 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
20663 @item gnus-server-equal
20664 @findex gnus-server-equal
20665 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
20667 @item gnus-group-native-p
20668 @findex gnus-group-native-p
20669 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
20671 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
20672 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
20673 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
20675 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
20676 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
20677 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
20679 @item group-group-find-parameter
20680 @findex group-group-find-parameter
20681 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
20682 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
20684 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
20685 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
20686 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
20688 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
20689 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
20690 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
20692 @item gnus-check-backend-function
20693 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
20694 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
20695 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
20698 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
20702 @item gnus-read-method
20703 @findex gnus-read-method
20704 Prompts the user for a select method.
20709 @node Backend Interface
20710 @subsection Backend Interface
20712 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
20713 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
20714 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
20715 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
20716 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
20717 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
20719 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
20720 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
20721 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
20722 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
20723 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
20724 been opened, the function should fail.
20726 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
20727 name. Take this example:
20731 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
20732 (nntp-port-number 4324))
20735 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
20736 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
20738 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
20739 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
20740 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
20742 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
20743 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
20744 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
20746 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
20747 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
20748 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
20749 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
20750 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
20751 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
20754 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
20755 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
20756 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
20757 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
20760 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
20763 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
20766 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
20767 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
20768 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
20769 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
20770 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
20771 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
20775 @node Required Backend Functions
20776 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
20780 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
20782 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
20783 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
20784 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
20785 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
20787 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
20788 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
20789 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
20790 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
20792 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
20793 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
20794 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
20795 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
20796 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
20797 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
20798 number, do maximum fetches.
20800 Here's an example HEAD:
20803 221 1056 Article retrieved.
20804 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
20805 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
20806 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
20807 Subject: Re: Something very droll
20808 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
20809 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
20811 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
20812 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
20813 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
20817 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
20818 these in the data buffer.
20820 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
20824 head = error / valid-head
20825 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
20826 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
20827 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
20828 header = <text> eol
20831 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
20832 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
20836 nov-buffer = *nov-line
20837 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
20838 field = <text except TAB>
20841 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
20845 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
20847 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
20848 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
20850 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
20851 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
20852 server. In fact, it should do so.
20854 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
20855 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
20858 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
20860 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
20861 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
20864 There should be no data returned.
20867 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
20869 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
20870 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
20871 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
20872 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
20874 There should be no data returned.
20877 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
20879 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
20880 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
20881 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
20882 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
20884 There should be no data returned.
20887 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
20889 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
20891 There should be no data returned.
20894 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
20896 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
20897 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
20898 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
20899 it would be nice if that were possible.
20901 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
20902 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
20903 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
20904 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
20905 into its article buffer.
20907 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
20908 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
20909 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
20910 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
20911 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
20912 on successful article retrieval.
20915 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
20917 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
20918 making @var{group} the current group.
20920 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
20923 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
20926 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
20929 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
20930 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
20931 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
20932 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
20933 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
20934 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
20935 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
20936 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
20939 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
20940 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
20941 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
20945 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
20947 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
20948 a no-op on most backends.
20950 There should be no data returned.
20953 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
20955 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
20958 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
20961 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
20962 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
20965 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
20966 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
20969 active-file = *active-line
20970 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
20972 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
20975 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
20976 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
20977 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
20980 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
20982 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
20983 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
20984 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
20985 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
20986 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
20987 clear if the posting could not be completed.
20989 There should be no result data from this function.
20994 @node Optional Backend Functions
20995 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
20999 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
21001 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
21002 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
21003 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
21005 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
21006 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
21007 former is in the same format as the data from
21008 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
21009 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
21012 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
21016 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
21018 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
21019 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
21020 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
21021 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
21022 should return the (altered) group info.
21024 There should be no result data from this function.
21027 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
21029 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
21030 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
21031 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
21032 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
21033 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
21034 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
21035 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
21036 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
21038 There should be no result data from this function.
21041 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
21043 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
21044 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
21045 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry all
21046 information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to propagate
21047 the mark information to the server.
21049 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
21052 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
21055 Range is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. Action is
21056 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
21057 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
21058 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
21059 mentioned) marks. Mark is a list of marks; where each mark is a
21060 symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
21061 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
21062 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
21063 not limit itself to theese.
21065 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
21066 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
21067 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
21068 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
21070 An example action list:
21073 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
21074 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
21075 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
21078 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
21079 mark on (currently not used for anything).
21081 There should be no result data from this function.
21083 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
21085 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
21086 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
21087 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
21088 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
21089 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
21091 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
21092 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
21093 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
21096 There should be no result data from this function.
21099 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
21101 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
21102 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
21103 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
21104 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
21105 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
21106 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
21107 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
21109 There should be no result data from this function.
21112 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
21114 The result data from this function should be a description of
21118 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
21120 description = <text>
21123 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
21125 The result data from this function should be the description of all
21126 groups available on the server.
21129 description-buffer = *description-line
21133 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
21135 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
21136 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
21137 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
21140 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
21142 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
21144 There should be no return data.
21147 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
21149 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
21150 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
21151 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
21152 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
21153 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
21156 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
21159 There should be no result data returned.
21162 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
21165 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
21166 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
21168 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
21169 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
21170 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
21171 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
21172 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
21173 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
21175 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
21176 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
21179 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
21180 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
21182 There should be no data returned.
21185 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
21187 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
21188 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
21189 this function in short order.
21191 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
21192 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
21194 There should be no data returned.
21197 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
21199 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
21200 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
21202 There should be no data returned.
21205 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
21207 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
21208 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
21209 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
21211 There should be no data returned.
21214 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
21216 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
21217 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
21219 There should be no data returned.
21224 @node Error Messaging
21225 @subsubsection Error Messaging
21227 @findex nnheader-report
21228 @findex nnheader-get-report
21229 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
21230 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
21231 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
21232 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
21233 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
21234 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
21237 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
21239 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
21242 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
21243 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
21244 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
21245 takes one argument---the server symbol.
21247 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
21248 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
21249 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
21252 @node Writing New Backends
21253 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
21255 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
21256 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
21257 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
21258 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
21259 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
21262 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
21263 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
21264 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
21266 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
21267 package called @code{nnoo}.
21269 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
21270 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
21276 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
21277 parameters. For instance:
21280 (nnoo-declare nndir
21284 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
21285 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
21288 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
21289 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
21290 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
21292 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
21293 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
21294 a function in those backends.
21297 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
21298 "Where nndir will look for groups."
21299 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
21302 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
21303 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
21304 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
21306 @item nnoo-define-basics
21307 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
21311 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
21315 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
21316 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
21317 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
21319 @item nnoo-map-functions
21320 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
21321 functions from the parent backends.
21324 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
21325 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
21326 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
21329 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
21330 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
21331 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
21332 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
21335 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
21336 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
21337 haven't already been defined.
21343 nnmh-request-newgroups)
21347 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
21348 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
21349 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
21354 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
21357 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
21358 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
21362 (require 'nnheader)
21366 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
21368 (nnoo-declare nndir
21371 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
21372 "Where nndir will look for groups."
21373 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
21375 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
21376 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
21379 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
21380 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
21381 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
21383 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
21384 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
21386 ;;; Interface functions.
21388 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
21390 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
21391 (setq nndir-directory
21392 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
21394 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
21395 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
21396 (push `(nndir-current-group
21397 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
21399 (push `(nndir-top-directory
21400 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
21402 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
21404 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
21405 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
21406 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
21407 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
21408 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
21412 nnmh-status-message
21414 nnmh-request-newgroups))
21420 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
21421 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
21423 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
21424 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
21425 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
21426 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
21428 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
21429 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
21434 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
21437 The abilities can be:
21441 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
21443 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
21445 This backend supports both mail and news.
21447 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
21450 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
21451 articles and groups.
21453 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
21454 true for almost all backends.
21455 @item prompt-address
21456 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
21457 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
21458 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
21462 @node Mail-like Backends
21463 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
21465 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
21466 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
21467 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
21468 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
21471 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
21472 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
21473 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
21476 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
21477 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
21480 This function takes four parameters.
21484 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
21487 @item exit-function
21488 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
21490 @item temp-directory
21491 Where the temporary files should be stored.
21494 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
21495 performed for one group only.
21498 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
21499 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
21500 find the article number assigned to this article.
21502 The function also uses the following variables:
21503 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
21504 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
21505 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
21506 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
21510 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
21511 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
21515 @node Score File Syntax
21516 @subsection Score File Syntax
21518 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
21519 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
21520 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
21522 Here's a typical score file:
21526 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
21533 BNF definition of a score file:
21536 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
21537 element = rule / atom
21538 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
21539 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
21540 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
21541 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
21543 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
21544 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
21545 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
21546 date-header = "date"
21547 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
21548 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
21549 score = "nil" / <integer>
21550 date = "nil" / <natural number>
21551 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
21552 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
21553 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
21554 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
21555 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
21556 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
21557 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
21558 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
21559 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
21560 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
21561 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
21562 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
21563 exclude-files / read-only / touched
21564 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
21565 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
21566 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
21567 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
21568 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
21569 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
21570 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
21571 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
21572 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
21573 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
21574 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
21575 eval = "eval" space <form>
21576 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
21579 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
21582 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
21583 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
21584 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
21585 one looong line, then that's ok.
21587 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
21588 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21592 @subsection Headers
21594 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
21595 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
21596 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
21597 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
21599 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
21600 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
21601 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
21602 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
21603 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
21604 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
21605 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
21607 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
21608 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
21609 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
21610 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
21611 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
21613 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
21614 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
21620 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
21621 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
21623 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
21624 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
21625 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
21626 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
21628 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
21632 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
21635 is transformed into
21638 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
21641 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
21642 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
21645 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
21648 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
21649 is slightly tricky:
21652 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
21658 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
21661 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
21667 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
21674 and is equal to the previous range.
21676 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
21677 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
21678 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
21682 range = simple-range / normal-range
21683 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
21684 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
21685 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
21686 number *[ " " contents ]
21689 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
21690 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
21691 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
21692 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
21693 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
21698 @subsection Group Info
21700 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
21701 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
21702 describes the group.
21704 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
21705 second is a more complex one:
21708 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
21710 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
21711 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
21713 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
21716 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
21717 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
21718 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
21719 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
21720 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
21721 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
21722 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
21723 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
21724 this section is about.
21726 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
21727 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
21728 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
21730 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
21733 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
21734 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
21735 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
21736 group = quote <string> quote
21737 ralevel = rank / level
21738 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
21739 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
21740 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
21742 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
21743 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
21744 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
21745 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
21748 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
21749 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
21752 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
21753 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
21756 @item gnus-info-group
21757 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
21758 @findex gnus-info-group
21759 @findex gnus-info-set-group
21760 Get/set the group name.
21762 @item gnus-info-rank
21763 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
21764 @findex gnus-info-rank
21765 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
21766 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
21768 @item gnus-info-level
21769 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
21770 @findex gnus-info-level
21771 @findex gnus-info-set-level
21772 Get/set the group level.
21774 @item gnus-info-score
21775 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
21776 @findex gnus-info-score
21777 @findex gnus-info-set-score
21778 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
21780 @item gnus-info-read
21781 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
21782 @findex gnus-info-read
21783 @findex gnus-info-set-read
21784 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
21786 @item gnus-info-marks
21787 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
21788 @findex gnus-info-marks
21789 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
21790 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
21792 @item gnus-info-method
21793 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
21794 @findex gnus-info-method
21795 @findex gnus-info-set-method
21796 Get/set the group select method.
21798 @item gnus-info-params
21799 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
21800 @findex gnus-info-params
21801 @findex gnus-info-set-params
21802 Get/set the group parameters.
21805 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
21806 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
21808 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
21809 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
21810 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
21811 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
21814 @node Extended Interactive
21815 @subsection Extended Interactive
21816 @cindex interactive
21817 @findex gnus-interactive
21819 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
21820 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
21821 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
21824 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
21825 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
21830 The best thing to do would have been to implement
21831 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
21832 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
21833 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
21834 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
21835 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
21836 @code{interactive}.
21838 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
21843 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
21844 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
21848 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
21849 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
21850 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
21853 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
21857 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
21861 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
21867 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
21868 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
21872 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
21873 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
21874 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
21876 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
21877 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
21878 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
21879 Gnus, that's very useful.
21881 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
21882 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
21883 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
21884 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
21885 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
21886 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
21887 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
21888 following function:
21891 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
21895 (,function ,@@args))
21899 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
21900 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
21901 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
21904 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
21905 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
21906 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
21908 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
21909 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
21910 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
21913 @node Various File Formats
21914 @subsection Various File Formats
21917 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
21918 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
21922 @node Active File Format
21923 @subsubsection Active File Format
21925 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
21926 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
21929 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
21932 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
21933 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
21934 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
21935 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
21936 no.general 1000 900 y
21939 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
21942 active = *group-line
21943 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
21944 group = <non-white-space string>
21946 high-number = <non-negative integer>
21947 low-number = <positive integer>
21948 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
21951 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
21952 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
21955 @node Newsgroups File Format
21956 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
21958 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
21959 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
21960 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
21963 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
21964 Here's the definition:
21968 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
21969 group = <non-white-space string>
21971 description = <string>
21976 @node Emacs for Heathens
21977 @section Emacs for Heathens
21979 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
21980 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
21981 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
21982 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
21983 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
21984 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
21985 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
21989 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
21990 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
21995 @subsection Keystrokes
21999 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
22002 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
22005 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
22006 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
22007 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
22008 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
22009 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
22010 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
22012 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
22013 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
22014 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
22015 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
22016 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
22017 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
22018 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
22020 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
22021 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
22022 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
22023 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
22024 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
22025 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
22026 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
22028 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
22029 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
22030 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
22031 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
22032 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
22038 @subsection Emacs Lisp
22040 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
22041 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
22042 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
22043 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
22045 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
22046 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
22047 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
22048 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
22049 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
22050 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
22051 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
22054 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
22055 write the following:
22058 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
22061 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
22062 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
22063 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
22066 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
22067 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
22068 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
22069 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
22070 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
22072 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
22073 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
22074 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
22078 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
22082 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
22085 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
22086 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
22089 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
22092 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
22093 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
22096 @include gnus-faq.texi