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4 @settitle Semi-gnus 6.10.027 Manual
9 @c * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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264 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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273 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97,98 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
275 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
276 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
277 are preserved on all copies.
279 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
280 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
281 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
282 permission notice identical to this one.
284 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
285 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
294 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
296 Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
298 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
299 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
300 are preserved on all copies.
303 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
304 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
305 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
306 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
309 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
310 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
311 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
312 permission notice identical to this one.
314 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
315 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
321 @title Semi-gnus 6.10.027 Manual
323 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
326 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
327 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
329 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
330 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
331 are preserved on all copies.
333 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
334 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
335 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
336 permission notice identical to this one.
338 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
339 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
348 @top The gnus Newsreader
352 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
353 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
354 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
357 Semi-gnus provides MIME features based on SEMI API. So Semi-gnus
358 supports your right to read strange messages including big images or
359 other various kinds of formats. Semi-gnus also supports
360 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
361 API. So Semi-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
362 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
364 This manual corresponds to Semi-gnus 6.10.027.
375 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
376 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
378 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
379 being accused of plagiarism:
381 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
382 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
383 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
384 even read news with it!
386 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
387 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
388 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
389 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
390 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
397 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
398 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
399 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
400 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
401 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
402 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
403 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
404 * Various:: General purpose settings.
405 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
406 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
407 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
408 * Key Index:: Key Index.
412 @chapter Starting gnus
417 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
418 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
421 @findex gnus-other-frame
422 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
423 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
424 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
426 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
427 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
428 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
430 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
431 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
434 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
435 * The First Time:: What does gnus do the first time you start it?
436 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
437 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one gnus active at a time.
438 * Fetching a Group:: Starting gnus just to read a group.
439 * New Groups:: What is gnus supposed to do with new groups?
440 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
441 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
442 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
443 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
444 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
448 @node Finding the News
449 @section Finding the News
452 @vindex gnus-select-method
454 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
455 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
456 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
457 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are foreign
460 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
461 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
464 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
467 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
470 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
473 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
474 certainly be much faster.
476 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
478 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
479 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
480 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
481 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
482 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
483 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an
484 @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 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
493 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
494 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
495 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
496 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
498 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
500 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
501 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
502 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
503 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
504 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
505 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
507 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
509 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
510 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
511 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
512 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
513 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
514 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
517 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
518 would typically set this variable to
521 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
526 @section The First Time
527 @cindex first time usage
529 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
530 be subscribed by default.
532 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
533 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
534 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
535 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
538 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
539 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
540 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
542 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
543 help you with most common problems.
545 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
546 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
550 @node The Server is Down
551 @section The Server is Down
552 @cindex server errors
554 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
555 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
556 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
558 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
559 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
560 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
561 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
562 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
563 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
564 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
566 @findex gnus-no-server
567 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
569 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
570 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
571 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
572 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
573 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
574 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
579 @section Slave Gnusae
582 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
583 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if
584 you are using the two different gnusae to read from two different
585 servers), that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
587 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
590 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
591 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and @dfn{slaves}.
592 (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have taken out a
593 copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in conjunction
594 with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to me. Usage of
595 the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer Applications})
596 will be much more expensive, of course.)
598 Anyways, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
599 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
600 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
601 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
602 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
603 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
604 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
605 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
607 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
608 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
611 @node Fetching a Group
612 @section Fetching a Group
613 @cindex fetching a group
615 @findex gnus-fetch-group
616 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
617 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
618 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
619 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
620 It takes the group name as a parameter.
628 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
629 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
630 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
631 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
632 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
633 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
634 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
635 @code{always}, then gnus will query the backends for new groups even
636 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
639 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
640 * Subscription Methods:: What gnus should do with new groups.
641 * Filtering New Groups:: Making gnus ignore certain new groups.
645 @node Checking New Groups
646 @subsection Checking New Groups
648 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
649 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
650 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
651 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
652 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
653 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
654 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
655 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
656 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
657 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
659 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
660 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
661 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
662 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
663 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't work.
664 I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server supports
665 @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't. You could
666 @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see whether it lists
667 @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If it does, then it
668 might work. (But there are servers that lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} without
669 supporting the function properly.)
671 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
672 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
673 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
674 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
675 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
676 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
679 @node Subscription Methods
680 @subsection Subscription Methods
682 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
683 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
684 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
686 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
687 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
689 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
693 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
694 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
695 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
696 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
697 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
699 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
700 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
701 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
702 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
704 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
705 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
706 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
708 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
709 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
710 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
711 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
712 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
713 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into it's
714 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
715 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
716 up. Or something like that.
718 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
719 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
720 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask you
721 about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe to
722 will be subscribed hierarchically.
724 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
725 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
730 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
731 A closely related variable is
732 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
733 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
734 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
735 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
738 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
739 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
740 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
741 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
744 @node Filtering New Groups
745 @subsection Filtering New Groups
747 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
748 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
749 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
752 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
755 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
756 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
757 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
758 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
759 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
760 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
761 subscribing these groups.
762 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
763 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
765 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
766 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
767 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
768 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
769 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
770 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
771 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
772 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
774 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
775 Yet another variable that meddles here is
776 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
777 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
778 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
779 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
780 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
781 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
782 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
783 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
785 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
786 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
789 @node Changing Servers
790 @section Changing Servers
791 @cindex changing servers
793 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
794 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
795 very flaky and you want to use another.
797 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
798 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
802 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
803 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
804 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
805 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
808 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
809 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
810 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
811 functions more than absolutely necessary.
813 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
814 @findex gnus-change-server
815 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
816 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
817 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
818 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
819 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
821 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
822 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
823 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
824 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
825 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
827 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
828 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
829 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
830 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
831 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
832 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
834 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
835 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
836 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
840 @section Startup Files
841 @cindex startup files
846 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
847 information is traditionally stored in this file.
849 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{GNUS}. In addition to
850 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
851 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
852 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
853 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{GNUS} would read whichever one of these
854 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
855 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
857 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
858 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
859 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
860 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
861 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
862 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
864 In addition, gnus does not change anything. Hail comrade Lars!
866 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
867 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
868 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
869 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
870 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
871 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
873 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
874 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
875 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
876 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
877 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
878 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
879 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
880 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
881 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
882 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
883 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
884 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
886 @vindex gnus-startup-file
887 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
888 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
889 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
891 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
892 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
893 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
894 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
895 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
896 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
897 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
898 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
899 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
900 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
903 (defun turn-off-backup ()
904 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
906 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
907 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
910 @vindex gnus-init-file
911 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
912 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
913 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
914 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
915 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
916 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
917 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
918 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
919 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
928 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
929 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
930 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
931 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
932 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
935 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
936 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file
939 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
940 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
941 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
943 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
944 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
945 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
946 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
947 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
948 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
950 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
951 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
952 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
955 @node The Active File
956 @section The Active File
958 @cindex ignored groups
960 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
961 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
962 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
964 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
965 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
966 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
967 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
968 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
969 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
970 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
973 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
974 @c if you set it to anything else.
976 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
978 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
979 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
980 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
982 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
983 you actually subscribe to.
985 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
986 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
987 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
988 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
990 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
991 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
992 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
993 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
994 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
995 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
997 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
998 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
999 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1000 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1001 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1002 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1004 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1005 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1007 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1008 secondary select methods.
1011 @node Startup Variables
1012 @section Startup Variables
1016 @item gnus-load-hook
1017 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1018 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1019 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1020 times you start gnus.
1022 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1023 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1024 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1026 @item gnus-startup-hook
1027 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1028 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1030 @item gnus-started-hook
1031 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1032 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1035 @item gnus-started-hook
1036 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1037 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1038 generating the group buffer.
1040 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1041 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1042 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1043 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1044 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1045 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1046 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1047 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1049 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1050 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1051 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1052 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1053 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1054 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1056 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1057 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1058 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1060 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1061 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1062 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1064 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1065 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1066 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1067 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1072 @node The Group Buffer
1073 @chapter The Group Buffer
1074 @cindex group buffer
1076 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1077 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1078 long as gnus is active.
1082 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1083 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1084 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1085 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1086 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1087 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1088 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1089 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1095 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1096 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1097 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1098 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1099 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1100 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1101 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1102 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1103 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1104 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1105 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1106 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1107 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1108 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1109 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1110 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1111 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1115 @node Group Buffer Format
1116 @section Group Buffer Format
1119 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1120 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1121 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1125 @node Group Line Specification
1126 @subsection Group Line Specification
1127 @cindex group buffer format
1129 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1130 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1132 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1135 25: news.announce.newusers
1136 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1141 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1142 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1143 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1144 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1146 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1147 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1148 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1149 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1150 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1151 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1153 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1155 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1156 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1157 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1158 never examined by gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1161 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1162 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1163 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1165 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1170 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1173 Whether the group is subscribed.
1176 Level of subscribedness.
1179 Number of unread articles.
1182 Number of dormant articles.
1185 Number of ticked articles.
1188 Number of read articles.
1191 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1192 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1195 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1198 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1207 Newsgroup description.
1210 @samp{m} if moderated.
1213 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1222 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1226 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1229 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1230 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1231 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1232 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1233 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.emacs.gnus}.
1236 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1238 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1242 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1246 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1247 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1248 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1249 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1250 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1251 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1256 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1257 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1258 group, or a bogus native group.
1261 @node Group Modeline Specification
1262 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1263 @cindex group modeline
1265 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1266 The mode line can be changed by setting
1267 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1268 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1272 The native news server.
1274 The native select method.
1278 @node Group Highlighting
1279 @subsection Group Highlighting
1280 @cindex highlighting
1281 @cindex group highlighting
1283 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1284 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1285 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1286 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1287 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1289 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1293 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-1
1294 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))))
1295 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-2
1296 '((t (:foreground "SeaGreen" :bold t))))
1297 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-3
1298 '((t (:foreground "SpringGreen" :bold t))))
1299 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-4
1300 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))))
1301 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-5
1302 '((t (:foreground "SkyBlue" :bold t))))
1304 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1305 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1306 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1307 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1308 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1309 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1312 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1314 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1321 The number of unread articles in the group.
1325 Whether the group is a mail group.
1327 The level of the group.
1329 The score of the group.
1331 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1333 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1334 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1336 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1337 topic being inserted.
1340 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1341 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1342 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1344 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1345 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1346 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1347 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1348 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1351 @node Group Maneuvering
1352 @section Group Maneuvering
1353 @cindex group movement
1355 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1356 expected, hopefully.
1362 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1363 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1364 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1370 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1371 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1372 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1376 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1377 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1381 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1382 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1386 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1387 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1388 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1392 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1393 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1394 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1397 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1403 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1404 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1405 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1410 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1411 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1412 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1416 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1417 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1418 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1421 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1422 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1423 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1424 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1428 @node Selecting a Group
1429 @section Selecting a Group
1430 @cindex group selection
1435 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1436 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1437 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1438 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1439 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1440 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1441 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1442 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1443 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1444 negative, gnus fetches the @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1448 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1449 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1450 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1451 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1452 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1456 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1457 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1458 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1459 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1460 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1461 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1462 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1463 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1464 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1465 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1468 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1469 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1470 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1471 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1472 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1475 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1476 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1477 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1478 doing any processing of its contents
1479 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1480 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1481 manner will have no permanent effects.
1485 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1486 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
1487 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1488 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
1489 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1490 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1491 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1492 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1495 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1496 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1497 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1498 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1503 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1504 full summary buffer.
1507 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1510 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
1515 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
1516 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
1517 Useful functions include:
1520 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
1521 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
1522 don't select the article.
1524 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
1525 Select the first unread article.
1527 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
1528 Select the highest-scored unread article.
1532 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1533 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1534 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1538 @node Subscription Commands
1539 @section Subscription Commands
1540 @cindex subscription
1548 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1549 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
1550 Toggle subscription to the current group
1551 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1557 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1558 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1559 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1560 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1566 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1567 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
1568 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1574 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1575 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1578 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1579 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1580 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1581 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1582 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1588 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1589 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1593 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1594 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1597 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1598 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1599 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1600 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1601 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1602 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1603 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1604 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1605 @file{.newsrc} file.
1609 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1619 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1620 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1621 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
1622 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1623 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1624 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group
1625 from the group buffer.
1629 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1630 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1631 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1635 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1636 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1637 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1639 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1640 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1641 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1642 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1643 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1644 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1651 @section Group Levels
1655 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1656 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1657 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1658 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1659 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1661 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1667 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1668 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1669 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1670 prompted for a level.
1673 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1674 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1675 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1676 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1677 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
1678 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1679 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1680 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1681 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1682 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
1683 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
1684 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
1685 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
1686 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
1687 reasons of efficiency.
1689 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1690 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1692 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1693 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1694 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1696 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1697 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1698 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1699 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1700 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1701 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1702 relevant valid ranges.
1704 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1705 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1706 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
1707 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1708 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1709 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1712 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1713 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1714 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1717 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1718 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1719 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1720 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1723 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1724 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1725 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1726 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1728 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1729 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
1730 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
1731 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
1732 to 5. The default is 6.
1736 @section Group Score
1741 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1742 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1743 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1746 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1747 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1748 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1749 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1750 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1751 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1752 part and the score is the least significant part.))
1754 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1755 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1756 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1757 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1758 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1759 action after each summary exit, you can add
1760 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1761 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1762 slow things down somewhat.
1765 @node Marking Groups
1766 @section Marking Groups
1767 @cindex marking groups
1769 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1770 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1771 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1772 bidding on those groups.
1774 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1775 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1776 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1784 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1785 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1791 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1792 Remove the mark from the current group
1793 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1797 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1798 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1802 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1803 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1807 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1808 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1812 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1813 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1814 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1817 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1819 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1820 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1821 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1822 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1823 the command to be executed.
1826 @node Foreign Groups
1827 @section Foreign Groups
1828 @cindex foreign groups
1830 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1831 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1832 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1833 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1840 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1841 @cindex making groups
1842 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1843 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1844 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1848 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1849 @cindex renaming groups
1850 Rename the current group to something else
1851 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
1852 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1858 @findex gnus-group-customize
1859 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
1863 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1864 @cindex renaming groups
1865 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1866 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1870 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1871 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1872 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1876 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1877 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1878 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1882 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1884 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1885 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1890 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1891 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1895 @cindex (ding) archive
1896 @cindex archive group
1897 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1898 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1899 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1900 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1901 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1902 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1903 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1907 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1909 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1910 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1911 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1912 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1916 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1918 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
1919 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1920 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1924 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1925 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1927 Make a group based on some file or other
1928 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1929 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1930 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1931 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
1932 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, and @code{forward}. If you run
1933 this command without a prefix, gnus will guess at the file type.
1934 @xref{Document Groups}.
1938 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
1939 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
1940 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
1941 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
1945 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1950 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1951 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1952 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1953 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
1954 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1955 @xref{Web Searches}.
1957 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
1958 to a particular group by using a match string like
1959 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
1962 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1963 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1964 This function will delete the current group
1965 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1966 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1967 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1968 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
1969 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
1973 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1974 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1975 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1979 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1980 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1981 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1984 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1987 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1988 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1989 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1990 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1991 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
1992 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
1996 @node Group Parameters
1997 @section Group Parameters
1998 @cindex group parameters
2000 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2001 Here's an example group parameter list:
2004 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2008 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing
2009 before the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value.
2010 All the parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs,
2011 which are not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2013 The following group parameters can be used:
2018 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2021 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2024 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2025 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2026 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2027 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2028 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2030 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2031 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2032 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2033 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2034 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2035 list address instead.
2039 Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
2042 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2045 It is totally ignored
2046 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2047 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2049 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2050 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2051 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2052 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2053 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2055 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2056 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2057 sending the message.
2061 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2062 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2063 of whether it has any unread articles.
2065 @item broken-reply-to
2066 @cindex broken-reply-to
2067 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2068 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2069 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2070 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2071 broken behavior. So there!
2075 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2076 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2080 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2081 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2082 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2087 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2088 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2089 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2090 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2091 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2092 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2093 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2097 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2098 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2099 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2102 @cindex total-expire
2103 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2104 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2105 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2106 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2111 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2112 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2113 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2114 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2115 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2116 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2119 @cindex score file group parameter
2120 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2121 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2122 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2125 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2126 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2127 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2128 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2131 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2132 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2133 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2134 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2137 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2138 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2142 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2145 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2150 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2151 arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by gnus,
2152 but provide a place for you to store information on particular groups.
2155 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2156 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2157 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2159 @item @var{(variable form)}
2160 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2161 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2162 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2163 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2164 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2165 @code{eval}ed there.
2167 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2168 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2169 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2170 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2171 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2175 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2176 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2180 @node Listing Groups
2181 @section Listing Groups
2182 @cindex group listing
2184 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2192 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2193 List all groups that have unread articles
2194 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2195 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2196 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2197 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2204 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2205 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2206 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2207 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2208 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2209 unsubscribed groups).
2213 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2214 List all unread groups on a specific level
2215 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2216 with no unread articles.
2220 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2221 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2222 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2223 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2228 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2229 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2233 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2234 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2235 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2239 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2240 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2244 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2245 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2246 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2247 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2248 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2249 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2250 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2251 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2255 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2256 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2257 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2261 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2262 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2263 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2267 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2268 @cindex visible group parameter
2269 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2270 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2271 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2272 get the same effect.
2274 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2275 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2276 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2277 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2278 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2281 @node Sorting Groups
2282 @section Sorting Groups
2283 @cindex sorting groups
2285 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2286 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2287 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2288 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2289 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2290 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2295 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2296 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2297 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2299 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2300 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2301 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2303 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2304 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2305 Sort by group level.
2307 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2308 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2309 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2311 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2312 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2313 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2314 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2316 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2317 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2318 Sort by number of unread articles.
2320 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2321 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2322 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2327 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2328 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2332 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2333 some sorting criteria:
2337 @kindex G S a (Group)
2338 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2339 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2340 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2343 @kindex G S u (Group)
2344 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2345 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2346 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2349 @kindex G S l (Group)
2350 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2351 Sort the group buffer by group level
2352 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2355 @kindex G S v (Group)
2356 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2357 Sort the group buffer by group score
2358 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2361 @kindex G S r (Group)
2362 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2363 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2364 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2367 @kindex G S m (Group)
2368 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2369 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2370 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2374 All the commands below obeys the process/prefix convention
2375 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2377 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2378 commands will sort in reverse order.
2380 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2384 @kindex G P a (Group)
2385 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2386 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2387 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2390 @kindex G P u (Group)
2391 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2392 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2393 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2396 @kindex G P l (Group)
2397 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2398 Sort the groups by group level
2399 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2402 @kindex G P v (Group)
2403 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2404 Sort the groups by group score
2405 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2408 @kindex G P r (Group)
2409 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2410 Sort the groups by group rank
2411 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2414 @kindex G P m (Group)
2415 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2416 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
2417 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2423 @node Group Maintenance
2424 @section Group Maintenance
2425 @cindex bogus groups
2430 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2431 Find bogus groups and delete them
2432 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2436 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2437 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2438 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2439 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
2440 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
2444 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2445 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2446 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2447 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2450 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2451 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2452 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2453 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2458 @node Browse Foreign Server
2459 @section Browse Foreign Server
2460 @cindex foreign servers
2461 @cindex browsing servers
2466 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2467 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2468 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2469 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2472 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2473 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2474 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2475 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2477 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2482 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2483 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2487 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2488 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2491 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2492 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2493 Enter the current group and display the first article
2494 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2497 @kindex RET (Browse)
2498 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2499 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2503 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2504 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2505 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2511 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2512 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2516 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2517 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2518 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2523 @section Exiting gnus
2524 @cindex exiting gnus
2526 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
2531 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2532 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit
2533 gnus, but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure
2534 why this is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2538 @findex gnus-group-exit
2539 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
2540 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2544 @findex gnus-group-quit
2545 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files
2546 (@code{gnus-group-quit}). The dribble file will be saved, though
2547 (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2550 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2551 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2552 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
2553 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
2554 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2559 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2560 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2561 trying to customize meta-variables.
2566 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2567 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2568 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2574 @section Group Topics
2577 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2578 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2579 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2580 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2581 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2582 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2586 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
2587 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
2598 2: alt.religion.emacs
2601 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2603 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2604 13: comp.sources.unix
2607 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2609 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2610 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2611 is a toggling command.)
2613 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2614 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2615 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2616 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2619 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2620 the hook for the group mode:
2623 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2627 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2628 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2629 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2630 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2631 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2635 @node Topic Variables
2636 @subsection Topic Variables
2637 @cindex topic variables
2639 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2640 really neat, I think.
2642 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2643 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2644 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2657 Number of groups in the topic.
2659 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2661 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2664 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2665 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2666 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2669 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2670 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2672 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2673 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2674 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2677 @node Topic Commands
2678 @subsection Topic Commands
2679 @cindex topic commands
2681 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2682 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2683 definitions slightly.
2689 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2690 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2691 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2695 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2696 Move the current group to some other topic
2697 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2698 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2702 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2703 Copy the current group to some other topic
2704 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2705 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2709 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2710 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2711 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
2712 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
2713 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
2714 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
2715 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
2718 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2719 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2723 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2724 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2725 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2729 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2730 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2731 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2735 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
2736 Toggle hiding empty topics
2737 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
2741 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2742 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2743 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2746 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2747 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2748 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2749 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2753 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2755 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2756 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2757 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2758 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2759 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2760 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2764 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2766 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2767 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2768 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2769 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2772 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
2773 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
2774 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2775 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
2779 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2780 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2781 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2785 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2786 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2787 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2792 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2793 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2796 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2797 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2798 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2802 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2803 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2804 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2808 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2809 @cindex group parameters
2810 @cindex topic parameters
2812 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2813 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2819 @subsection Topic Sorting
2820 @cindex topic sorting
2822 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2828 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2829 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2830 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2831 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2834 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2835 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2836 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2837 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2840 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2841 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2842 Sort the current topic by group level
2843 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2846 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2847 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2848 Sort the current topic by group score
2849 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2852 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2853 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2854 Sort the current topic by group rank
2855 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2858 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2859 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2860 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2861 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2865 @xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
2868 @node Topic Topology
2869 @subsection Topic Topology
2870 @cindex topic topology
2873 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2879 2: alt.religion.emacs
2882 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2884 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2885 13: comp.sources.unix
2888 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2889 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2890 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
2895 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2896 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2900 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2901 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2902 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2903 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2904 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2905 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2907 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2908 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2909 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2912 @node Topic Parameters
2913 @subsection Topic Parameters
2914 @cindex topic parameters
2916 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2917 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
2918 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2920 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2921 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2922 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2923 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2929 2: alt.religion.emacs
2933 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2935 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2936 13: comp.sources.unix
2940 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
2941 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
2942 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
2943 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
2944 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
2945 . "religion.SCORE")}.
2947 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2948 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2949 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2950 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
2951 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
2953 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
2954 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
2955 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
2956 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
2957 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
2958 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
2959 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
2960 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
2963 @node Misc Group Stuff
2964 @section Misc Group Stuff
2967 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2968 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and gnus.
2969 * Group Timestamp:: Making gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
2970 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the gnus files.
2977 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
2978 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
2979 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
2983 @findex gnus-group-post-news
2984 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
2985 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
2989 @findex gnus-group-mail
2990 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
2994 Variables for the group buffer:
2998 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
2999 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3000 is called after the group buffer has been
3003 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3004 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3005 is called after the group buffer is
3006 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3009 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3010 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3011 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3012 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3014 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3015 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3016 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3017 whether they are empty or not.
3022 @node Scanning New Messages
3023 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3024 @cindex new messages
3025 @cindex scanning new news
3031 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3032 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3033 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3034 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3035 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3036 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3041 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3042 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3043 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3044 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3045 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3046 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3047 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3049 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3050 @cindex activating groups
3052 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3053 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3058 @findex gnus-group-restart
3059 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3060 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3061 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
3065 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3066 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3068 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3069 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3073 @node Group Information
3074 @subsection Group Information
3075 @cindex group information
3076 @cindex information on groups
3083 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3084 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3087 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3088 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3089 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3090 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3091 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3092 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3093 for fetching the file.
3095 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
3096 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3100 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3102 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3103 @cindex describing groups
3104 @cindex group description
3105 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3106 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3107 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3111 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3112 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3113 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3120 @findex gnus-version
3121 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3125 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3126 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3129 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3132 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3133 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3137 @node Group Timestamp
3138 @subsection Group Timestamp
3140 @cindex group timestamps
3142 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
3143 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3144 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3147 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3150 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3152 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3153 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3156 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3157 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3160 This will result in lines looking like:
3163 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3164 0: custom 19961002T012713
3167 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3168 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3172 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3173 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3178 @subsection File Commands
3179 @cindex file commands
3185 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3186 @vindex gnus-init-file
3187 @cindex reading init file
3188 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3189 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3193 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3194 @cindex saving .newsrc
3195 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3196 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3197 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3200 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3201 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3202 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3207 @node The Summary Buffer
3208 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3209 @cindex summary buffer
3211 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3212 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3214 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3215 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3217 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3220 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3221 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3222 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3223 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3224 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3225 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
3226 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3227 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3228 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3229 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3230 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3231 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3232 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3233 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3234 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3235 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3236 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3237 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3238 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3239 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3240 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3241 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3242 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3243 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3244 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3245 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3246 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3247 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3251 @node Summary Buffer Format
3252 @section Summary Buffer Format
3253 @cindex summary buffer format
3257 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3258 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3259 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3265 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3266 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3267 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3268 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3271 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3272 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3273 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3274 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3275 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3276 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
3277 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3278 fast, and too simplistic solution;
3279 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
3280 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
3281 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
3282 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
3283 other function instead:
3286 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3287 'mail-extract-address-components)
3290 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3291 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3292 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3293 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3296 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3297 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3299 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3300 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3301 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3302 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3303 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3305 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3307 The following format specification characters are understood:
3315 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3316 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3317 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3319 Full @code{From} header.
3321 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3323 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3324 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3326 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3327 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3328 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3329 may be more thorough.
3331 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3334 Number of lines in the article.
3336 Number of characters in the article.
3338 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3340 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3341 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3343 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3344 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3346 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3347 for adopted articles.
3349 One space for each thread level.
3351 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3356 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3357 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3361 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3363 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3364 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3365 default level. If the difference between
3366 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3367 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3375 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3377 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3383 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3384 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3386 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3387 article has any children.
3393 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3394 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3395 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3396 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3397 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3398 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3401 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3402 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
3403 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3404 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3405 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3406 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3408 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3409 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3411 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
3414 @node To From Newsgroups
3415 @subsection To From Newsgroups
3419 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
3420 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
3421 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
3422 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
3423 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
3427 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
3428 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
3429 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
3433 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3434 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
3437 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
3438 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
3441 @findex gnus-extra-header
3442 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
3443 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
3444 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
3447 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
3451 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
3452 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
3453 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
3454 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
3455 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
3456 headers are used instead.
3460 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
3461 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
3462 to include extra headers when generating active files.
3464 In summary, you'd typically do something like the following:
3467 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3469 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
3470 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
3471 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
3472 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
3477 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3478 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3480 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3481 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
3482 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
3483 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3485 Here are the elements you can play with:
3491 Unprefixed group name.
3493 Current article number.
3495 Current article score.
3499 Number of unread articles in this group.
3501 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
3504 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3505 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3506 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3507 and no unselected ones.
3509 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3510 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3512 Subject of the current article.
3514 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
3516 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
3518 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3520 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3522 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3524 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3528 @node Summary Highlighting
3529 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3533 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3534 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3535 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3536 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3537 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3539 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3540 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3541 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3542 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3544 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3545 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3546 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
3547 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3549 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3550 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3551 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3552 list where the elements are of the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
3553 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
3554 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
3556 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3557 ((> score default) . bold))
3559 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3560 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
3564 @node Summary Maneuvering
3565 @section Summary Maneuvering
3566 @cindex summary movement
3568 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3569 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3571 None of these commands select articles.
3576 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3577 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3578 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3579 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3580 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3584 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3585 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3586 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3587 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3588 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3593 @kindex G j (Summary)
3594 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3595 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
3596 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3599 @kindex G g (Summary)
3600 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3601 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
3602 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3605 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3606 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3607 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3608 to the group buffer.
3610 Variables related to summary movement:
3614 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3615 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3616 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
3617 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
3618 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
3619 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
3620 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
3621 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
3622 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
3623 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
3624 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
3625 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
3626 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
3627 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
3629 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3630 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3631 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3632 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3633 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3634 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
3635 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
3637 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3639 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3640 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3641 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3642 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3643 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3645 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3646 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3647 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3648 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3649 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3650 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3651 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3652 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3658 @node Choosing Articles
3659 @section Choosing Articles
3660 @cindex selecting articles
3663 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3664 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3668 @node Choosing Commands
3669 @subsection Choosing Commands
3671 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3672 and they all select and display an article.
3676 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3677 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3678 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3679 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3684 @kindex G n (Summary)
3685 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3686 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
3687 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3692 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3693 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
3694 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3699 @kindex G N (Summary)
3700 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3701 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3706 @kindex G P (Summary)
3707 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3708 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3711 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3712 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3713 Go to the next article with the same subject
3714 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3717 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3718 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3719 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3720 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3724 @kindex G f (Summary)
3726 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3727 Go to the first unread article
3728 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3732 @kindex G b (Summary)
3734 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3735 Go to the article with the highest score
3736 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3741 @kindex G l (Summary)
3742 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3743 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3746 @kindex G o (Summary)
3747 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3749 @cindex article history
3750 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3751 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3752 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3753 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
3754 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
3755 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
3759 @node Choosing Variables
3760 @subsection Choosing Variables
3762 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3765 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3766 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3767 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3768 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3769 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3770 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3772 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3773 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3774 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3775 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3777 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3778 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3779 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3780 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3781 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3782 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3783 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3784 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3785 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3786 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3787 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3788 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3789 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3790 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3795 @node Paging the Article
3796 @section Scrolling the Article
3797 @cindex article scrolling
3802 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3803 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3804 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3805 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3806 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3809 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3810 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3811 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3814 @kindex RET (Summary)
3815 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3816 Scroll the current article one line forward
3817 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3820 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
3821 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
3822 Scroll the current article one line backward
3823 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
3827 @kindex A g (Summary)
3829 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3830 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3831 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3832 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3833 the way it came from the server.
3838 @kindex A < (Summary)
3839 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3840 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3841 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3846 @kindex A > (Summary)
3847 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3848 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3852 @kindex A s (Summary)
3854 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3855 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3856 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3860 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
3861 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
3866 @node Reply Followup and Post
3867 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3870 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3871 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3875 @node Summary Mail Commands
3876 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3878 @cindex composing mail
3880 Commands for composing a mail message:
3886 @kindex S r (Summary)
3888 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3889 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
3890 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
3891 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3892 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3897 @kindex S R (Summary)
3898 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3899 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
3900 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3901 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3902 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3905 @kindex S w (Summary)
3906 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
3907 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
3908 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
3909 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
3910 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
3913 @kindex S W (Summary)
3914 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
3915 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
3916 message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This command uses
3917 the process/prefix convention.
3920 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3921 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3922 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
3923 Forward the current article to some other person
3924 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3925 headers of the forwarded article.
3930 @kindex S m (Summary)
3931 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3932 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
3933 Send a mail to some other person
3934 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3937 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3938 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3939 @cindex bouncing mail
3940 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3941 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3942 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3943 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3944 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3945 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
3946 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3947 very well fail, though.
3950 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3951 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3952 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3953 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3954 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
3955 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
3956 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
3957 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
3958 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
3959 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
3961 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
3962 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
3963 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
3964 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
3965 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung mu
\e,A_
\e(B sein!
3967 This command understands the process/prefix convention
3968 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3971 @kindex S O m (Summary)
3972 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
3973 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
3974 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
3975 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3978 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
3979 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
3980 @cindex crossposting
3981 @cindex excessive crossposting
3982 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
3983 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
3985 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
3986 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
3987 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
3988 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
3989 command understands the process/prefix convention
3990 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
3994 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
3997 @node Summary Post Commands
3998 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4000 @cindex composing news
4002 Commands for posting a news article:
4008 @kindex S p (Summary)
4009 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4010 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4011 Post an article to the current group
4012 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4017 @kindex S f (Summary)
4018 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4019 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4020 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4024 @kindex S F (Summary)
4026 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4027 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4028 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4029 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4030 process/prefix convention.
4033 @kindex S n (Summary)
4034 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4035 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4036 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4039 @kindex S N (Summary)
4040 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4041 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4042 message through mail and include the original message
4043 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4044 the process/prefix convention.
4047 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4048 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4049 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4050 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4051 headers of the forwarded article.
4054 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4055 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4057 @cindex making digests
4058 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4059 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4060 process/prefix convention.
4063 @kindex S u (Summary)
4064 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4065 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4066 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4067 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4070 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4073 @node Canceling and Superseding
4074 @section Canceling Articles
4075 @cindex canceling articles
4076 @cindex superseding articles
4078 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4079 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4081 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4083 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4085 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4086 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4087 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4088 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4089 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4090 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4092 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4093 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4096 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4097 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4098 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4100 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4101 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4102 your original article.
4104 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4106 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4107 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4108 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4111 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4112 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4113 have posted almost the same article twice.
4115 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4116 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4117 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4118 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4119 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4120 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4121 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4122 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4123 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4124 canceled/superseded.
4126 Just remember, kids: There is no `c' in `supersede'.
4129 @node Marking Articles
4130 @section Marking Articles
4131 @cindex article marking
4132 @cindex article ticking
4135 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4137 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4138 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4139 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4141 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4144 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4145 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4146 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4150 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4154 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4155 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4159 @node Unread Articles
4160 @subsection Unread Articles
4162 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4167 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4168 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4170 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4171 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4172 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4173 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4174 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4178 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4179 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4181 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4182 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4183 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4186 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4187 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4189 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4194 @subsection Read Articles
4195 @cindex expirable mark
4197 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4202 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4203 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4204 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4207 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4208 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4211 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4212 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4213 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4216 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4217 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4220 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4221 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4224 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4225 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4228 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4229 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4232 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4233 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4236 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4237 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4240 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4241 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4245 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4246 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4247 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4251 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4252 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4254 One more special mark, though:
4258 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4259 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4261 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4262 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4263 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4264 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at any time.
4269 @subsection Other Marks
4270 @cindex process mark
4273 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4279 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4280 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4281 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4282 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4283 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}
4286 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4287 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4288 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4289 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4292 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4293 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4294 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4297 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4298 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4299 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4300 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4303 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4304 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4305 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4306 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4307 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4310 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4311 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4312 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4313 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4314 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4315 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4319 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4320 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4321 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4323 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4324 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4325 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4329 @subsection Setting Marks
4330 @cindex setting marks
4332 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4337 @kindex M c (Summary)
4338 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4339 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4340 @cindex mark as unread
4341 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4342 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4348 @kindex M t (Summary)
4349 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4350 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4351 @xref{Article Caching}.
4356 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4357 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4358 Mark the current article as dormant
4359 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4363 @kindex M d (Summary)
4365 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4366 Mark the current article as read
4367 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4371 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4372 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4373 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
4378 @kindex M k (Summary)
4379 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
4380 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
4381 and then select the next unread article
4382 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
4386 @kindex M K (Summary)
4387 @kindex C-k (Summary)
4388 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
4389 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
4390 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4393 @kindex M C (Summary)
4394 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4395 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
4396 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4399 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4400 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4401 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4402 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4405 @kindex M H (Summary)
4406 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4407 Catchup the current group to point
4408 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4411 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4412 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4413 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4414 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
4417 @kindex M V k (Summary)
4418 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
4419 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
4420 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
4424 @kindex M e (Summary)
4426 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
4427 Mark the current article as expirable
4428 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
4431 @kindex M b (Summary)
4432 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
4433 Set a bookmark in the current article
4434 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
4437 @kindex M B (Summary)
4438 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
4439 Remove the bookmark from the current article
4440 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
4443 @kindex M V c (Summary)
4444 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
4445 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
4446 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4449 @kindex M V u (Summary)
4450 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
4451 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
4452 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
4455 @kindex M V m (Summary)
4456 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
4457 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
4458 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
4459 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4462 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
4463 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
4464 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
4465 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
4466 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
4467 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
4468 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
4469 The default is @code{t}.
4472 @node Setting Process Marks
4473 @subsection Setting Process Marks
4474 @cindex setting process marks
4481 @kindex M P p (Summary)
4482 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
4483 Mark the current article with the process mark
4484 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
4485 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
4489 @kindex M P u (Summary)
4490 @kindex M-# (Summary)
4491 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
4492 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
4495 @kindex M P U (Summary)
4496 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
4497 Remove the process mark from all articles
4498 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
4501 @kindex M P i (Summary)
4502 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
4503 Invert the list of process marked articles
4504 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
4507 @kindex M P R (Summary)
4508 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
4509 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
4510 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
4513 @kindex M P r (Summary)
4514 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
4515 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
4518 @kindex M P t (Summary)
4519 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4520 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4521 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4524 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4525 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4526 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4527 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4530 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4531 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4532 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4533 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4536 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4537 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4538 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4541 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4542 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4543 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4544 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4547 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4548 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4549 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4552 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4553 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4554 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4555 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4558 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4559 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4560 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4561 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4564 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4565 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4566 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4567 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4570 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4571 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4572 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4573 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4582 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4583 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4584 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4587 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
4588 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
4589 additional articles.
4595 @kindex / / (Summary)
4596 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4597 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4598 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4601 @kindex / a (Summary)
4602 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4603 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4604 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4608 @kindex / u (Summary)
4610 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4611 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
4612 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4613 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4614 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4617 @kindex / m (Summary)
4618 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4619 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
4620 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4623 @kindex / t (Summary)
4624 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
4625 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
4626 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}). If given a prefix, limit to
4627 articles younger than that number of days.
4630 @kindex / n (Summary)
4631 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4632 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4633 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4634 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4637 @kindex / w (Summary)
4638 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4639 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4640 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4644 @kindex / v (Summary)
4645 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4646 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4647 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4651 @kindex M S (Summary)
4652 @kindex / E (Summary)
4653 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4654 Include all expunged articles in the limit
4655 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4658 @kindex / D (Summary)
4659 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4660 Include all dormant articles in the limit
4661 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4664 @kindex / * (Summary)
4665 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
4666 Include all cached articles in the limit
4667 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
4670 @kindex / d (Summary)
4671 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4672 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
4673 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4676 @kindex / T (Summary)
4677 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
4678 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
4681 @kindex / c (Summary)
4682 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4683 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
4684 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4687 @kindex / C (Summary)
4688 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4689 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4690 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4691 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4699 @cindex article threading
4701 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
4702 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
4703 hierarchical fashion.
4705 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
4706 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
4707 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
4708 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
4709 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
4710 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
4711 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
4713 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
4717 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
4720 A tree-like article structure.
4723 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
4726 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
4727 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
4728 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
4729 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
4730 called loose threads.
4732 @item thread gathering
4733 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
4735 @item sparse threads
4736 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
4737 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
4743 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4744 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4748 @node Customizing Threading
4749 @subsection Customizing Threading
4750 @cindex customizing threading
4753 * Loose Threads:: How gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
4754 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
4755 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
4756 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
4761 @subsubsection Loose Threads
4764 @cindex loose threads
4767 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4768 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4769 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4770 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4771 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4772 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4774 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
4775 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
4776 There are four possible values:
4780 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
4781 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
4782 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4783 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4784 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4789 @cindex adopting articles
4794 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4795 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4796 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4797 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4800 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4801 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4802 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4803 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4804 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4805 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4806 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4809 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4810 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4811 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4815 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4816 display them after one another.
4819 Don't gather loose threads.
4822 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4823 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4824 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4825 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
4826 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4827 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4828 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
4829 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
4830 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4831 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
4832 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4834 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4835 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
4836 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
4839 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4840 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4841 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4842 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4843 simplification is used.
4845 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4846 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4847 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4848 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4850 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4852 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4858 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4859 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4860 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4861 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4866 (mapconcat 'identity
4867 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4869 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4872 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4875 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4876 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4877 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
4878 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
4879 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
4880 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
4882 Useful functions to put in this list include:
4885 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
4886 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
4887 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
4889 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4890 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4893 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
4894 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
4895 Remove excessive whitespace.
4898 You may also write your own functions, of course.
4901 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4902 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4903 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
4904 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
4905 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
4906 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
4907 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
4908 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
4910 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4911 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4912 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
4913 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
4914 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
4915 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
4916 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
4917 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
4918 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
4922 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4923 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4924 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
4925 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
4927 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4928 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4929 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
4932 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
4936 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4937 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
4943 @node Filling In Threads
4944 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
4947 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
4948 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
4949 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
4950 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
4951 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
4952 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
4953 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
4954 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
4955 old headers only works if the backend you are using carries overview
4956 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
4957 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
4958 expired by the server, there's not much gnus can do about that.
4960 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
4961 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
4962 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
4964 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
4965 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
4966 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
4967 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
4968 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
4969 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
4970 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
4971 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
4972 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
4973 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
4974 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
4975 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
4976 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
4977 @code{nil} by default.
4982 @node More Threading
4983 @subsubsection More Threading
4986 @item gnus-show-threads
4987 @vindex gnus-show-threads
4988 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
4989 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
4990 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
4991 slower and more awkward.
4993 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4994 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4995 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
4998 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
4999 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5000 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5001 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5002 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5003 threads are expunged.
5005 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5006 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5007 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5010 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5011 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5012 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5013 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
5014 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
5017 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5018 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5019 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5025 @node Low-Level Threading
5026 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5030 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5031 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5032 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
5033 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
5034 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
5035 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
5037 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5038 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5039 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5040 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5041 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5042 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5043 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5044 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5045 meaningful. Here's one example:
5048 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5050 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5051 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5053 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5055 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5062 @node Thread Commands
5063 @subsection Thread Commands
5064 @cindex thread commands
5070 @kindex T k (Summary)
5071 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5072 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5073 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5074 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5075 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5080 @kindex T l (Summary)
5081 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5082 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5083 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5084 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5087 @kindex T i (Summary)
5088 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5089 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5090 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5093 @kindex T # (Summary)
5094 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5095 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5096 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5099 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5100 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5101 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5102 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5105 @kindex T T (Summary)
5106 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5107 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5110 @kindex T s (Summary)
5111 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5112 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5113 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5116 @kindex T h (Summary)
5117 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5118 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5121 @kindex T S (Summary)
5122 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5123 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5126 @kindex T H (Summary)
5127 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5128 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5131 @kindex T t (Summary)
5132 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5133 Re-thread the current article's thread
5134 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5135 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5138 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5139 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5140 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5141 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5145 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5146 understand the numeric prefix.
5151 @kindex T n (Summary)
5152 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5153 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5156 @kindex T p (Summary)
5157 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5158 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5161 @kindex T d (Summary)
5162 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5163 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5166 @kindex T u (Summary)
5167 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5168 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5171 @kindex T o (Summary)
5172 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5173 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5176 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5177 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5178 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5179 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5180 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5181 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5182 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5183 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5184 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5185 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5186 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5187 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5194 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5195 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5196 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5197 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5198 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5199 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5200 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5201 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5202 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which is a list of functions.
5203 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5204 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5205 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5206 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5207 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5209 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5210 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5211 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. If you use
5212 more than one function, the primary sort key should be the last function
5213 in the list. You should probably always include
5214 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5215 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5216 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5217 ascending article order.
5219 If you would like to sort by score, then by subject, and finally by
5220 number, you could do something like:
5223 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5224 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5225 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5226 gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score))
5229 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5230 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5231 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5232 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5233 which the articles arrived.
5235 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
5239 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5241 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
5242 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5245 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5246 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5247 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5248 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5251 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5252 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5253 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5254 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5255 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5256 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5257 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5258 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5259 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5260 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5261 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5262 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5263 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5265 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5269 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5270 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5271 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5276 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5277 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5278 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5279 @cindex article pre-fetch
5282 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5283 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5284 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5285 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5286 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5288 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5289 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
5291 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
5292 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
5293 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
5294 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
5295 connection is blocked.
5297 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
5298 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
5299 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
5300 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
5302 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
5303 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
5304 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
5305 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
5308 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
5311 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
5312 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
5313 happen automatically.
5315 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
5316 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
5317 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
5318 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
5319 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
5320 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
5321 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
5323 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
5324 @findex gnus-async-read-p
5325 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
5326 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
5327 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
5328 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
5329 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
5330 data structure as the only parameter.
5332 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
5333 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
5336 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
5337 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
5338 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
5339 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
5342 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
5345 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
5346 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much. It's
5347 probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
5349 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
5350 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
5351 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
5352 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
5356 Remove articles when they are read.
5359 Remove articles when exiting the group.
5362 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
5364 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
5365 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
5366 @c from the next group.
5369 @node Article Caching
5370 @section Article Caching
5371 @cindex article caching
5374 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
5375 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
5376 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
5377 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
5378 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
5380 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
5382 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5383 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
5384 @vindex gnus-use-cache
5385 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
5386 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
5387 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
5388 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
5389 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
5391 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
5392 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
5393 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
5394 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
5395 as dormant, and don't worry.
5397 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
5399 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
5400 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
5401 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
5402 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
5403 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
5404 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
5405 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
5406 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
5407 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
5408 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
5410 @findex gnus-jog-cache
5411 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
5412 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
5413 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
5414 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
5415 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
5416 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
5417 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
5418 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
5419 not then be downloaded by this command.
5421 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
5422 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
5423 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
5424 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
5425 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
5426 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
5428 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
5429 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
5430 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
5431 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
5432 variables, the group is not cached.
5434 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
5435 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
5436 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
5437 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
5438 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
5439 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
5440 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
5441 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
5442 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
5446 @node Persistent Articles
5447 @section Persistent Articles
5448 @cindex persistent articles
5450 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
5451 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
5452 useful in my opinion.
5454 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
5455 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
5456 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
5457 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
5458 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
5459 the expiry going on at the news server.
5461 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
5462 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
5463 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
5469 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
5470 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
5473 @kindex M-* (Summary)
5474 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
5475 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
5476 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
5480 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
5482 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
5483 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
5484 interested in persistent articles:
5487 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
5491 @node Article Backlog
5492 @section Article Backlog
5494 @cindex article backlog
5496 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
5497 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
5498 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
5499 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
5500 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
5501 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
5502 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
5503 increase memory usage some.
5505 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
5506 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
5507 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
5508 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
5509 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
5510 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
5511 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
5513 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
5516 @node Saving Articles
5517 @section Saving Articles
5518 @cindex saving articles
5520 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
5521 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
5522 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
5523 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
5524 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
5526 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
5527 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
5528 unwanted headers before saving the article.
5530 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
5531 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
5532 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
5533 deleted before saving.
5539 @kindex O o (Summary)
5541 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
5542 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
5543 Save the current article using the default article saver
5544 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
5547 @kindex O m (Summary)
5548 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
5549 Save the current article in mail format
5550 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
5553 @kindex O r (Summary)
5554 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
5555 Save the current article in rmail format
5556 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
5559 @kindex O f (Summary)
5560 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
5561 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
5562 Save the current article in plain file format
5563 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
5566 @kindex O F (Summary)
5567 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
5568 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
5569 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
5572 @kindex O b (Summary)
5573 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
5574 Save the current article body in plain file format
5575 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
5578 @kindex O h (Summary)
5579 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
5580 Save the current article in mh folder format
5581 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
5584 @kindex O v (Summary)
5585 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
5586 Save the current article in a VM folder
5587 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
5590 @kindex O p (Summary)
5591 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
5592 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
5593 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
5596 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
5597 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
5598 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
5599 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
5600 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
5601 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
5602 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
5603 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
5604 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
5605 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
5606 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
5607 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
5611 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
5612 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
5613 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
5614 functions below, or you can create your own.
5618 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5619 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5620 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
5621 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5622 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
5623 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5624 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5626 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5627 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5628 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
5629 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
5630 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5631 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5633 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
5634 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
5635 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
5636 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5637 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
5638 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5639 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5641 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5642 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5643 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
5644 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5645 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5647 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5648 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5649 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
5650 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
5651 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
5654 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
5655 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
5656 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
5657 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
5658 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
5660 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5661 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5662 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
5663 reader to use this setting.
5666 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
5667 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
5668 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
5669 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
5672 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
5673 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
5674 available functions that generate names:
5678 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
5679 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
5680 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5682 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
5683 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5684 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5686 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
5687 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
5688 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5690 @item gnus-plain-save-name
5691 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5692 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5695 @vindex gnus-split-methods
5696 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp
5697 into the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would
5698 like to save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and
5699 articles related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable
5703 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
5704 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
5705 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
5706 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
5709 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
5710 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
5711 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5712 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5713 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5714 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5715 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5716 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5717 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5719 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5720 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5721 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5722 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5724 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5725 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5726 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file name.
5728 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
5729 lots of mail groups called things like
5730 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
5731 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
5732 following will do just that:
5735 (defun my-save-name (group)
5736 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
5737 (substring group (match-end 0))))
5739 (setq gnus-split-methods
5740 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
5745 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5746 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5747 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5748 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5749 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5750 all the files in the top level directory
5751 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5752 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5753 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5754 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5756 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5757 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5758 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5759 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5760 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5763 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5767 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5768 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5771 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5772 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5773 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5774 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5777 @node Decoding Articles
5778 @section Decoding Articles
5779 @cindex decoding articles
5781 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5782 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5785 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5786 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
5787 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5788 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
5789 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5790 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5794 @cindex article series
5795 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5796 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5797 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5798 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5799 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5801 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5802 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5803 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5805 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
5806 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5807 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5809 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
5810 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
5811 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
5814 @node Uuencoded Articles
5815 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
5817 @cindex uuencoded articles
5822 @kindex X u (Summary)
5823 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
5824 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
5825 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
5828 @kindex X U (Summary)
5829 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
5830 Uudecodes and saves the current series
5831 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5834 @kindex X v u (Summary)
5835 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
5836 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
5839 @kindex X v U (Summary)
5840 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
5841 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
5842 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
5846 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
5847 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
5848 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
5849 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
5850 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5852 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
5853 @sc{GNUS 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
5854 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
5855 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
5858 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
5859 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
5860 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
5861 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5862 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5863 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
5867 @node Shell Archives
5868 @subsection Shell Archives
5870 @cindex shell archives
5871 @cindex shared articles
5873 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
5874 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
5875 some commands to deal with these:
5880 @kindex X s (Summary)
5881 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
5882 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
5885 @kindex X S (Summary)
5886 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
5887 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
5890 @kindex X v s (Summary)
5891 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
5892 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
5895 @kindex X v S (Summary)
5896 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
5897 Unshars, views and saves the current series
5898 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
5902 @node PostScript Files
5903 @subsection PostScript Files
5909 @kindex X p (Summary)
5910 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
5911 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
5914 @kindex X P (Summary)
5915 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
5916 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
5917 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
5920 @kindex X v p (Summary)
5921 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
5922 View the current PostScript series
5923 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
5926 @kindex X v P (Summary)
5927 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
5928 View and save the current PostScript series
5929 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
5934 @subsection Other Files
5938 @kindex X o (Summary)
5939 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
5940 Save the current series
5941 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
5944 @kindex X b (Summary)
5945 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
5946 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
5947 doesn't really work yet.
5951 @node Decoding Variables
5952 @subsection Decoding Variables
5954 Adjective, not verb.
5957 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
5958 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
5959 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
5963 @node Rule Variables
5964 @subsubsection Rule Variables
5965 @cindex rule variables
5967 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
5968 variables are of the form
5971 (list '(regexp1 command2)
5978 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5979 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5981 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
5982 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
5985 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5986 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
5989 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5990 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5991 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
5992 user and default view rules.
5994 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5995 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5996 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6001 @node Other Decode Variables
6002 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6005 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6007 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6008 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6009 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6010 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6011 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6015 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6016 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6019 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6020 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6021 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6024 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6025 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6026 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6027 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6028 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6031 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6032 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6033 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6035 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6036 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6037 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6038 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6039 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6042 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6043 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6044 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6046 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6047 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6048 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6049 looking for files to display.
6051 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6052 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6053 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6056 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6057 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6058 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6061 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6062 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6063 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6066 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6067 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6068 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6071 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6072 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6073 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6074 decoded articles as unread.
6076 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6077 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6078 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6079 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6081 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6082 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6083 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6085 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6086 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6088 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6089 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6090 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6091 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6093 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6094 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6095 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6096 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6097 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6098 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
6099 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6100 simply dropped them.
6105 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6106 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6110 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6111 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6112 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6113 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6114 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6115 for you when you post the article.
6117 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6118 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6119 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6120 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6122 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6123 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6124 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6125 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6126 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6127 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6128 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6130 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6131 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6132 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6133 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6134 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6135 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6136 Default is @code{t}.
6142 @subsection Viewing Files
6143 @cindex viewing files
6144 @cindex pseudo-articles
6146 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
6147 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6148 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6149 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
6150 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6151 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6152 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6154 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6155 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6156 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6157 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6159 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6160 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6161 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6163 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6164 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6165 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6166 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6167 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6169 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6170 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6171 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6172 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6173 a list of parameters to that command.
6175 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6176 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6177 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6179 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6180 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6181 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6184 @node Article Treatment
6185 @section Article Treatment
6187 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6188 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6189 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6190 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6191 these articles easier.
6194 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6195 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6196 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6197 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6198 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6199 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6200 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6204 @node Article Highlighting
6205 @subsection Article Highlighting
6206 @cindex highlighting
6208 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6209 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6214 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6215 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6216 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6217 Do much highlighting of the current article
6218 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
6219 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
6221 Most users would prefer using @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight} in
6222 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}) instead.
6223 This is a bit less agressive---it highlights only the headers, the
6224 signature and adds buttons.
6227 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6228 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6229 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6230 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6231 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6232 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
6233 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6234 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6235 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6236 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6237 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
6240 @kindex W H c (Summary)
6241 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
6242 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
6244 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
6247 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6249 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6250 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
6251 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
6253 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6254 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6255 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6257 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6258 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6259 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6261 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6262 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6263 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
6264 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
6265 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
6266 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
6268 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6269 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6270 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6272 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6273 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6274 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6276 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6277 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6278 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6279 that it's a citation.
6281 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6282 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6283 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6285 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6286 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6287 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6289 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6290 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6291 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6292 cited text belonging to the attribution.
6298 @kindex W H s (Summary)
6299 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6300 @vindex gnus-signature-face
6301 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
6302 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
6303 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
6304 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
6305 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
6310 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to highlight articles automatically.
6313 @node Article Fontisizing
6314 @subsection Article Fontisizing
6316 @cindex article emphasis
6318 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
6319 @kindex W e (Summary)
6320 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
6321 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*}. Gnus can make this look nicer by
6322 running the article through the @kbd{W e}
6323 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
6325 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
6326 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
6327 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
6328 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
6329 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
6330 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
6331 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
6332 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
6336 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
6337 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
6338 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
6341 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
6342 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
6343 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
6344 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
6345 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
6346 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
6347 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
6348 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
6349 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
6350 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
6351 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
6352 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
6353 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
6355 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
6356 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
6357 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
6361 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
6364 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to fontize articles automatically.
6367 @node Article Hiding
6368 @subsection Article Hiding
6369 @cindex article hiding
6371 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
6372 too much cruft in most articles.
6377 @kindex W W a (Summary)
6378 @findex gnus-article-hide
6379 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
6380 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
6381 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
6384 @kindex W W h (Summary)
6385 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
6386 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
6390 @kindex W W b (Summary)
6391 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6392 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
6393 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
6396 @kindex W W s (Summary)
6397 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
6398 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
6402 @kindex W W p (Summary)
6403 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
6404 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6405 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
6406 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
6407 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
6408 articles that have signatures in them do:
6410 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
6412 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp)
6414 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
6415 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
6417 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6420 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
6425 @kindex W W P (Summary)
6426 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
6427 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
6428 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
6431 @kindex W W c (Summary)
6432 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
6433 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
6434 customizing the hiding:
6438 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
6439 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
6440 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
6441 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
6442 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
6443 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
6444 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
6449 Starting point of the hidden text.
6451 Ending point of the hidden text.
6453 Number of characters in the hidden region.
6455 Number of lines of hidden text.
6458 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
6459 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
6460 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
6465 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
6466 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
6468 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
6469 following two variables:
6472 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6473 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6474 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
6475 50), hide the cited text.
6477 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6478 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6479 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
6484 @kindex W W C (Summary)
6485 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
6486 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
6487 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
6488 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
6489 in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
6493 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
6494 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
6495 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
6497 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
6498 citation customization.
6500 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to hide article elements
6504 @node Article Washing
6505 @subsection Article Washing
6507 @cindex article washing
6509 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
6510 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
6512 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
6513 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
6519 @kindex W l (Summary)
6520 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
6521 Remove page breaks from the current article
6522 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article} for page
6526 @kindex W r (Summary)
6527 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
6528 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
6529 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
6530 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
6531 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
6532 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
6534 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
6535 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
6536 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
6537 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
6540 @kindex W t (Summary)
6541 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
6542 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
6543 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
6546 @kindex W v (Summary)
6547 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
6548 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
6549 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
6552 @kindex W m (Summary)
6553 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
6554 Toggle whether to display the article as @sc{mime} message
6555 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
6558 @kindex W o (Summary)
6559 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
6560 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
6563 @kindex W d (Summary)
6564 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
6565 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
6567 @cindex M******** sm*rtq**t*s
6569 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s according to
6570 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
6571 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}).
6574 @kindex W w (Summary)
6575 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
6576 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}). If you use this
6577 function in @code{gnus-article-display-hook}, it should be run fairly
6578 late and certainly after any highlighting.
6580 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
6584 @kindex W c (Summary)
6585 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
6586 Remove CR (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines)
6587 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
6590 @kindex W f (Summary)
6592 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
6593 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
6594 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
6595 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
6601 Look for and display any X-Face headers
6602 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
6603 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
6604 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
6605 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
6606 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
6607 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
6608 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
6609 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
6610 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
6611 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
6612 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
6613 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
6614 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
6618 @kindex W b (Summary)
6619 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
6620 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
6621 @xref{Article Buttons}.
6624 @kindex W B (Summary)
6625 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
6626 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
6627 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
6630 @kindex W E l (Summary)
6631 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
6632 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
6633 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
6636 @kindex W E m (Summary)
6637 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
6638 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
6639 lines with a single empty line.
6640 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
6643 @kindex W E t (Summary)
6644 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
6645 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
6646 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
6649 @kindex W E a (Summary)
6650 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
6651 Do all the three commands above
6652 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
6655 @kindex W E A (Summary)
6656 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
6657 Remove all blank lines
6658 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
6661 @kindex W E s (Summary)
6662 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
6663 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
6664 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
6668 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to wash articles automatically.
6671 @node Article Buttons
6672 @subsection Article Buttons
6675 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
6676 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
6677 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
6678 button on these references.
6680 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
6681 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
6682 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
6687 @item gnus-button-alist
6688 @vindex gnus-button-alist
6689 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
6692 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6698 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
6699 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
6700 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
6703 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
6704 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
6705 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
6708 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
6709 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
6710 avoid false matches.
6713 This function will be called when you click on this button.
6716 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
6717 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
6721 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
6724 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
6727 @item gnus-header-button-alist
6728 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
6729 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
6730 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
6731 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
6734 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6737 @var{HEADER} is a regular expression.
6739 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
6740 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
6741 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
6742 default values of the variables above.
6744 @item gnus-article-button-face
6745 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
6746 Face used on buttons.
6748 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
6749 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
6750 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
6754 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to buttonize articles automatically.
6758 @subsection Article Date
6760 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
6761 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
6762 when the article was sent.
6767 @kindex W T u (Summary)
6768 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
6769 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
6770 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
6773 @kindex W T i (Summary)
6774 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
6776 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
6777 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
6780 @kindex W T l (Summary)
6781 @findex gnus-article-date-local
6782 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
6785 @kindex W T s (Summary)
6786 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
6787 @findex gnus-article-date-user
6788 @findex format-time-string
6789 Display the date using a user-defined format
6790 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
6791 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
6792 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
6793 for a list of possible format specs.
6796 @kindex W T e (Summary)
6797 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
6798 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
6799 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
6800 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
6801 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). If you want to have this line
6802 updated continually, you can put
6805 (gnus-start-date-timer)
6808 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
6809 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
6813 @kindex W T o (Summary)
6814 @findex gnus-article-date-original
6815 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
6816 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
6817 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
6818 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
6819 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
6823 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to display the date in your
6824 preferred format automatically.
6827 @node Article Signature
6828 @subsection Article Signature
6830 @cindex article signature
6832 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6833 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
6834 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
6835 that says what is to be considered a signature is
6836 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
6837 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
6838 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
6839 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
6840 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
6843 (setq gnus-signature-separator
6844 '("^-- $" ; The standard
6845 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
6846 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
6847 ; line of dashes. Shame!
6848 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
6849 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
6850 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
6853 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
6856 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
6857 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
6862 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
6865 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
6868 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
6869 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
6871 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
6872 in question is not a signature.
6875 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
6876 listed above. Here's an example:
6879 (setq gnus-signature-limit
6880 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
6883 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
6884 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
6885 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
6886 signature after all.
6890 @section MIME Commands
6891 @cindex MIME decoding
6895 @kindex W M w (Summary)
6896 Decode RFC2047-encoded words in the article headers
6897 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
6900 @kindex W M c (Summary)
6901 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
6902 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
6904 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
6905 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
6906 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
6907 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
6908 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
6909 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
6912 @kindex W M v (Summary)
6913 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
6914 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
6921 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
6922 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
6923 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
6924 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
6925 @code{("text/x-vcard")}.
6930 @node Article Commands
6931 @section Article Commands
6938 @kindex A P (Summary)
6939 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
6940 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
6941 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
6942 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
6943 run just before printing the buffer.
6948 @node Summary Sorting
6949 @section Summary Sorting
6950 @cindex summary sorting
6952 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
6953 can't really see why you'd want that.
6958 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
6959 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
6960 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
6963 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
6964 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
6965 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
6968 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
6969 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
6970 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
6973 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
6974 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
6975 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
6978 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
6979 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
6980 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
6983 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
6984 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
6985 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
6988 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
6989 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
6990 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
6991 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
6992 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
6996 @node Finding the Parent
6997 @section Finding the Parent
6998 @cindex parent articles
6999 @cindex referring articles
7004 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
7005 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
7006 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
7007 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
7008 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
7009 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
7010 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
7011 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
7012 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
7014 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
7015 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
7016 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
7017 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
7018 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
7022 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
7023 @kindex A R (Summary)
7024 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
7025 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
7028 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
7029 @kindex A T (Summary)
7030 Display the full thread where the current article appears
7031 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
7032 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
7033 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
7034 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
7035 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
7036 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
7038 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
7039 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
7040 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
7041 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
7042 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
7043 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
7046 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
7047 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
7049 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
7050 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
7051 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
7052 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
7053 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
7054 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
7055 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
7058 The current select method will be used when fetching by
7059 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
7060 by giving this command a prefix.
7062 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
7063 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
7064 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
7065 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
7066 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
7067 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
7070 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
7071 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
7072 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
7073 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
7074 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
7075 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
7078 @node Alternative Approaches
7079 @section Alternative Approaches
7081 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
7082 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
7085 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
7086 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
7091 @subsection Pick and Read
7092 @cindex pick and read
7094 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
7095 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
7096 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
7097 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
7099 @findex gnus-pick-mode
7100 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
7101 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
7102 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
7103 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
7104 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
7106 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
7111 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
7112 Pick the article or thread on the current line
7113 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
7114 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
7115 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
7116 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
7117 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
7118 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
7121 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
7122 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
7123 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
7124 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
7128 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
7129 Unpick the thread or article
7130 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
7131 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
7132 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
7133 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
7134 the thread or article at that line.
7138 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
7139 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
7140 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
7141 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
7142 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
7143 will still be visible when you are reading.
7147 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
7148 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
7149 which is mapped to the same function
7150 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
7152 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
7155 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
7158 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
7159 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
7161 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
7162 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
7163 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
7165 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
7166 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
7167 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
7168 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
7169 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
7170 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
7171 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
7175 @subsection Binary Groups
7176 @cindex binary groups
7178 @findex gnus-binary-mode
7179 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
7180 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
7181 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
7182 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
7183 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
7184 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
7187 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
7188 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
7189 command, when you have turned on this mode
7190 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
7192 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
7193 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
7197 @section Tree Display
7200 @vindex gnus-use-trees
7201 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
7202 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
7203 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
7206 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
7209 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
7210 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
7211 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
7213 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
7214 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
7215 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
7216 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
7217 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
7219 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
7220 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
7221 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
7222 default is @code{modeline}.
7224 @item gnus-tree-line-format
7225 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
7226 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
7227 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
7228 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
7229 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
7230 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
7236 The name of the poster.
7238 The @code{From} header.
7240 The number of the article.
7242 The opening bracket.
7244 The closing bracket.
7249 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
7251 Variables related to the display are:
7254 @item gnus-tree-brackets
7255 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
7256 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
7257 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
7258 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
7259 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
7261 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7262 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7263 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
7264 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
7268 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
7269 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
7270 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
7271 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
7272 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
7273 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
7274 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
7275 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
7276 other windows displayed next to it.
7278 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
7279 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
7280 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7281 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
7282 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
7283 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
7284 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
7288 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
7291 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
7301 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
7305 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
7306 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
7308 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
7310 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
7315 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
7316 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
7317 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
7320 (setq gnus-use-trees t
7321 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7322 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
7323 (gnus-add-configuration
7327 (summary 0.75 point)
7332 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
7335 @node Mail Group Commands
7336 @section Mail Group Commands
7337 @cindex mail group commands
7339 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
7340 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
7342 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
7343 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7348 @kindex B e (Summary)
7349 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
7350 Expire all expirable articles in the group
7351 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
7354 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
7355 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
7356 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
7357 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
7358 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
7359 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
7362 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
7363 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
7364 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
7365 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
7366 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
7367 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
7370 @kindex B m (Summary)
7372 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
7373 Move the article from one mail group to another
7374 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
7377 @kindex B c (Summary)
7379 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
7380 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
7381 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
7382 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
7385 @kindex B B (Summary)
7386 @cindex crosspost mail
7387 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
7388 Crosspost the current article to some other group
7389 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
7390 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
7391 be properly updated.
7394 @kindex B i (Summary)
7395 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
7396 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
7397 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
7398 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
7401 @kindex B r (Summary)
7402 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
7403 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
7404 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
7405 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
7406 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
7410 @kindex B w (Summary)
7412 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
7413 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
7414 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
7415 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
7416 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
7417 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
7420 @kindex B q (Summary)
7421 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
7422 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
7423 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
7424 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
7427 @kindex B t (Summary)
7428 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
7429 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
7430 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
7433 @kindex B p (Summary)
7434 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
7435 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
7436 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
7437 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
7438 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
7439 article from your news server (or rather, from
7440 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
7441 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
7442 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
7443 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
7444 just not have arrived yet.
7448 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
7449 @cindex moving articles
7450 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
7451 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
7452 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
7453 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
7454 suggestions you find reasonable.
7457 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
7458 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
7459 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
7460 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
7464 @node Various Summary Stuff
7465 @section Various Summary Stuff
7468 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
7469 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
7470 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
7471 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
7475 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
7476 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
7477 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
7479 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
7480 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
7481 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
7482 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
7483 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
7484 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
7487 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7488 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7489 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
7490 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
7491 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
7493 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
7494 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
7495 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
7498 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7499 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7500 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
7501 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
7502 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
7503 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
7504 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
7505 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
7506 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
7507 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
7512 @node Summary Group Information
7513 @subsection Summary Group Information
7518 @kindex H f (Summary)
7519 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
7520 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
7521 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
7522 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
7523 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
7524 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
7525 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
7526 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
7527 be used for fetching the file.
7530 @kindex H d (Summary)
7531 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
7532 Give a brief description of the current group
7533 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
7534 rereading the description from the server.
7537 @kindex H h (Summary)
7538 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
7539 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
7540 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
7543 @kindex H i (Summary)
7544 @findex gnus-info-find-node
7545 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
7549 @node Searching for Articles
7550 @subsection Searching for Articles
7555 @kindex M-s (Summary)
7556 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
7557 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
7558 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
7561 @kindex M-r (Summary)
7562 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
7563 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
7564 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
7568 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
7569 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
7570 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
7571 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
7575 @kindex M-& (Summary)
7576 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
7577 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
7578 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
7581 @node Summary Generation Commands
7582 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
7587 @kindex Y g (Summary)
7588 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
7589 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
7592 @kindex Y c (Summary)
7593 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
7594 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
7595 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
7600 @node Really Various Summary Commands
7601 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
7606 @kindex C-d (Summary)
7607 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
7608 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
7609 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
7610 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
7611 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
7612 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
7613 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
7614 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
7618 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
7619 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
7620 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
7621 several documents into one biiig group
7622 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
7623 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
7624 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
7625 command understands the process/prefix convention
7626 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7629 @kindex C-t (Summary)
7630 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
7631 Toggle truncation of summary lines
7632 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
7633 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
7634 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
7638 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
7639 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
7640 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
7643 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
7644 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
7645 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
7646 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
7651 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
7652 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
7653 @cindex summary exit
7654 @cindex exiting groups
7656 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
7657 group and return you to the group buffer.
7663 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
7665 @findex gnus-summary-exit
7666 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
7667 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
7668 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
7669 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
7670 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
7671 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
7672 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
7673 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
7674 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
7675 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
7679 @kindex Z E (Summary)
7681 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
7682 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
7683 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
7687 @kindex Z c (Summary)
7689 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
7690 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
7691 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
7692 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
7695 @kindex Z C (Summary)
7696 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
7697 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
7698 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
7701 @kindex Z n (Summary)
7702 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
7703 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
7704 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
7707 @kindex Z R (Summary)
7708 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
7709 Exit this group, and then enter it again
7710 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
7711 all articles, both read and unread.
7715 @kindex Z G (Summary)
7716 @kindex M-g (Summary)
7717 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
7718 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
7719 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
7720 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
7721 articles, both read and unread.
7724 @kindex Z N (Summary)
7725 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
7726 Exit the group and go to the next group
7727 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
7730 @kindex Z P (Summary)
7731 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
7732 Exit the group and go to the previous group
7733 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
7736 @kindex Z s (Summary)
7737 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
7738 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
7739 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
7740 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
7741 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
7744 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
7745 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
7748 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
7749 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
7750 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
7751 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
7752 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
7753 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
7754 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
7755 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
7756 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
7757 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
7758 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
7759 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
7761 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
7763 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
7764 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
7765 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
7766 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
7767 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
7768 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
7769 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
7770 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
7771 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
7774 @node Crosspost Handling
7775 @section Crosspost Handling
7779 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
7780 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
7781 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
7782 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
7783 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
7784 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
7787 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
7788 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
7789 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
7790 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
7791 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
7793 @cindex cross-posting
7796 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
7797 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
7798 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
7799 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
7800 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
7801 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
7802 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
7803 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
7804 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
7805 the cross reference mechanism.
7807 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
7808 @cindex overview.fmt
7809 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
7810 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
7811 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
7812 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
7813 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
7814 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
7817 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
7818 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
7819 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
7824 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
7827 @node Duplicate Suppression
7828 @section Duplicate Suppression
7830 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
7831 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
7832 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
7833 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various reasons.
7837 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
7838 is evil and not very common.
7841 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
7842 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
7845 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
7846 different @sc{nntp} servers.
7849 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
7852 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
7853 well, but these four are the most common situations.
7855 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
7856 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
7857 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
7858 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
7859 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
7860 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
7861 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
7864 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
7865 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
7866 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
7867 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
7868 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
7872 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
7873 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
7874 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
7876 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
7877 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
7878 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
7879 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
7880 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
7881 session are suppressed.
7883 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
7884 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
7885 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
7886 suppression list. The default is 10000.
7888 @item gnus-duplicate-file
7889 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
7890 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
7891 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
7894 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
7895 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
7896 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
7897 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
7898 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
7899 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
7900 to you to figure out, I think.
7903 @node The Article Buffer
7904 @chapter The Article Buffer
7905 @cindex article buffer
7907 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
7908 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
7909 tell gnus otherwise.
7912 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
7913 * Using MIME:: Pushing to mime articles as @sc{mime} messages.
7914 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
7915 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
7916 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
7920 @node Hiding Headers
7921 @section Hiding Headers
7922 @cindex hiding headers
7923 @cindex deleting headers
7925 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
7926 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
7928 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
7929 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
7930 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
7931 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
7932 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
7933 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
7934 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
7935 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
7936 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
7938 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
7942 @item gnus-visible-headers
7943 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
7944 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
7945 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
7946 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
7948 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
7949 the article and the subject, you'd say:
7952 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
7955 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
7958 @item gnus-ignored-headers
7959 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
7960 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
7961 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
7962 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
7963 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
7965 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
7966 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
7969 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
7972 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
7975 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
7976 variable will have no effect.
7980 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
7981 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
7982 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
7983 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
7984 the headers are to be displayed.
7986 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
7987 and then the subject, you might say something like:
7990 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
7993 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
7994 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed
7997 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7998 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7999 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
8000 You can hide further boring headers by entering
8001 @code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers} into
8002 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}. What this function does depends on
8003 the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a list, but this
8004 list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is lists various
8005 @dfn{boring conditions} that gnus can check and remove from sight.
8007 These conditions are:
8010 Remove all empty headers.
8012 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
8013 @code{Newsgroups} header.
8015 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
8018 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
8021 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
8024 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
8026 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
8029 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
8032 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
8033 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
8036 This is also the default value for this variable.
8040 @section Using @sc{mime}
8043 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
8044 while people stand around yawning.
8046 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
8047 while all newsreaders die of fear.
8049 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
8050 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
8051 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
8053 @vindex gnus-show-mime
8054 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
8055 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
8056 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
8057 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
8058 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
8059 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
8060 calls the SEMI MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
8061 information on SEMI MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is not
8062 existed yet, sorry).
8064 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
8065 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
8066 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
8067 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
8068 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
8069 buffer. These can't be avoided.
8071 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
8072 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
8073 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
8074 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
8075 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
8076 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
8077 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
8078 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
8079 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
8082 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
8084 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
8085 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
8086 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
8087 buffer when there are nobody else.
8090 @node Customizing Articles
8091 @section Customizing Articles
8092 @cindex article customization
8094 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
8095 The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
8096 been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
8097 treatment of the article before it is displayed.
8099 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8100 @findex gnus-article-maybe-hide-headers
8101 By default this hook just contains
8102 @code{gnus-article-maybe-hide-headers},
8103 @code{gnus-hide-boring-headers}, @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike},
8104 and @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight} (and under XEmacs,
8105 @code{gnus-article-display-x-face}), but there are thousands, nay
8106 millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
8107 functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
8108 @pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
8109 Date}. Note that the order of functions in this hook might affect
8110 things, so you may have to fiddle a bit to get the desired results.
8112 You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
8113 from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
8114 There is no information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can
8115 change everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead
8116 make them invisible if you want to make them go away.
8119 @node Article Keymap
8120 @section Article Keymap
8122 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
8123 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
8124 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
8125 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
8128 A few additional keystrokes are available:
8133 @kindex SPACE (Article)
8134 @findex gnus-article-next-page
8135 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
8138 @kindex DEL (Article)
8139 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
8140 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
8143 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
8144 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
8145 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
8146 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
8147 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
8150 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
8151 @findex gnus-article-mail
8152 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
8153 given a prefix, include the mail.
8157 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
8158 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
8159 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
8163 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
8164 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
8165 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
8168 @kindex TAB (Article)
8169 @findex gnus-article-next-button
8170 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
8171 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
8174 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
8175 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
8176 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
8182 @section Misc Article
8186 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
8187 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
8188 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
8189 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
8192 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
8193 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
8195 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
8196 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
8198 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
8199 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
8200 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
8201 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
8202 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
8203 the contents of the article buffer.
8205 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
8206 @item gnus-article-display-hook
8207 This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article, and is
8208 intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing highlights,
8209 hiding headers, and the like.
8211 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
8212 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
8213 Hook called in article mode buffers.
8215 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
8216 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
8217 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
8218 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
8220 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
8221 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
8222 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
8223 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
8224 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with one
8229 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
8230 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
8234 @vindex gnus-break-pages
8236 @item gnus-break-pages
8237 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
8238 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
8239 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
8240 paging will not be done.
8242 @item gnus-page-delimiter
8243 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
8244 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
8249 @node Composing Messages
8250 @chapter Composing Messages
8251 @cindex composing messages
8254 @cindex sending mail
8259 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
8260 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
8261 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
8262 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
8263 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
8264 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
8265 to make gnus try to post using the foreign server.
8268 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
8269 * Post:: Posting and following up.
8270 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
8271 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
8272 * Archived Messages:: Where gnus stores the messages you've sent.
8273 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
8274 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
8275 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
8278 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
8279 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
8285 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
8288 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
8289 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
8290 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
8291 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
8293 @item gnus-add-to-list
8294 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
8295 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
8296 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
8304 Variables for composing news articles:
8307 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8308 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8309 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
8310 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
8311 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
8312 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
8313 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
8314 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
8315 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want gnus to keep a history
8318 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8319 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8320 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
8321 file. It is 1000 by default.
8326 @node Posting Server
8327 @section Posting Server
8329 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
8330 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
8332 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
8334 @vindex gnus-post-method
8336 It can be quite complicated. Normally, gnus will use the same native
8337 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
8338 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
8339 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
8340 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
8343 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
8346 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
8347 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
8348 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
8349 the ``current'' server for posting.
8351 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
8352 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
8354 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
8355 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
8358 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
8359 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
8360 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
8365 @section Mail and Post
8367 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
8371 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
8372 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
8373 @cindex mailing lists
8375 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
8376 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
8377 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
8378 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
8379 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
8380 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
8381 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
8382 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
8383 still a pain, though.
8387 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
8388 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
8389 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
8392 @findex ispell-message
8394 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
8398 @node Archived Messages
8399 @section Archived Messages
8400 @cindex archived messages
8401 @cindex sent messages
8403 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
8404 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
8405 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
8406 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
8409 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
8410 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
8411 use to store sent messages. The default is:
8415 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
8416 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
8417 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
8418 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
8421 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
8422 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
8423 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
8424 directory chosen, you could say something like:
8427 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
8428 '(nnfolder "archive"
8429 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
8430 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
8431 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
8434 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
8436 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
8437 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
8438 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
8440 This variable can be used to do the following:
8444 Messages will be saved in that group.
8445 @item a list of strings
8446 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
8447 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
8448 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
8450 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
8455 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
8457 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
8460 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
8462 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
8465 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
8467 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8468 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
8469 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
8470 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
8475 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8476 '((if (message-news-p)
8481 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
8482 messages in one file per month:
8485 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8486 '((if (message-news-p)
8488 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
8489 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
8492 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
8493 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
8495 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
8496 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
8497 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
8498 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
8499 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
8500 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
8501 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
8502 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
8503 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
8504 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
8506 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
8507 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
8508 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
8509 this will disable archiving.
8512 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
8513 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
8514 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
8515 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
8516 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
8519 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
8520 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
8521 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
8524 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
8525 but the latter is the preferred method.
8529 @node Posting Styles
8530 @section Posting Styles
8531 @cindex posting styles
8534 All them variables, they make my head swim.
8536 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
8537 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
8538 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
8541 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
8542 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
8543 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
8544 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
8545 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
8550 (signature "Peace and happiness")
8551 (organization "What me?"))
8553 (signature "Death to everybody"))
8554 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
8555 (organization "Emacs is it")))
8558 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
8559 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
8560 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
8561 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
8562 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
8563 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
8564 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
8565 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
8567 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
8568 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
8569 If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
8570 arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
8571 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
8572 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
8575 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
8576 attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
8577 can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
8578 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
8579 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
8580 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
8583 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
8584 return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
8585 list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
8587 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
8588 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
8589 of the two dynamically bound variables @code{message-this-is-news} and
8590 @code{message-this-is-mail}.
8592 @vindex message-this-is-mail
8593 @vindex message-this-is-news
8595 So here's a new example:
8598 (setq gnus-posting-styles
8600 (signature-file "~/.signature")
8602 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
8603 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
8605 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
8606 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
8607 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
8608 (message-this-is-news
8609 (signature my-news-signature))
8610 (posting-from-work-p
8611 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
8612 (address "user@@bar.foo")
8613 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
8614 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
8616 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
8624 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
8625 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
8626 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
8627 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
8628 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
8630 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
8631 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
8632 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
8633 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
8634 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
8638 @vindex nndraft-directory
8639 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
8640 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
8641 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
8642 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
8643 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
8644 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
8646 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
8647 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
8650 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
8651 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
8652 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
8653 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
8654 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
8655 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
8656 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
8657 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
8658 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
8659 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
8660 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
8661 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
8662 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
8663 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
8665 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
8666 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
8667 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
8669 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
8671 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
8672 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
8673 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
8675 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
8678 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
8679 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
8680 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
8681 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
8682 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
8683 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
8684 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
8687 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
8688 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
8689 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
8692 @node Rejected Articles
8693 @section Rejected Articles
8694 @cindex rejected articles
8696 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
8697 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
8698 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
8699 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
8701 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
8702 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
8703 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
8704 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
8705 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
8707 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
8708 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
8709 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
8712 @node Select Methods
8713 @chapter Select Methods
8714 @cindex foreign groups
8715 @cindex select methods
8717 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
8718 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
8719 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
8720 personal mail group.
8722 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
8723 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
8724 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
8725 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
8726 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
8727 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
8729 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
8730 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
8732 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
8735 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
8736 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
8737 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
8738 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
8739 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
8741 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
8744 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
8745 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
8746 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
8747 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
8748 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
8749 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
8753 @node The Server Buffer
8754 @section The Server Buffer
8756 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
8757 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
8758 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
8759 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
8760 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
8761 backend represents a virtual server.
8763 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
8764 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
8765 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
8766 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
8768 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
8769 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
8770 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
8771 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
8772 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
8773 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
8774 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
8776 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
8777 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
8780 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
8781 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
8782 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
8783 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
8784 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
8785 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
8786 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
8789 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
8790 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
8793 @node Server Buffer Format
8794 @subsection Server Buffer Format
8795 @cindex server buffer format
8797 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
8798 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
8799 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
8800 variable, with some simple extensions:
8805 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
8808 The name of this server.
8811 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
8814 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
8817 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
8818 The mode line can also be customized by using the
8819 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
8820 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
8830 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
8833 @node Server Commands
8834 @subsection Server Commands
8835 @cindex server commands
8841 @findex gnus-server-add-server
8842 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
8846 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
8847 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
8850 @kindex SPACE (Server)
8851 @findex gnus-server-read-server
8852 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
8856 @findex gnus-server-exit
8857 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
8861 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
8862 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
8866 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
8867 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
8871 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
8872 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
8876 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
8877 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
8881 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
8882 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
8883 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
8888 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
8889 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
8890 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
8891 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
8896 @node Example Methods
8897 @subsection Example Methods
8899 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
8902 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
8905 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
8911 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
8912 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
8915 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
8916 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
8918 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
8919 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
8923 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
8926 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
8927 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
8929 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
8930 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
8931 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
8935 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
8938 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
8941 Here's the method for a public spool:
8945 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
8946 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
8949 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
8950 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
8951 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
8952 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
8953 should probably look something like this:
8957 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
8958 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
8959 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
8960 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
8961 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
8964 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
8965 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
8966 server that would look something like this:
8970 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
8971 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
8972 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
8973 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
8974 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
8975 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
8978 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
8979 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
8980 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
8981 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
8984 @node Creating a Virtual Server
8985 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
8987 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
8988 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
8990 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
8991 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
8992 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
8994 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
8996 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
8997 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
8998 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
8999 will contain the following:
9009 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
9010 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
9011 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
9014 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
9015 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
9016 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
9019 @node Server Variables
9020 @subsection Server Variables
9022 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
9023 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
9024 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
9025 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
9026 won't change the "derived" variables.
9028 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
9029 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
9030 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
9031 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
9032 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
9033 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
9034 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
9035 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
9036 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
9040 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
9041 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
9042 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
9046 @node Servers and Methods
9047 @subsection Servers and Methods
9049 Wherever you would normally use a select method
9050 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
9051 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
9052 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
9056 @node Unavailable Servers
9057 @subsection Unavailable Servers
9059 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
9060 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
9061 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
9062 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
9063 actually the case or not.
9065 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
9066 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
9067 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
9068 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
9069 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
9070 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
9071 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
9072 it will regard that server as ``down''.
9074 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
9075 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
9077 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
9078 with the following commands:
9084 @findex gnus-server-open-server
9085 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
9086 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
9090 @findex gnus-server-close-server
9091 Close the connection (if any) to the server
9092 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
9096 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
9097 Mark the current server as unreachable
9098 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
9101 @kindex M-o (Server)
9102 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
9103 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
9104 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
9107 @kindex M-c (Server)
9108 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
9109 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
9110 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
9114 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
9115 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
9116 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
9122 @section Getting News
9123 @cindex reading news
9124 @cindex news backends
9126 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
9127 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
9128 or it can read from a local spool.
9131 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
9132 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
9137 @subsection @sc{nntp}
9140 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
9141 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
9142 server as the, uhm, address.
9144 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
9145 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
9146 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
9147 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
9149 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
9150 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
9151 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
9153 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
9158 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
9159 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
9160 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
9162 @cindex authentification
9163 @cindex nntp authentification
9164 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
9165 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
9166 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
9167 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
9168 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
9169 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
9170 present in this hook.
9172 @item nntp-authinfo-function
9173 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
9174 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
9175 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
9176 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
9177 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
9178 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
9179 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
9180 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
9181 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
9182 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
9183 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
9187 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
9190 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
9191 valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
9192 @samp{default} and @samp{force}. (The latter is not a valid
9193 @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} token, which is the only way the
9194 @file{.authinfo} file format deviates from the @file{.netrc} file
9199 Here's an example file:
9202 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
9203 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
9206 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
9207 have to be first, for instance.
9209 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
9210 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
9211 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
9212 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
9213 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
9214 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
9215 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
9217 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
9218 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
9224 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
9225 previously mentioned.
9227 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
9229 @item nntp-server-action-alist
9230 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
9231 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
9232 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
9233 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
9236 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
9240 You probably don't want to do that, though.
9242 The default value is
9245 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
9246 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
9249 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
9250 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
9252 @item nntp-maximum-request
9253 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
9254 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
9255 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
9256 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
9257 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
9258 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
9259 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
9261 @item nntp-connection-timeout
9262 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
9263 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
9264 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
9265 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
9266 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
9267 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
9268 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
9269 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
9270 no timeouts are done.
9272 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
9273 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
9274 @c @cindex PPP connections
9275 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
9276 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
9277 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
9278 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
9279 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
9280 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
9281 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
9282 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
9283 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
9284 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
9286 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
9287 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
9288 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
9289 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
9292 @item nntp-server-hook
9293 @vindex nntp-server-hook
9294 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
9297 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
9298 @findex nntp-open-telnet
9299 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
9300 @item nntp-open-connection-function
9301 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
9302 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
9303 functions are supplied:
9306 @item nntp-open-network-stream
9307 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
9310 @item nntp-open-rlogin
9311 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
9312 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
9315 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
9319 @item nntp-rlogin-program
9320 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
9321 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
9322 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
9324 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
9325 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
9326 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
9328 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9329 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9330 User name on the remote system.
9334 @item nntp-open-telnet
9335 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
9336 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
9338 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
9341 @item nntp-telnet-command
9342 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
9343 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
9345 @item nntp-telnet-switches
9346 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
9347 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
9349 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
9350 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
9351 User name for log in on the remote system.
9353 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
9354 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
9355 Password to use when logging in.
9357 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
9358 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
9359 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
9362 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9363 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9364 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
9365 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
9367 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9368 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9369 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
9370 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
9371 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
9375 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
9376 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
9377 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
9378 you must have SSLay installed
9379 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
9380 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
9381 define a server as follows:
9384 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
9386 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
9388 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
9389 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
9390 (nntp-port-number "snews")
9391 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
9396 @item nntp-end-of-line
9397 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
9398 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
9399 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
9400 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
9402 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9403 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9404 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
9408 @vindex nntp-address
9409 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
9411 @item nntp-port-number
9412 @vindex nntp-port-number
9413 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
9416 @item nntp-buggy-select
9417 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
9418 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
9420 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
9421 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
9422 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
9423 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
9426 @item nntp-xover-commands
9427 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
9430 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
9431 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
9435 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
9436 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
9437 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
9438 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
9439 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
9440 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
9441 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
9442 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
9443 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
9444 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
9445 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
9447 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
9448 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
9449 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
9451 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9452 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9453 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
9454 server closes connection.
9456 @item nntp-record-commands
9457 @vindex nntp-record-commands
9458 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
9459 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
9460 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
9461 that doesn't seem to work.
9467 @subsection News Spool
9471 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
9472 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
9473 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
9476 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
9477 anything else) as the address.
9479 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
9480 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
9481 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
9482 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
9486 @item nnspool-inews-program
9487 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
9488 Program used to post an article.
9490 @item nnspool-inews-switches
9491 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
9492 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
9494 @item nnspool-spool-directory
9495 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
9496 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
9497 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
9499 @item nnspool-nov-directory
9500 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
9501 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
9502 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
9504 @item nnspool-lib-dir
9505 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
9506 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
9508 @item nnspool-active-file
9509 @vindex nnspool-active-file
9510 The path to the active file.
9512 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
9513 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
9514 The path to the group descriptions file.
9516 @item nnspool-history-file
9517 @vindex nnspool-history-file
9518 The path to the news history file.
9520 @item nnspool-active-times-file
9521 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
9522 The path to the active date file.
9524 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
9525 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
9526 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
9529 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9530 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9532 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
9533 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
9534 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
9540 @section Getting Mail
9541 @cindex reading mail
9544 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
9548 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
9549 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
9550 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
9551 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
9552 * Mail and Procmail:: Reading mail groups that procmail create.
9553 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
9554 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
9555 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
9556 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
9557 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
9558 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
9562 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
9563 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
9565 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
9566 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
9567 and things will happen automatically.
9569 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
9570 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
9573 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
9574 '((nnml "private")))
9577 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
9578 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
9579 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
9580 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
9581 like any other group.
9583 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
9586 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9587 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9588 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9592 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
9593 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
9594 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
9597 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
9598 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
9599 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
9602 @node Splitting Mail
9603 @subsection Splitting Mail
9604 @cindex splitting mail
9605 @cindex mail splitting
9607 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
9608 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
9609 to be split into groups.
9612 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9613 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9614 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9618 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
9619 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
9620 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
9621 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
9622 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
9623 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
9624 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
9627 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
9630 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
9631 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
9632 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
9633 mail belongs in that group.
9635 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
9636 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
9637 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
9638 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
9639 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
9640 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
9642 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
9643 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
9644 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
9645 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
9646 thinks should carry this mail message.
9648 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
9649 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
9650 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
9651 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
9653 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
9654 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
9655 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
9656 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
9657 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
9659 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
9662 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
9663 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
9664 links. If that's the case for you, set
9665 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
9666 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
9668 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
9669 @kindex nnmail-split-history
9670 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
9671 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
9673 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
9674 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
9675 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
9676 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
9677 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
9678 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
9679 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
9680 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
9684 @node Mail Backend Variables
9685 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
9687 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
9691 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
9692 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
9693 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
9694 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
9696 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
9697 @item nnmail-spool-file
9701 @vindex nnmail-pop-password
9702 @vindex nnmail-pop-password-required
9703 The backends will look for new mail in this file. If this variable is
9704 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
9705 themselves. If you are using a POP mail server and your name is
9706 @samp{larsi}, you should set this variable to @samp{po:larsi}. If
9707 your name is not @samp{larsi}, you should probably modify that
9708 slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart & handsome
9709 devil! You can also set this variable to @code{pop}, and Gnus will try
9710 to figure out the POP mail string by itself. In any case, Gnus will
9711 call @code{movemail} which will contact the POP server named in the
9712 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable. If the POP server needs a
9713 password, you can either set @code{nnmail-pop-password-required} to
9714 @code{t} and be prompted for the password, or set
9715 @code{nnmail-pop-password} to the password itself.
9717 @code{nnmail-spool-file} can also be a list of mailboxes.
9719 Your Emacs has to have been configured with @samp{--with-pop} before
9720 compilation. This is the default, but some installations have it
9723 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
9724 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
9725 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
9726 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
9727 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
9728 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
9730 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
9731 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
9732 @item nnmail-use-procmail
9733 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will look in
9734 @code{nnmail-procmail-directory} for incoming mail. All the files in
9735 that directory that have names ending in @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix}
9736 will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
9739 @vindex nnmail-crash-box
9740 @item nnmail-crash-box
9741 When a mail backend reads a spool file, mail is first moved to this
9742 file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
9743 already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
9746 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
9747 @item nnmail-split-hook
9748 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
9749 @findex RFC1522 decoding
9750 @findex RFC2047 decoding
9751 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
9752 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
9753 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
9754 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
9755 in the buffer will show up in any files.
9756 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
9759 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9760 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9761 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9762 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9763 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
9764 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
9765 starting to handle the new mail) and
9766 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
9767 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
9768 default file modes the new mail files get:
9771 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9772 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
9774 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
9775 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
9778 @item nnmail-tmp-directory
9779 @vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
9780 This variable says where to move incoming mail to -- while processing
9781 it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
9782 inhabits (e.g., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
9783 it will be used instead.
9785 @item nnmail-movemail-program
9786 @vindex nnmail-movemail-program
9787 This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her home
9788 directory. The default is @samp{movemail}.
9790 This can also be a function. In that case, the function will be called
9791 with two parameters -- the name of the inbox, and the file to be moved
9794 @item nnmail-delete-incoming
9795 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
9796 @cindex incoming mail files
9797 @cindex deleting incoming files
9798 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
9799 file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{t} by
9802 @c This is @code{nil} by
9803 @c default for reasons of security.
9805 @c Since Red Gnus is an alpha release, it is to be expected to lose mail.
9806 (No Gnus release since (ding) Gnus 0.10 (or something like that) have
9807 lost mail, I think, but that's not the point. (Except certain versions
9808 of Red Gnus.)) By not deleting the Incoming* files, one can be sure not
9809 to lose mail -- if Gnus totally whacks out, one can always recover what
9812 You may delete the @file{Incoming*} files at will.
9814 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
9815 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
9816 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
9817 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
9818 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
9819 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
9820 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
9822 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
9823 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
9825 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
9827 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9828 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9829 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
9830 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
9831 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
9836 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
9837 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
9838 @cindex mail splitting
9839 @cindex fancy mail splitting
9841 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
9842 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
9843 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
9844 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
9845 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
9846 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
9848 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
9851 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
9852 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
9853 ;; from real errors.
9854 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
9856 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
9857 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
9858 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
9859 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
9860 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
9861 ;; Other mailing lists...
9862 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
9863 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
9865 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
9866 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
9870 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
9871 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
9872 the five possible split syntaxes:
9877 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
9878 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
9882 @var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, the first element of
9883 which is a string, then store the message as specified by SPLIT, if
9884 header FIELD (a regexp) contains VALUE (also a regexp).
9887 @var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9888 @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
9889 matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
9890 be stored in one or more groups.
9893 @var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9894 @code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
9897 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
9898 this message. Use with extreme caution.
9901 @var{(: function arg1 arg2 ...)}: If the split is a list, and the first
9902 element is @code{:}, then the second element will be called as a
9903 function with @var{args} given as arguments. The function should return
9907 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
9911 In these splits, @var{FIELD} must match a complete field name.
9912 @var{VALUE} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
9913 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
9914 field names or words. In other words, all @var{VALUE}'s are wrapped in
9915 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
9917 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
9918 @var{FIELD} and @var{VALUE} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
9919 are expanded as specified by the variable
9920 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
9921 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
9924 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
9925 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
9926 when all this splitting is performed.
9928 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
9929 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
9930 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
9933 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
9936 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
9937 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
9938 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
9939 groupings 1 through 9.
9942 @node Mail and Procmail
9943 @subsection Mail and Procmail
9948 Many people use @code{procmail} (or some other mail filter program or
9949 external delivery agent---@code{slocal}, @code{elm}, etc) to split
9950 incoming mail into groups. If you do that, you should set
9951 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
9952 backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
9954 If you have a combined @code{procmail}/POP/mailbox setup, you can do
9955 something like the following:
9957 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
9959 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
9960 (setq nnmail-spool-file
9961 '("/usr/spool/mail/my-name" "po:my-name"))
9964 This also means that you probably don't want to set
9965 @code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
9968 When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
9969 with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
9970 out that it carries by other means. None of the backends, except
9971 @code{nnmh}, actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
9972 exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
9973 a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
9975 This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) by hand what
9978 Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example:
9980 The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
9981 There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
9983 Go to the group buffer and type @kbd{G m}. When prompted, answer
9984 @samp{foo} for the name and @samp{nnmh} for the method. Repeat
9985 twice for the two other groups, @samp{bar} and @samp{mail.baz}. Be sure
9986 to include all your mail groups.
9988 That's it. You are now set to read your mail. An active file for this
9989 method will be created automatically.
9991 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
9992 @vindex nnmail-procmail-directory
9993 If you use @code{nnfolder} or any other backend that store more than a
9994 single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
9995 the file that Gnus sees. Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
9996 in @code{nnmail-procmail-directory}. To arrive at the file name to put
9997 the incoming mail in, append @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix} to the group
9998 name. The mail backends will read the mail from these files.
10000 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
10001 When Gnus reads a file called @file{mail.misc.spool}, this mail will be
10002 put in the @code{mail.misc}, as one would expect. However, if you want
10003 Gnus to split the mail the normal way, you could set
10004 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
10006 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
10007 If you use @code{procmail} to split things directly into an @code{nnmh}
10008 directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
10009 @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
10010 ever expiring the final article (i.e., the article with the highest
10011 article number) in a mail newsgroup. This is quite, quite important.
10013 Here's an example setup: The incoming spools are located in
10014 @file{~/incoming/} and have @samp{""} as suffixes (i.e., the incoming
10015 spool files have the same names as the equivalent groups). The
10016 @code{nnfolder} backend is to be used as the mail interface, and the
10017 @code{nnfolder} directory is @file{~/fMail/}.
10020 (setq nnfolder-directory "~/fMail/")
10021 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
10022 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/incoming/")
10023 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnfolder "")))
10024 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "")
10028 @node Incorporating Old Mail
10029 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
10031 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
10032 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
10033 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
10036 Doing so can be quite easy.
10038 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
10039 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
10040 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
10041 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
10042 your @code{nnml} groups.
10048 Go to the group buffer.
10051 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
10052 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10055 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
10058 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
10059 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
10062 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
10063 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
10066 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
10067 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
10068 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
10069 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
10070 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
10072 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
10073 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
10074 using the new mail backend.
10077 @node Expiring Mail
10078 @subsection Expiring Mail
10079 @cindex article expiry
10081 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
10082 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
10083 different approach to mail reading.
10085 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
10086 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
10087 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
10088 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
10089 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
10090 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
10093 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
10094 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
10095 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
10096 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
10097 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
10098 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
10099 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
10100 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
10102 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
10103 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
10104 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
10105 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
10106 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
10107 column in the summary buffer.
10109 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
10110 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
10111 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
10112 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
10115 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
10117 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
10118 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
10119 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
10122 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
10123 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
10124 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
10125 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
10126 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
10128 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
10129 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
10132 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
10133 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
10136 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
10137 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
10139 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
10140 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
10141 don't really mix very well.
10143 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
10144 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
10145 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
10146 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
10149 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
10150 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
10151 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
10152 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
10155 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
10157 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
10159 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
10161 ((string= group "mail.junk")
10163 ((string= group "important")
10169 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
10170 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
10172 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
10173 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
10174 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
10177 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
10178 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
10180 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
10181 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
10182 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
10183 easier for procmail users.
10185 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
10186 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
10187 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
10188 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
10189 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
10190 caution. Even more dangerous is the
10191 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
10192 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
10193 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
10194 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
10195 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
10196 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
10197 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
10200 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
10204 @subsection Washing Mail
10205 @cindex mail washing
10206 @cindex list server brain damage
10207 @cindex incoming mail treatment
10209 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
10210 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
10211 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
10212 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
10213 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
10214 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
10216 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
10217 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
10218 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
10221 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
10222 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
10223 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
10224 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
10227 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
10228 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
10229 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
10230 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
10231 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
10234 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
10235 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
10236 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
10237 Emacs running on MS machines.
10241 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
10242 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
10243 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
10244 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
10247 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
10248 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
10249 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
10250 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
10252 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
10253 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
10254 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
10255 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
10256 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
10257 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
10258 also be a list of regexp.
10260 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
10261 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
10264 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
10265 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
10268 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
10269 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
10270 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
10274 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
10275 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
10276 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
10280 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
10281 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
10282 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
10289 @subsection Duplicates
10291 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
10292 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
10293 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
10294 @cindex duplicate mails
10295 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
10296 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
10297 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
10298 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
10299 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
10300 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
10301 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
10302 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
10303 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
10304 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
10305 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
10306 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
10307 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
10309 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
10310 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
10311 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
10312 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
10314 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
10317 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
10318 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
10322 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
10323 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
10324 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
10325 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
10326 (any mail "mail.misc")
10333 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10334 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
10339 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
10340 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
10341 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
10342 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
10343 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
10346 @node Not Reading Mail
10347 @subsection Not Reading Mail
10349 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
10350 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
10351 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
10353 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
10354 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
10356 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10357 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10358 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10359 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10360 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10361 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
10362 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
10363 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
10364 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
10365 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
10366 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
10368 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
10369 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
10373 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
10374 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
10376 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
10377 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
10378 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
10381 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
10382 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
10383 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
10384 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
10385 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
10389 @node Unix Mail Box
10390 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
10392 @cindex unix mail box
10394 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10395 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10396 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
10397 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
10398 which group it belongs in.
10400 Virtual server settings:
10403 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
10404 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10405 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
10407 @item nnmbox-active-file
10408 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10409 The name of the active file for the mail box.
10411 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
10412 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10413 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
10419 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
10423 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10424 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10425 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
10426 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
10427 article to say which group it belongs in.
10429 Virtual server settings:
10432 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
10433 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10434 The name of the rmail mbox file.
10436 @item nnbabyl-active-file
10437 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10438 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
10440 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10441 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10442 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
10447 @subsubsection Mail Spool
10449 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
10451 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
10452 format. It should be used with some caution.
10454 @vindex nnml-directory
10455 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
10456 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
10457 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
10458 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
10460 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
10463 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
10464 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
10465 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
10466 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
10467 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
10468 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
10469 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
10470 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
10472 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
10473 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
10474 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
10475 backend when it comes to reading mail.
10477 Virtual server settings:
10480 @item nnml-directory
10481 @vindex nnml-directory
10482 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
10484 @item nnml-active-file
10485 @vindex nnml-active-file
10486 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
10488 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
10489 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
10490 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
10493 @item nnml-get-new-mail
10494 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10495 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
10497 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
10498 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
10499 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
10501 @item nnml-nov-file-name
10502 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
10503 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
10505 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10506 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10507 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
10511 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
10512 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
10513 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
10514 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
10515 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
10516 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
10517 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
10522 @subsubsection MH Spool
10524 @cindex mh-e mail spool
10526 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
10527 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
10528 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
10529 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
10531 Virtual server settings:
10534 @item nnmh-directory
10535 @vindex nnmh-directory
10536 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
10538 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
10539 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10540 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
10543 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
10544 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
10545 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
10546 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
10547 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
10548 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
10549 to set this variable to @code{t}.
10554 @subsubsection Mail Folders
10556 @cindex mbox folders
10557 @cindex mail folders
10559 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
10560 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
10561 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
10564 Virtual server settings:
10567 @item nnfolder-directory
10568 @vindex nnfolder-directory
10569 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
10571 @item nnfolder-active-file
10572 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
10573 The name of the active file.
10575 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10576 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10577 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
10579 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
10580 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10581 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
10583 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
10584 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
10585 @cindex backup files
10586 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
10587 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
10588 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
10589 your @file{.emacs} file:
10592 (defun turn-off-backup ()
10593 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
10595 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
10598 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
10599 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
10600 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
10601 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
10602 extract some information from it before removing it.
10607 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
10608 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
10609 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
10610 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
10611 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
10612 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
10615 @node Other Sources
10616 @section Other Sources
10618 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
10619 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
10623 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
10624 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
10625 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
10626 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
10627 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
10628 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
10632 @node Directory Groups
10633 @subsection Directory Groups
10635 @cindex directory groups
10637 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
10638 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
10641 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
10642 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
10643 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
10644 backend to read directories. Big deal.
10646 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
10647 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
10648 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
10649 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
10650 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
10652 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
10654 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
10655 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
10656 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
10657 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
10660 @node Anything Groups
10661 @subsection Anything Groups
10664 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
10665 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
10666 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
10669 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
10670 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
10671 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
10672 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
10673 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
10674 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
10675 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
10676 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
10677 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
10678 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
10681 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
10682 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
10683 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
10684 in the article buffer, just as usual.
10686 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
10687 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
10688 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
10689 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
10691 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
10692 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
10693 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
10694 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
10695 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
10696 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
10697 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
10698 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
10703 @item nneething-map-file-directory
10704 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
10705 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
10706 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
10708 @item nneething-exclude-files
10709 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
10710 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
10711 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
10713 @item nneething-map-file
10714 @vindex nneething-map-file
10715 Name of the map files.
10719 @node Document Groups
10720 @subsection Document Groups
10722 @cindex documentation group
10725 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
10726 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
10733 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
10738 The standard Unix mbox file.
10740 @cindex MMDF mail box
10742 The MMDF mail box format.
10745 Several news articles appended into a file.
10748 @cindex rnews batch files
10749 The rnews batch transport format.
10750 @cindex forwarded messages
10753 Forwarded articles.
10756 MIME multipart messages, besides digests.
10760 @cindex MIME digest
10761 @cindex 1153 digest
10762 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
10763 @cindex RFC 341 digest
10764 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
10766 @item standard-digest
10767 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
10770 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
10773 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
10774 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
10775 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
10778 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
10779 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
10780 group. And that's it.
10782 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
10783 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
10784 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
10785 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
10786 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
10787 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
10788 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
10789 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
10790 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
10791 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
10793 Virtual server variables:
10796 @item nndoc-article-type
10797 @vindex nndoc-article-type
10798 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
10799 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
10800 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{mime-digest},
10801 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs} or
10804 @item nndoc-post-type
10805 @vindex nndoc-post-type
10806 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
10807 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
10812 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
10816 @node Document Server Internals
10817 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
10819 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
10820 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
10821 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
10822 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
10824 First, here's an example document type definition:
10828 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
10829 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
10832 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
10833 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
10834 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
10835 types can be defined with very few settings:
10838 @item first-article
10839 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
10840 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
10843 @item article-begin
10844 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
10845 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
10847 @item head-begin-function
10848 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
10851 @item nndoc-head-begin
10852 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
10855 @item nndoc-head-end
10856 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
10857 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
10859 @item body-begin-function
10860 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
10864 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
10867 @item body-end-function
10868 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
10872 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
10875 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
10876 regexp will be totally ignored.
10880 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
10881 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
10882 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
10883 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
10884 something that's palatable for Gnus:
10887 @item prepare-body-function
10888 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
10889 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
10890 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
10892 @item article-transform-function
10893 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
10894 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
10895 body of the article.
10897 @item generate-head-function
10898 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
10899 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
10900 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
10901 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
10905 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
10910 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10911 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10912 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
10913 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
10914 (head-end . "^ ?$")
10915 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
10916 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
10917 (subtype digest guess))
10920 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
10921 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
10922 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
10923 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
10924 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
10926 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
10927 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
10928 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
10929 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
10930 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
10931 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
10932 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
10933 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
10934 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
10935 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
10943 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
10944 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
10945 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
10947 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
10948 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
10949 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
10952 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
10953 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
10954 that interested in doing things properly.
10956 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
10957 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
10960 First some terminology:
10965 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
10966 get news and/or mail from.
10969 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
10970 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
10973 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
10977 @item message packets
10978 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
10979 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
10980 default, where @var{X} is a number.
10982 @item response packets
10983 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
10984 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
10985 default, where @var{X} is a number.
10995 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
10996 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
10997 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
10998 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
11001 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
11004 You put the packet in your home directory.
11007 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
11008 the native or secondary server.
11011 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
11012 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
11015 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
11019 You transfer this packet to the server.
11022 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
11025 You then repeat until you die.
11029 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
11030 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
11033 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
11034 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
11035 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
11039 @node SOUP Commands
11040 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
11042 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
11046 @kindex G s b (Group)
11047 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
11048 Pack all unread articles in the current group
11049 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
11050 process/prefix convention.
11053 @kindex G s w (Group)
11054 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
11055 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
11058 @kindex G s s (Group)
11059 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
11060 Send all replies from the replies packet
11061 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
11064 @kindex G s p (Group)
11065 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
11066 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
11069 @kindex G s r (Group)
11070 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
11071 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
11074 @kindex O s (Summary)
11075 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
11076 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
11077 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
11078 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
11083 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
11088 @item gnus-soup-directory
11089 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
11090 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
11091 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
11093 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
11094 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
11095 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
11096 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
11098 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
11099 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
11100 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
11101 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
11103 @item gnus-soup-packer
11104 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
11105 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
11106 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
11108 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
11109 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
11110 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
11111 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
11113 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
11114 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
11115 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
11117 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
11118 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
11119 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
11120 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
11126 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
11129 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
11130 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
11131 you can read them at leisure.
11133 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
11137 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
11138 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
11139 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
11140 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
11142 @item nnsoup-directory
11143 @vindex nnsoup-directory
11144 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
11145 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
11147 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
11148 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
11149 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
11150 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
11152 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
11153 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
11154 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
11155 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
11156 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
11158 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
11159 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
11160 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
11161 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
11163 @item nnsoup-active-file
11164 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
11165 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
11166 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
11167 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
11168 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
11170 @item nnsoup-packer
11171 @vindex nnsoup-packer
11172 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
11173 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
11175 @item nnsoup-unpacker
11176 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
11177 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
11178 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
11180 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
11181 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
11182 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
11185 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
11186 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
11187 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
11190 @item nnsoup-always-save
11191 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
11192 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
11198 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
11200 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
11201 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
11202 more for that to happen.
11204 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
11205 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
11206 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
11209 In specific, this is what it does:
11212 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
11213 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
11216 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
11217 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
11218 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
11222 @subsection Web Searches
11226 @cindex InReference
11227 @cindex Usenet searches
11228 @cindex searching the Usenet
11230 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
11231 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
11232 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
11233 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
11234 searches without having to use a browser.
11236 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
11237 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
11238 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
11239 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
11240 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
11242 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
11243 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
11244 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
11245 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
11246 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
11247 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
11248 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
11249 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
11250 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
11251 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
11254 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
11255 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
11256 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'
\e,Aj
\e(Btre} is to
11257 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
11258 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
11259 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
11261 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
11262 to use @code{nnweb}.
11264 Virtual server variables:
11269 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
11270 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
11274 @vindex nnweb-search
11275 The search string to feed to the search engine.
11277 @item nnweb-max-hits
11278 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
11279 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
11282 @item nnweb-type-definition
11283 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
11284 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
11285 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
11290 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
11294 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
11297 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
11300 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
11304 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
11311 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
11312 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
11313 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
11316 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
11317 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
11318 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
11320 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
11326 @item nngateway-address
11327 @vindex nngateway-address
11328 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
11330 @item nngateway-header-transformation
11331 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
11332 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
11333 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
11334 transformation should be called, and defaults to
11335 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
11336 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
11339 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
11340 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
11341 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
11344 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
11347 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
11350 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
11353 The following pre-defined functions exist:
11355 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
11358 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
11359 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
11360 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
11362 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
11364 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
11365 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
11366 @code{nngateway-address}.
11371 (setq gnus-post-method
11372 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
11373 (nngateway-header-transformation
11374 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
11382 So, to use this, simply say something like:
11385 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
11389 @node Combined Groups
11390 @section Combined Groups
11392 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
11396 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
11397 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
11401 @node Virtual Groups
11402 @subsection Virtual Groups
11404 @cindex virtual groups
11405 @cindex merging groups
11407 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
11410 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
11411 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
11412 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
11414 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
11415 regexp to match component groups.
11417 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
11418 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
11419 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
11420 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
11421 the virtual group.)
11423 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
11424 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
11427 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
11430 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
11431 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
11433 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
11434 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
11435 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
11436 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
11439 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
11442 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
11443 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
11444 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
11446 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
11447 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
11448 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
11449 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
11450 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
11452 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
11453 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
11454 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
11456 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
11457 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
11458 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
11459 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
11460 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
11461 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
11462 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
11463 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
11464 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
11465 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
11466 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
11468 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
11469 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
11470 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
11471 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
11472 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
11473 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
11474 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
11476 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
11477 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
11481 @node Kibozed Groups
11482 @subsection Kibozed Groups
11486 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
11487 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
11488 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
11489 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
11491 @kindex G k (Group)
11492 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
11495 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
11496 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
11497 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
11498 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
11500 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
11501 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
11502 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
11504 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
11505 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
11506 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
11507 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
11508 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
11509 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
11510 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
11511 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
11513 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
11514 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
11515 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
11516 Stranger things have happened.
11518 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
11519 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
11521 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
11522 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
11523 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
11524 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
11525 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
11526 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
11528 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
11529 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
11532 @node Gnus Unplugged
11533 @section Gnus Unplugged
11538 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
11540 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
11541 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
11542 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
11543 read news. Believe it or not.
11545 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
11546 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
11547 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
11548 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
11549 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
11551 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
11552 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
11553 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
11554 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
11555 reading news on a machine.
11557 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
11561 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
11562 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
11566 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
11567 @file{.gnus.el} file:
11574 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
11576 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
11579 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
11580 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
11581 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
11582 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
11583 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
11584 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
11585 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
11586 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
11587 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
11592 @subsection Agent Basics
11594 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
11596 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
11597 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
11598 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
11599 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
11601 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
11602 connected to the net continuously.
11604 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
11605 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
11607 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
11612 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
11613 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
11614 already fetched while in this mode.
11617 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
11618 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
11619 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged}.
11622 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
11623 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
11624 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
11625 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
11628 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
11629 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
11630 then you read the news offline.
11633 And then you go to step 2.
11636 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
11642 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
11643 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
11644 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
11645 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
11646 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
11647 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
11650 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
11657 @node Agent Categories
11658 @subsection Agent Categories
11660 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
11661 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
11662 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
11663 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
11664 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
11665 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
11666 you're interested in the articles anyway.
11668 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
11669 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
11670 Gnus has its own buffer for creating and managing categories.
11673 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
11674 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
11675 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
11679 @node Category Syntax
11680 @subsubsection Category Syntax
11682 A category consists of two things.
11686 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
11687 are eligible for downloading; and
11690 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
11691 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
11692 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
11695 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
11696 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
11697 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
11698 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
11700 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
11701 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
11702 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as descibed below.
11704 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
11705 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
11706 operators sprinkled in between.
11708 Perhaps some examples are in order.
11710 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
11711 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
11717 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
11718 short (for some value of ``short'').
11720 Here's a more complex predicate:
11729 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
11730 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
11733 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
11734 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
11735 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
11737 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
11738 you want to do, you can write your own.
11742 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
11743 lines; default 100.
11746 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
11747 lines; default 200.
11750 True iff the article has a download score less than
11751 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
11754 True iff the article has a download score greater than
11755 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
11758 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
11759 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
11760 checksum and sees whether articles match.
11769 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
11770 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
11771 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
11774 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
11775 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
11776 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
11777 something along the lines of the following:
11780 (defun my-article-old-p ()
11781 "Say whether an article is old."
11782 (< (time-to-day (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
11783 (- (time-to-day (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
11786 with the predicate then defined as:
11789 (not my-article-old-p)
11792 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
11793 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
11794 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
11795 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
11798 (defvar gnus-category-predicate-alist
11799 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
11800 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
11803 and simply specify your predicate as:
11809 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
11810 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
11811 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
11812 just don't give a damm.
11815 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
11816 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
11817 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
11818 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
11819 parameters like so:
11822 (agent-predicate . short)
11825 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category
11826 default. Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this,
11827 the @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair
11830 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
11833 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
11836 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
11837 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
11838 predicate is assumed to be a list.
11841 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
11842 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
11843 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
11844 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
11845 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
11846 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
11848 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
11849 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
11850 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
11851 if it's to be specific to that group.
11853 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
11860 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
11861 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
11867 Category specification
11871 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
11877 Group Parameter specification
11880 (agent-score ("from"
11881 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
11886 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
11892 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
11899 Category specification
11902 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
11908 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
11912 Group Parameter specification
11915 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
11918 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
11923 Use @code{normal} score files
11925 If you dont want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
11926 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
11927 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
11928 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
11930 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
11931 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
11932 files for a group, *filtering out* those those sections that do not
11933 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
11937 Category Specification
11944 Group Parameter specification
11947 (agent-score . file)
11952 @node The Category Buffer
11953 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
11955 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
11956 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
11957 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
11959 The following commands are available in this buffer:
11963 @kindex q (Category)
11964 @findex gnus-category-exit
11965 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
11968 @kindex k (Category)
11969 @findex gnus-category-kill
11970 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
11973 @kindex c (Category)
11974 @findex gnus-category-copy
11975 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
11978 @kindex a (Category)
11979 @findex gnus-category-add
11980 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
11983 @kindex p (Category)
11984 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
11985 Edit the predicate of the current category
11986 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
11989 @kindex g (Category)
11990 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
11991 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
11992 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
11995 @kindex s (Category)
11996 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
11997 Edit the download score rule of the current category
11998 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
12001 @kindex l (Category)
12002 @findex gnus-category-list
12003 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
12007 @node Category Variables
12008 @subsubsection Category Variables
12011 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
12012 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
12013 Hook run in category buffers.
12015 @item gnus-category-line-format
12016 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
12017 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
12018 Variables}). Valid elements are:
12022 The name of the category.
12025 The number of groups in the category.
12028 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
12029 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
12030 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
12032 @item gnus-agent-short-article
12033 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
12034 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
12036 @item gnus-agent-long-article
12037 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
12038 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
12040 @item gnus-agent-low-score
12041 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
12042 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
12045 @item gnus-agent-high-score
12046 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
12047 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
12053 @node Agent Commands
12054 @subsection Agent Commands
12056 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
12057 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
12058 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
12062 * Group Agent Commands::
12063 * Summary Agent Commands::
12064 * Server Agent Commands::
12067 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
12068 following incantation:
12070 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
12072 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
12077 @node Group Agent Commands
12078 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
12082 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
12083 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
12084 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
12085 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
12088 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
12089 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
12090 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
12093 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
12094 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
12095 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
12096 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
12099 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
12100 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
12101 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
12102 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}). @xref{Drafts}.
12105 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
12106 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
12107 Add the current group to an Agent category
12108 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}).
12113 @node Summary Agent Commands
12114 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
12118 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
12119 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
12120 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
12123 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
12124 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
12125 Remove the downloading mark from the article
12126 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
12129 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
12130 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
12131 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
12134 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
12135 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
12136 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
12141 @node Server Agent Commands
12142 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
12146 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
12147 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
12148 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
12149 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
12152 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
12153 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
12154 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
12155 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
12161 @subsection Agent Expiry
12163 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
12164 @findex gnus-agent-expire
12165 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
12166 @cindex Agent expiry
12167 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
12170 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
12171 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
12172 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
12173 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
12174 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
12175 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
12177 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
12178 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
12179 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
12180 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
12181 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
12184 @node Outgoing Messages
12185 @subsection Outgoing Messages
12187 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
12188 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
12189 after posting, and edit them at will.
12191 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
12192 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
12193 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
12194 messages in the draft group.
12198 @node Agent Variables
12199 @subsection Agent Variables
12202 @item gnus-agent-directory
12203 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
12204 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
12205 @file{~/News/agent/}.
12207 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
12208 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
12209 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
12210 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
12211 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
12214 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
12215 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
12216 Hook run when connecting to the network.
12218 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
12219 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
12220 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
12225 @node Example Setup
12226 @subsection Example Setup
12228 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
12229 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
12230 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
12233 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over NNTP
12234 ;;; from your ISP's server.
12235 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "nntp.your-isp.com"))
12237 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
12238 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
12239 (setenv "MAILHOST" "pop.your-isp.com")
12240 (setq nnmail-spool-file "po:username")
12242 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
12243 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12245 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
12249 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
12250 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
12253 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
12254 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
12255 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
12256 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
12257 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
12260 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
12261 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
12262 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
12263 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
12264 back all the killed groups.)
12266 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
12267 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
12268 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
12271 @node Batching Agents
12272 @subsection Batching Agents
12274 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
12275 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
12276 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
12280 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
12284 @node Agent Caveats
12285 @subsection Agent Caveats
12287 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
12288 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
12292 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
12297 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
12298 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
12304 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
12305 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
12312 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
12313 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
12314 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
12317 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
12318 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
12319 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
12320 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
12321 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
12323 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
12324 before generating the summary buffer.
12326 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
12327 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
12328 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
12330 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
12331 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
12332 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
12333 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
12336 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
12337 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
12338 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
12339 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
12340 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
12341 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
12342 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
12343 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
12344 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
12345 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
12346 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
12347 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
12348 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
12349 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
12350 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
12351 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
12355 @node Summary Score Commands
12356 @section Summary Score Commands
12357 @cindex score commands
12359 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
12360 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
12361 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
12362 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
12363 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
12365 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
12366 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
12367 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
12368 score file the current one.
12370 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
12375 @kindex V s (Summary)
12376 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
12377 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
12380 @kindex V S (Summary)
12381 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
12382 Display the score of the current article
12383 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
12386 @kindex V t (Summary)
12387 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
12388 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
12389 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
12392 @kindex V R (Summary)
12393 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
12394 Run the current summary through the scoring process
12395 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
12396 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
12397 effect you're having.
12400 @kindex V c (Summary)
12401 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
12402 Make a different score file the current
12403 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
12406 @kindex V e (Summary)
12407 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
12408 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
12409 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
12413 @kindex V f (Summary)
12414 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
12415 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
12416 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
12419 @kindex V F (Summary)
12420 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
12421 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
12422 after editing score files.
12425 @kindex V C (Summary)
12426 @findex gnus-score-customize
12427 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
12428 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
12432 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
12437 @kindex V m (Summary)
12438 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
12439 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
12440 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
12443 @kindex V x (Summary)
12444 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
12445 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
12446 expunge all articles below this score
12447 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
12450 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
12451 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
12454 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
12455 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
12459 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
12460 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
12462 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
12463 keys are available:
12467 Score on the author name.
12470 Score on the subject line.
12473 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
12476 Score on the References line.
12482 Score on the number of lines.
12485 Score on the Message-ID.
12488 Score on followups.
12502 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
12503 what headers you are scoring on.
12515 Substring matching.
12518 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
12547 Greater than number.
12552 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
12553 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
12554 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
12558 Temporary score entry.
12561 Permanent score entry.
12564 Immediately scoring.
12569 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
12570 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
12571 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
12572 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
12574 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
12575 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
12576 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
12577 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
12578 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
12580 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
12581 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
12582 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
12583 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
12584 current score file.
12586 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
12587 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
12588 pretend they are keymaps or not.
12591 @node Group Score Commands
12592 @section Group Score Commands
12593 @cindex group score commands
12595 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
12600 @kindex W f (Group)
12601 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
12602 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
12603 all the time. This command will flush the cache
12604 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
12608 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
12610 @findex gnus-batch-score
12611 @cindex batch scoring
12613 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
12617 @node Score Variables
12618 @section Score Variables
12619 @cindex score variables
12623 @item gnus-use-scoring
12624 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
12625 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
12626 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
12628 @item gnus-kill-killed
12629 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
12630 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
12631 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
12632 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
12633 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
12634 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
12635 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
12637 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
12638 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
12639 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
12640 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
12641 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
12643 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
12644 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
12645 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
12646 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
12648 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
12649 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
12650 @cindex score cache
12651 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
12652 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
12653 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
12654 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
12655 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
12656 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
12659 @item gnus-save-score
12660 @vindex gnus-save-score
12661 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
12662 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
12663 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
12665 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
12666 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
12667 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
12668 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
12669 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
12670 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
12671 manually entered data.
12673 @item gnus-summary-default-score
12674 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
12675 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
12677 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
12678 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
12679 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
12680 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
12681 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
12682 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
12684 @item gnus-score-over-mark
12685 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
12686 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
12687 default. Default is @samp{+}.
12689 @item gnus-score-below-mark
12690 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
12691 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
12692 default. Default is @samp{-}.
12694 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
12695 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
12696 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
12697 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
12699 Predefined functions available are:
12702 @item gnus-score-find-single
12703 @findex gnus-score-find-single
12704 Only apply the group's own score file.
12706 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
12707 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
12708 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
12709 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
12710 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
12711 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
12712 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
12713 then a regexp match is done.
12715 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
12716 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
12718 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
12719 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
12720 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
12721 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
12723 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
12724 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
12725 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
12726 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
12727 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
12730 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
12731 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
12732 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
12733 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
12734 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
12735 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
12738 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
12739 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
12740 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
12741 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
12742 are expired. It's 7 by default.
12744 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
12745 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
12746 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
12747 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
12748 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
12749 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
12750 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
12753 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
12754 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
12755 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
12757 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
12758 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
12759 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
12760 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
12761 threading---according to the current value of
12762 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
12763 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
12764 simplified in this manner.
12769 @node Score File Format
12770 @section Score File Format
12771 @cindex score file format
12773 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
12774 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
12775 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
12777 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
12781 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
12783 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
12785 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
12787 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
12792 (mark-and-expunge -10)
12796 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
12797 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
12798 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
12799 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
12803 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
12804 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
12806 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
12807 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
12808 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
12810 Six keys are supported by this alist:
12815 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
12816 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
12817 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
12818 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
12819 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
12820 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
12821 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
12822 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
12823 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
12824 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
12825 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
12826 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
12827 to articles that matches these score entries.
12829 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
12830 score entry has one to four elements.
12834 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
12835 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
12839 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
12840 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
12841 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
12842 is successful. If this element is not present, the
12843 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
12844 instead. This is 1000 by default.
12847 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
12848 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
12849 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
12850 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
12851 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
12854 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
12855 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
12856 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
12857 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
12860 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
12861 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
12862 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
12863 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
12864 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
12865 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
12866 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
12867 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
12868 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
12869 instead, if you feel like.
12872 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
12873 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
12875 These predicates are true if
12878 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
12881 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
12882 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
12889 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
12890 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
12891 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
12892 it's not. I think.)
12894 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
12895 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
12896 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
12897 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
12900 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
12901 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
12902 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
12903 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
12904 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
12905 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
12906 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
12910 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
12911 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
12912 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
12913 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
12914 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
12915 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
12916 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
12917 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
12920 @item Head, Body, All
12921 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
12925 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
12926 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
12927 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
12928 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
12929 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
12930 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
12931 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
12935 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
12936 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{X}, then you add a
12937 @samp{thread} match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each
12938 article that has @var{X} in its @code{References} header. (These new
12939 @samp{thread} matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching
12940 articles.) This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an
12941 entire thread, even though some articles in the thread may not have
12942 complete @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
12943 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
12944 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
12948 @cindex Score File Atoms
12950 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12951 lower than this number will be marked as read.
12954 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12955 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
12957 @item mark-and-expunge
12958 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12959 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
12962 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
12963 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
12964 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
12965 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
12966 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
12969 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
12970 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
12973 @item exclude-files
12974 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
12975 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
12979 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
12980 ignored when handling global score files.
12983 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
12984 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
12985 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
12986 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
12989 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
12990 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
12991 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
12992 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
12994 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
12998 (mark-and-expunge -100)
13001 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
13002 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
13003 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
13004 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
13005 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
13007 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
13008 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
13009 ordinary scoring rules.
13012 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
13013 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
13014 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
13015 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
13016 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
13017 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
13018 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
13019 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
13020 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
13021 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
13022 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
13026 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
13027 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
13028 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
13029 file for a number of groups.
13032 @cindex local variables
13033 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
13034 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
13035 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
13036 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
13037 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
13041 @node Score File Editing
13042 @section Score File Editing
13044 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
13045 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
13046 with a mode for that.
13048 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
13049 additional commands:
13054 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
13055 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
13056 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
13057 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
13060 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
13061 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
13062 Insert the current date in numerical format
13063 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
13064 you were wondering.
13067 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
13068 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
13069 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
13070 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
13071 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
13076 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
13078 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
13079 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
13081 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
13082 e} to begin editing score files.
13085 @node Adaptive Scoring
13086 @section Adaptive Scoring
13087 @cindex adaptive scoring
13089 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
13090 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
13091 stupidity, to be precise.
13093 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
13094 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
13095 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
13096 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
13097 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
13098 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
13099 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
13100 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
13101 variable to @code{(word line)}.
13103 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
13104 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
13105 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
13106 might look something like this:
13109 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
13110 '((gnus-unread-mark)
13111 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
13112 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
13113 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
13114 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
13115 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
13116 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
13117 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
13118 (gnus-ancient-mark)
13119 (gnus-low-score-mark)
13120 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
13123 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
13124 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
13125 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
13126 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
13127 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
13128 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
13131 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
13132 will be applied to each article.
13134 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
13135 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
13136 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
13137 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
13139 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
13140 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
13141 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
13142 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
13144 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
13145 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
13146 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
13147 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
13149 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
13150 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
13151 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
13152 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
13153 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
13154 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
13156 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
13157 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
13158 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
13159 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
13160 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
13161 aspirins afterwards.)
13163 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
13164 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
13165 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
13167 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
13168 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
13169 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
13171 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
13172 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
13173 let you use different rules in different groups.
13175 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
13176 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
13177 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
13180 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
13181 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
13182 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
13183 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
13184 the length of the match is less than
13185 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
13186 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
13189 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
13190 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
13191 headers. If you adapt on words, the
13192 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
13193 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
13196 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
13197 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
13198 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
13199 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
13200 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
13203 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
13204 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
13205 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
13206 score with 30 points.
13208 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
13209 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
13210 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
13211 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
13212 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
13214 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
13215 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
13216 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
13217 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
13219 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
13220 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
13221 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
13222 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
13224 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
13225 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
13226 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
13227 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
13228 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
13230 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
13231 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
13232 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
13234 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
13235 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
13236 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
13237 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
13240 @node Home Score File
13241 @section Home Score File
13243 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
13244 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
13245 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
13246 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
13248 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
13249 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
13250 could perhaps use the same home score file.
13252 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
13253 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
13258 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
13262 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
13263 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
13267 A list. The elements in this list can be:
13271 @var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
13272 the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
13275 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
13276 the home score file.
13279 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
13282 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
13287 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
13290 (setq gnus-home-score-file
13291 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
13294 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
13295 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
13297 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
13299 (setq gnus-home-score-file
13300 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
13303 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
13304 Other functions include
13307 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
13308 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
13309 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
13310 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
13314 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
13315 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
13316 their own home score files:
13319 (setq gnus-home-score-file
13320 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
13321 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
13322 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
13323 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
13326 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
13327 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
13328 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
13329 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
13330 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
13332 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
13333 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
13334 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
13335 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
13336 precedence over this variable.
13339 @node Followups To Yourself
13340 @section Followups To Yourself
13342 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
13343 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
13344 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
13345 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
13346 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
13347 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
13351 @item gnus-score-followup-article
13352 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
13353 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
13356 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
13357 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
13358 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
13362 @vindex message-sent-hook
13363 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
13364 @code{message-sent-hook}.
13366 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
13367 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
13371 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
13372 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
13375 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
13376 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
13381 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
13385 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
13386 is system-dependent.
13390 @section Scoring Tips
13391 @cindex scoring tips
13397 @cindex scoring crossposts
13398 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
13399 the @code{Xref} header.
13401 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
13404 @item Multiple crossposts
13405 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
13406 more than, say, 3 groups:
13408 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
13411 @item Matching on the body
13412 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
13413 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
13414 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
13415 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
13416 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
13417 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
13418 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
13421 @item Marking as read
13422 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
13423 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
13424 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
13428 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
13430 @item Negated character classes
13431 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
13432 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
13433 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
13437 @node Reverse Scoring
13438 @section Reverse Scoring
13439 @cindex reverse scoring
13441 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
13442 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
13443 like this in your score file:
13447 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
13452 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
13453 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
13456 @node Global Score Files
13457 @section Global Score Files
13458 @cindex global score files
13460 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
13461 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
13462 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
13464 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
13465 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
13466 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
13468 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
13469 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
13470 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
13471 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
13472 files are applicable to which group.
13474 Say you want to use the score file
13475 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
13476 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
13479 (setq gnus-global-score-files
13480 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
13481 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
13484 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
13485 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
13486 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
13487 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
13488 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
13490 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
13491 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
13493 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
13494 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
13495 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
13496 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
13497 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
13498 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
13500 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
13506 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
13508 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
13510 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
13512 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
13513 lowered out of existence.
13515 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
13516 articles completely.
13519 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
13520 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
13521 old articles for a long time.
13524 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
13525 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
13526 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
13527 holding our breath yet?
13531 @section Kill Files
13534 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
13535 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
13536 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
13538 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
13539 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
13540 files into score files.
13542 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
13543 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
13544 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
13545 that isn't a very good idea.
13547 Normal kill files look like this:
13550 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13551 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
13555 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
13556 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
13558 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
13559 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
13562 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
13567 @kindex M-k (Summary)
13568 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
13569 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
13572 @kindex M-K (Summary)
13573 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
13574 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
13577 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
13582 @kindex M-k (Group)
13583 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
13584 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
13587 @kindex M-K (Group)
13588 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
13589 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
13592 Kill file variables:
13595 @item gnus-kill-file-name
13596 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
13597 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
13598 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
13599 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
13600 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
13601 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
13603 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
13604 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
13605 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
13606 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
13609 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
13610 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
13611 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
13612 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
13613 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
13614 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
13615 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
13616 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
13617 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
13619 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
13620 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
13621 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
13626 @node Converting Kill Files
13627 @section Converting Kill Files
13629 @cindex converting kill files
13631 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
13632 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
13633 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
13636 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
13637 You can fetch it from
13638 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
13640 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
13641 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
13642 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
13650 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
13651 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
13652 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
13654 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
13655 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
13656 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
13657 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
13658 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
13659 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
13660 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
13661 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
13665 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
13666 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
13667 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
13668 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
13672 @node Using GroupLens
13673 @subsection Using GroupLens
13675 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
13677 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
13678 better bit in town at the moment.
13680 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
13684 @item gnus-use-grouplens
13685 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
13686 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
13687 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
13689 @item grouplens-pseudonym
13690 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
13691 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
13692 with the Better Bit Bureau.
13694 @item grouplens-newsgroups
13695 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
13696 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
13700 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
13701 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
13702 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
13703 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
13704 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
13705 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
13708 @node Rating Articles
13709 @subsection Rating Articles
13711 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
13712 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
13713 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
13714 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
13717 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
13722 @kindex r (GroupLens)
13723 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
13724 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
13727 @kindex k (GroupLens)
13728 @findex grouplens-score-thread
13729 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
13730 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
13731 threads in rec.humor.
13735 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
13736 the score of the article you're reading.
13741 @kindex n (GroupLens)
13742 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
13743 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
13746 @kindex , (GroupLens)
13747 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
13748 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
13752 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
13753 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
13756 @node Displaying Predictions
13757 @subsection Displaying Predictions
13759 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
13760 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
13761 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
13762 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
13763 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
13765 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
13766 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
13767 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
13768 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
13769 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
13770 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
13771 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
13772 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
13773 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
13774 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
13775 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
13776 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
13777 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
13779 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
13780 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
13781 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
13782 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
13784 The following are valid values for that variable.
13787 @item prediction-spot
13788 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
13791 @item confidence-interval
13792 A numeric confidence interval.
13794 @item prediction-bar
13795 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
13797 @item confidence-bar
13798 Numerical confidence.
13800 @item confidence-spot
13801 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
13803 @item prediction-num
13804 Plain-old numeric value.
13806 @item confidence-plus-minus
13807 Prediction +/- confidence.
13812 @node GroupLens Variables
13813 @subsection GroupLens Variables
13817 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
13818 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
13819 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
13820 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
13823 @item grouplens-bbb-host
13824 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
13827 @item grouplens-bbb-port
13828 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
13830 @item grouplens-score-offset
13831 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
13832 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
13835 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
13836 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
13837 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
13842 @node Advanced Scoring
13843 @section Advanced Scoring
13845 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
13846 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
13847 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
13848 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
13849 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
13851 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
13855 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
13856 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
13857 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
13861 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
13862 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
13864 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
13865 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
13866 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
13867 non-@code{nil} value.
13869 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
13870 operator, and various match operators.
13877 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
13878 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
13879 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
13884 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
13885 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
13886 then this operator will return @code{false}.
13891 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
13892 logical negation of the value of its argument.
13896 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
13897 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
13898 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
13899 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
13900 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
13901 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
13902 the ancestry you want to go.
13904 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
13905 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
13906 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
13907 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
13908 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
13911 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
13912 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
13914 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
13915 when he's talking about Gnus:
13919 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13920 ("subject" "Gnus"))
13926 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
13930 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13937 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
13938 really don't want to read what he's written:
13942 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13943 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
13947 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
13948 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
13949 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
13956 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
13957 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
13958 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
13959 ("body" "white.*socks"))
13963 The possibilities are endless.
13966 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
13967 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
13969 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
13970 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
13971 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
13972 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
13973 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
13974 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
13975 @samp{subject}) first.
13977 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
13978 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
13989 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
13990 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
13996 ("subject" "Gnus")))
14003 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
14004 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
14009 @section Score Decays
14010 @cindex score decays
14013 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
14014 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
14015 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
14016 use them in any sensible way.
14018 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
14019 @findex gnus-decay-score
14020 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
14021 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
14022 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
14023 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
14024 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
14025 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
14026 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
14027 definition of that function:
14030 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
14032 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
14033 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
14036 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
14038 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
14040 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
14043 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
14044 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
14045 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
14046 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
14050 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
14053 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
14056 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
14060 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
14061 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
14062 the new score, which should be an integer.
14064 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
14065 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
14072 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
14073 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
14074 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
14075 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
14076 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
14077 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
14078 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
14079 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
14080 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
14081 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
14082 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
14083 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
14084 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
14085 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
14086 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
14087 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
14088 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
14089 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
14093 @node Process/Prefix
14094 @section Process/Prefix
14095 @cindex process/prefix convention
14097 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
14098 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
14100 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
14101 command to be performed on.
14105 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
14106 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
14107 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
14108 with the current one.
14110 @vindex transient-mark-mode
14111 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
14112 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
14114 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
14115 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
14118 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
14119 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
14121 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
14124 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
14125 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
14126 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
14127 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14129 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
14130 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
14131 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
14132 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
14133 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
14134 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
14135 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
14136 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
14140 @section Interactive
14141 @cindex interaction
14145 @item gnus-novice-user
14146 @vindex gnus-novice-user
14147 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
14148 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
14149 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
14150 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
14153 @item gnus-expert-user
14154 @vindex gnus-expert-user
14155 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
14156 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
14157 matter how strange.
14159 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
14160 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
14161 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
14162 is @code{t} by default.
14164 @item gnus-interactive-exit
14165 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
14166 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
14171 @node Symbolic Prefixes
14172 @section Symbolic Prefixes
14173 @cindex symbolic prefixes
14175 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
14176 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
14177 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
14178 rule of 900 to the current article.
14180 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
14181 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
14182 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
14183 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
14184 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
14185 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
14186 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
14188 @kindex M-i (Summary)
14189 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
14190 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
14191 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
14192 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
14193 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
14194 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
14195 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
14196 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
14198 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
14199 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
14200 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
14202 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
14206 @node Formatting Variables
14207 @section Formatting Variables
14208 @cindex formatting variables
14210 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
14211 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
14212 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
14213 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
14214 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
14217 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
14218 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
14219 lots of percentages everywhere.
14222 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
14223 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
14224 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
14225 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
14226 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
14229 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
14230 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
14231 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
14232 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
14233 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
14234 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
14235 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
14236 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
14238 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
14239 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
14241 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
14242 @findex gnus-update-format
14243 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
14244 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
14245 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
14246 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
14250 @node Formatting Basics
14251 @subsection Formatting Basics
14253 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
14254 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
14255 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
14257 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
14258 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
14259 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
14260 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
14261 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
14264 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
14265 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
14266 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
14267 less than 4 characters wide.
14270 @node Mode Line Formatting
14271 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
14273 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
14274 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
14275 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
14276 with the following two differences:
14281 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
14284 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
14285 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
14286 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
14287 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
14288 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
14289 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
14290 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
14295 @node Advanced Formatting
14296 @subsection Advanced Formatting
14298 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
14299 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
14300 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
14301 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
14303 These are the valid modifiers:
14308 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
14312 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
14317 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
14320 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
14325 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
14328 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
14331 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
14334 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
14338 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
14339 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
14340 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
14341 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
14342 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
14343 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
14344 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
14346 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
14347 last operation, padding.
14349 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
14350 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
14351 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
14352 @xref{Compilation}.
14355 @node User-Defined Specs
14356 @subsection User-Defined Specs
14358 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
14359 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
14360 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
14361 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
14362 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
14363 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
14364 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
14365 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
14366 should protect against that.
14368 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
14369 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
14370 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
14371 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
14375 @node Formatting Fonts
14376 @subsection Formatting Fonts
14378 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
14379 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
14380 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
14381 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
14384 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
14385 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
14386 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
14387 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
14388 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
14389 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
14391 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
14394 ;; Create three face types.
14395 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
14396 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
14398 ;; We want the article count to be in
14399 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
14400 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
14401 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
14403 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
14404 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
14406 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
14407 (setq gnus-group-line-format
14408 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
14411 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
14412 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
14414 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
14415 mode-line variables.
14418 @node Windows Configuration
14419 @section Windows Configuration
14420 @cindex windows configuration
14422 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
14424 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
14425 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
14426 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
14427 @code{t} by default.
14429 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
14430 glitches. Use at your own peril.
14432 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
14433 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
14434 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
14437 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
14438 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
14439 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
14443 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
14444 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
14445 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
14446 possible names is listed below.
14448 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
14449 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
14452 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
14456 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
14457 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
14458 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
14459 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
14460 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
14461 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
14462 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
14463 size spec per split.
14465 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
14466 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
14467 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
14468 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
14469 present) gets focus.
14471 Here's a more complicated example:
14474 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
14475 (summary 0.25 point)
14476 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
14480 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
14481 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
14482 occupy, not a percentage.
14484 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
14485 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
14486 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
14487 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
14488 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
14491 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
14494 (article (horizontal 1.0
14499 (summary 0.25 point)
14504 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
14505 @code{horizontal} thingie?
14507 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
14508 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
14509 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
14510 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
14511 the screen is to be given to this strip.
14513 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
14514 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
14515 lines from the splits.
14517 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
14521 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
14522 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
14523 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
14524 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
14525 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
14526 size = number | frame-params
14527 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
14530 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
14531 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
14532 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
14533 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
14535 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
14536 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
14537 @cindex window height
14538 @cindex window width
14539 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
14540 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
14541 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
14542 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
14543 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
14544 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
14546 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
14547 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
14548 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
14549 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
14551 @findex gnus-configure-frame
14552 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
14553 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
14554 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
14555 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
14556 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
14557 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
14558 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
14559 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
14560 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
14561 configuration list.
14564 (gnus-configure-frame
14568 (article 0.3 point))
14576 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
14577 @code{frame} split:
14580 (gnus-configure-frame
14583 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
14585 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
14586 (user-position . t)
14587 (left . -1) (top . 1))
14592 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
14593 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
14594 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
14595 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
14596 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
14597 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
14598 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
14599 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
14602 Here's a list of all possible keys for
14603 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
14605 @code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
14606 @code{browse}, @code{message}, @code{pick}, @code{info},
14607 @code{summary-faq}, @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server},
14608 @code{edit-score}, @code{post}, @code{reply}, @code{forward},
14609 @code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft}, @code{pipe},
14610 @code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}, and @code{score-trace}.
14612 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
14613 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
14614 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
14618 (message (horizontal 1.0
14619 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
14621 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
14626 @findex gnus-add-configuration
14627 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
14628 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
14629 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
14630 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
14633 (gnus-add-configuration
14634 '(article (vertical 1.0
14636 (summary .25 point)
14640 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
14641 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
14642 Gnus has been loaded.
14644 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
14645 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
14646 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
14647 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
14648 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
14650 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
14651 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
14652 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
14656 @node Faces and Fonts
14657 @section Faces and Fonts
14662 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
14663 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
14664 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
14669 @section Compilation
14670 @cindex compilation
14671 @cindex byte-compilation
14673 @findex gnus-compile
14675 Remember all those line format specification variables?
14676 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
14677 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
14678 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
14679 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
14680 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
14683 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
14684 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
14685 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
14686 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
14687 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
14688 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
14689 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
14693 @section Mode Lines
14696 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
14697 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
14698 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
14699 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
14700 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
14701 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
14702 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
14705 @cindex display-time
14707 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
14708 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
14709 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
14710 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
14711 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
14712 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
14713 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
14714 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
14717 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
14719 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
14720 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
14722 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
14723 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
14724 (length display-time-string)))))
14727 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
14728 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
14729 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
14730 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
14731 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
14734 @node Highlighting and Menus
14735 @section Highlighting and Menus
14737 @cindex highlighting
14740 @vindex gnus-visual
14741 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
14742 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
14743 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
14746 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
14747 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
14750 @item group-highlight
14751 Do highlights in the group buffer.
14752 @item summary-highlight
14753 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
14754 @item article-highlight
14755 Do highlights according to @code{gnus-article-display-hook} in the
14758 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
14760 Create menus in the group buffer.
14762 Create menus in the summary buffers.
14764 Create menus in the article buffer.
14766 Create menus in the browse buffer.
14768 Create menus in the server buffer.
14770 Create menus in the score buffers.
14772 Create menus in all buffers.
14775 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
14776 buffers, you could say something like:
14779 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
14782 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
14785 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
14788 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
14789 in all Gnus buffers.
14791 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
14794 @item gnus-mouse-face
14795 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
14796 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
14797 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
14801 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
14805 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
14806 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
14807 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
14809 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
14810 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
14811 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
14813 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
14814 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
14815 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
14817 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
14818 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
14819 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
14821 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
14822 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
14823 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
14825 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
14826 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
14827 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
14838 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
14839 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
14840 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
14841 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
14842 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
14846 @vindex gnus-carpal
14847 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
14848 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
14849 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
14854 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
14855 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
14856 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
14858 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
14859 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
14860 Face used on buttons.
14862 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
14863 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
14864 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
14866 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
14867 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
14868 Buttons in the group buffer.
14870 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
14871 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
14872 Buttons in the summary buffer.
14874 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
14875 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
14876 Buttons in the server buffer.
14878 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
14879 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
14880 Buttons in the browse buffer.
14883 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
14884 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
14885 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
14893 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
14894 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
14895 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
14896 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
14897 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
14899 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
14900 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
14901 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
14903 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
14904 been idle for thirty minutes:
14907 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
14910 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
14914 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
14917 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
14918 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
14919 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
14921 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
14922 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
14923 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
14924 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
14926 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
14927 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
14928 @var{idle} minutes.
14930 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
14931 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
14934 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
14935 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
14936 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
14938 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
14939 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
14940 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
14941 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
14943 @vindex gnus-use-demon
14944 To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
14945 @code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
14947 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
14948 your @file{.gnus} file:
14950 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
14952 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
14955 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
14956 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
14957 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
14958 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
14959 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
14960 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
14961 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
14962 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
14963 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
14964 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
14965 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
14967 @findex gnus-demon-init
14968 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
14969 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
14970 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
14971 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
14972 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
14974 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
14975 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
14976 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
14985 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
14986 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
14988 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
14989 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
14990 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
14991 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
14994 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
14995 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
14996 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
14997 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
14999 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
15000 this will make spam disappear.
15002 There are some variables to customize, of course:
15005 @item gnus-use-nocem
15006 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
15007 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
15010 @item gnus-nocem-groups
15011 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
15012 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
15013 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
15014 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
15016 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
15017 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
15018 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
15019 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
15020 "rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
15021 "jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
15022 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
15024 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
15027 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
15028 @cindex Chris Lewis
15029 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
15030 usenet abuse than anybody else.
15033 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
15034 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
15035 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
15037 @item jem@@xpat.com;
15039 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
15042 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
15043 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
15044 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
15047 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
15048 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
15049 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
15050 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
15051 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
15052 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
15053 @var{(issuer conditions ...)} elements in the list. Each condition is
15054 either a string (which is a regexp that matches types you want to use)
15055 or a list on the form @code{(not STRING)}, where @var{string} is a
15056 regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
15058 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
15059 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
15062 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
15065 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
15066 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
15069 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
15072 The specs are applied left-to-right.
15075 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
15076 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
15078 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
15079 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
15080 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
15081 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
15083 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
15084 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
15087 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
15089 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
15097 This might be dangerous, though.
15099 @item gnus-nocem-directory
15100 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
15101 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
15102 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
15104 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
15105 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
15106 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
15107 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
15108 might then see old spam.
15112 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
15113 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
15114 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
15115 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
15122 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
15123 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
15124 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
15126 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
15127 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
15128 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
15129 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
15130 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
15131 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
15132 @code{undo} function.
15134 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
15135 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
15136 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
15137 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
15138 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
15139 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
15140 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
15141 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
15142 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
15143 never be totally undoable.
15145 @findex gnus-undo-mode
15146 @vindex gnus-use-undo
15148 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
15149 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
15150 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
15151 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
15156 @section Moderation
15159 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
15160 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
15161 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
15164 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
15168 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
15171 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
15173 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
15178 You split your incoming mail by matching on
15179 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
15180 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
15183 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
15184 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
15187 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
15188 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
15192 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
15195 (setq gnus-moderated-list
15196 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
15200 @node XEmacs Enhancements
15201 @section XEmacs Enhancements
15204 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
15208 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
15209 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
15210 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
15211 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
15224 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
15225 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
15226 over your shoulder as you read news.
15229 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
15230 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
15231 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
15232 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
15233 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
15238 @subsubsection Picon Basics
15240 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
15249 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
15250 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
15251 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
15252 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
15253 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
15254 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
15255 @code{GIF} formats.
15258 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15259 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
15260 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
15261 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
15262 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
15264 @vindex gnus-picons-database
15265 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
15266 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
15267 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
15268 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
15269 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
15272 @node Picon Requirements
15273 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
15275 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
15276 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
15279 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
15280 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
15281 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
15283 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
15284 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
15285 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
15286 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
15287 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
15291 @subsubsection Easy Picons
15293 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
15294 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
15297 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
15298 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
15299 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
15300 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
15301 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
15304 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
15305 containing the Picons databases.
15307 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
15310 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15311 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
15316 @subsubsection Hard Picons
15324 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
15325 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
15326 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
15327 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
15328 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
15333 @item gnus-picons-database
15334 @vindex gnus-picons-database
15335 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
15336 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
15337 subdirectories. This is only useful if
15338 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
15339 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
15341 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15342 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15343 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
15344 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
15345 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
15346 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
15347 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
15349 @item gnus-picons-display-where
15350 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
15351 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
15352 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
15353 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
15354 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
15355 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
15356 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
15358 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
15359 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
15360 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
15365 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
15366 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
15368 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
15369 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
15372 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
15373 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
15375 @item gnus-article-display-picons
15376 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
15377 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
15378 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to the
15379 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
15381 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
15382 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
15383 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
15384 should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
15388 Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
15389 for the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
15392 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
15396 @node Picon Useless Configuration
15397 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
15405 The following variables offer further control over how things are
15406 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
15407 don't need to worry about.
15411 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
15412 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
15413 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
15414 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
15416 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
15417 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
15418 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
15419 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
15421 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
15422 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
15423 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
15424 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
15425 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
15427 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
15428 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
15429 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
15430 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
15431 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
15432 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
15433 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
15435 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
15436 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
15437 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
15438 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
15440 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
15441 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
15442 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
15443 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
15444 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
15445 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
15446 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
15448 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
15449 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
15450 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
15451 Defaults to @code{nil}.
15453 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
15454 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
15455 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
15456 Defaults to @code{t}.
15458 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
15459 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
15460 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
15461 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
15463 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
15464 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
15465 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
15466 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
15468 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
15469 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
15470 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
15471 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
15472 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
15473 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
15474 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
15475 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
15486 @subsection Smileys
15491 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
15496 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
15497 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
15499 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
15500 @file{.gnus.el} file:
15503 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-smiley-display t)
15506 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
15507 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
15508 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
15509 text and maps that to file names.
15511 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
15512 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
15513 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
15514 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
15515 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
15516 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
15518 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
15519 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
15521 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
15522 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
15523 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
15525 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
15526 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
15530 @item smiley-data-directory
15531 @vindex smiley-data-directory
15532 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
15534 @item smiley-flesh-color
15535 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
15536 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
15538 @item smiley-features-color
15539 @vindex smiley-features-color
15540 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
15542 @item smiley-tongue-color
15543 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
15544 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
15546 @item smiley-circle-color
15547 @vindex smiley-circle-color
15548 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
15550 @item smiley-mouse-face
15551 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
15552 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
15558 @subsection Toolbar
15568 @item gnus-use-toolbar
15569 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
15570 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
15571 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
15572 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
15574 @item gnus-group-toolbar
15575 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
15576 The toolbar in the group buffer.
15578 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
15579 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
15580 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
15582 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
15583 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
15584 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
15590 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
15593 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
15594 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
15595 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
15596 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
15597 unusual directory structure.
15599 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
15600 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
15601 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
15602 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
15604 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
15605 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
15606 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
15607 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
15608 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
15609 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
15611 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
15612 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
15613 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
15627 @node Fuzzy Matching
15628 @section Fuzzy Matching
15629 @cindex fuzzy matching
15631 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
15632 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
15634 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
15635 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
15636 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
15638 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
15639 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
15640 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
15641 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
15642 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
15645 @node Thwarting Email Spam
15646 @section Thwarting Email Spam
15650 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
15652 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
15653 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
15654 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
15655 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
15656 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
15657 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
15658 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
15659 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
15662 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
15663 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
15664 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
15665 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
15666 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
15667 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
15671 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
15672 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
15674 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
15675 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
15676 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
15677 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
15678 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
15679 part of the mail address.)
15682 (setq message-default-news-headers
15683 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
15686 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
15687 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
15692 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
15693 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
15694 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
15700 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
15701 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
15702 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
15703 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
15705 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
15706 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
15707 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
15708 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
15709 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
15710 your fancy split rule in this way:
15715 (to "larsi" "misc")
15719 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
15720 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
15721 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
15722 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
15723 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
15725 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
15726 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
15727 at @* @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
15728 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
15729 cosmic balance somewhat.
15731 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
15732 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
15733 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
15734 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
15737 @node Various Various
15738 @section Various Various
15744 @item gnus-home-directory
15745 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
15746 defaults to @file{~/}.
15748 @item gnus-directory
15749 @vindex gnus-directory
15750 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
15751 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
15752 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
15754 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
15755 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
15756 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
15757 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
15759 @item gnus-default-directory
15760 @vindex gnus-default-directory
15761 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
15762 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
15763 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
15764 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15765 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
15766 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
15769 @vindex gnus-verbose
15770 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
15771 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
15772 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
15773 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
15774 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
15776 @item gnus-verbose-backends
15777 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
15778 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
15779 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
15781 @item nnheader-max-head-length
15782 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
15783 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
15784 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
15785 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
15786 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
15787 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
15788 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
15789 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
15790 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
15792 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
15793 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
15794 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
15795 read when doing the operation described above.
15797 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15798 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15800 @cindex invalid characters in file names
15801 @cindex characters in file names
15802 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
15803 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
15804 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
15807 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15811 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
15812 Windows (phooey) systems.
15814 @item gnus-hidden-properties
15815 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
15816 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
15817 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
15818 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
15820 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
15821 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
15822 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
15823 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
15824 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
15826 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
15827 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
15828 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
15837 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
15838 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
15840 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
15842 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
15848 Not because of victories @*
15851 but for the common sunshine,@*
15853 the largess of the spring.
15857 but for the day's work done@*
15858 as well as I was able;@*
15859 not for a seat upon the dais@*
15860 but at the common table.@*
15865 @chapter Appendices
15868 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
15869 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
15870 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
15871 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
15872 * A Programmers Guide to Gnus:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
15873 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
15874 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
15882 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
15883 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
15885 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
15886 can point your (feh!) web browser to
15887 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
15888 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
15889 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
15891 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
15892 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
15893 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
15894 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
15895 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
15896 appropriate name, don't you think?)
15898 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
15899 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
15900 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
15901 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
15903 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
15904 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
15905 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
15907 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
15908 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
15910 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
15911 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
15913 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37
15914 releases. If was released as ``Gnus 5.6 on March 8th 1998.
15916 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
15917 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
15918 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
15919 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
15920 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
15924 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
15925 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
15926 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
15927 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
15928 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
15929 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
15930 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
15937 What's the point of Gnus?
15939 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
15940 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
15941 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
15942 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
15943 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
15944 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
15945 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
15946 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
15947 keep track of millions of people who post?
15949 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
15950 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
15951 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
15952 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
15953 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
15954 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
15955 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
15956 every one of you to explore and invent.
15958 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
15959 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
15962 @node Compatibility
15963 @subsection Compatibility
15965 @cindex compatibility
15966 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
15967 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
15968 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
15973 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
15977 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
15980 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
15983 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
15984 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
15985 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
15986 important variables have their values copied into their global
15987 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
15988 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
15990 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
15991 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
15992 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
15993 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
15994 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
15998 @cindex highlighting
15999 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
16000 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
16001 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
16002 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
16003 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
16004 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
16007 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
16008 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
16009 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
16010 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
16012 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
16013 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
16014 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
16015 to stop doing it the old way.
16017 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
16019 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
16021 @cindex reporting bugs
16023 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
16024 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
16025 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
16027 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
16028 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
16029 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
16030 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
16035 @subsection Conformity
16037 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
16038 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
16045 There are no known breaches of this standard.
16049 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
16051 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
16052 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
16053 We do have some breaches to this one.
16058 Gnus does not yet fully handle MIME, and this standard-to-be seems to
16059 think that MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
16062 This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
16063 consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
16064 coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
16065 those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
16066 for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
16071 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
16072 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
16073 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
16074 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
16078 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
16079 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
16084 @subsection Emacsen
16090 Gnus should work on :
16098 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
16102 Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
16103 reliably, at least.
16105 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
16106 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
16107 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
16112 @subsection Contributors
16113 @cindex contributors
16115 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
16116 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
16117 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
16118 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
16119 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
16120 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
16121 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
16122 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
16123 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
16124 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
16126 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
16132 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
16135 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
16136 well as numerous other things).
16139 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
16142 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
16145 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el and many other things
16146 connected with @sc{mime} and other types of en/decoding.
16149 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
16150 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
16153 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
16156 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
16157 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
16160 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
16163 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
16166 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
16169 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
16172 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
16173 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
16176 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
16179 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
16182 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
16185 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
16189 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
16192 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
16195 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
16198 Fran
\e,Ag
\e(Bois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
16199 well as autoconf support.
16203 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
16204 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
16206 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
16211 David K
\e,Ae
\e(Bgedal,
16215 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
16219 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
16241 Massimo Campostrini,
16249 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
16255 Michael Welsh Duggan,
16258 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
16262 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
16269 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
16271 Michelangelo Grigni,
16274 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
16276 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
16278 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
16283 Fran
\e,Ag
\e(Bois Felix Ingrand,
16284 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
16286 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
16295 Peter Skov Knudsen,
16296 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
16297 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
16298 Thor Kristoffersen,
16301 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
16318 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
16319 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
16326 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
16330 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
16333 John McClary Prevost,
16339 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
16344 Christian von Roques,
16346 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
16353 Philippe Schnoebelen,
16355 Randal L. Schwartz,
16385 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka.
16387 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
16388 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
16389 (550kB and counting).
16391 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
16394 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
16395 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
16399 @subsection New Features
16400 @cindex new features
16403 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
16404 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
16405 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
16406 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
16409 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
16410 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
16411 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
16415 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
16417 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
16422 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
16423 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
16426 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
16427 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
16430 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
16433 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
16434 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
16435 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
16438 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
16439 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
16440 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
16441 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
16444 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
16445 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16448 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
16449 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
16450 (@pxref{The Active File}).
16453 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
16454 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
16457 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
16458 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
16459 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
16462 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
16463 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
16464 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
16467 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
16468 the @file{.emacs} file.
16471 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
16472 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16475 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
16476 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
16479 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
16480 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16483 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
16484 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
16487 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
16488 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
16491 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
16494 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
16495 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
16498 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
16499 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
16502 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
16503 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
16506 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
16509 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
16510 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
16513 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
16517 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
16521 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
16522 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
16525 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
16531 @node September Gnus
16532 @subsubsection September Gnus
16536 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
16540 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
16545 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
16546 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
16550 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
16551 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
16555 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
16559 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
16560 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
16563 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
16567 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
16570 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
16573 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
16576 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
16580 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
16581 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
16584 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
16588 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
16592 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
16596 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
16600 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
16603 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
16604 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
16607 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
16611 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
16612 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
16615 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
16618 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
16619 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
16620 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
16623 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
16627 The Gnus cache is much faster.
16630 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
16634 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
16635 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
16638 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
16639 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
16642 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
16643 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
16646 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
16647 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
16648 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
16651 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
16652 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
16655 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
16658 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
16661 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
16662 'gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head)
16666 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
16669 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
16672 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
16673 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
16676 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
16680 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
16683 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
16688 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
16691 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
16695 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16698 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
16702 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
16705 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
16708 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
16709 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
16712 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
16713 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
16717 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
16718 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
16721 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
16725 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
16726 buffer to allow easier treatment.
16729 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
16732 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
16736 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
16740 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
16741 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
16744 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
16748 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
16749 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
16752 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
16753 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
16756 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
16760 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
16763 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
16764 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers t)
16768 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
16771 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
16777 @subsubsection Red Gnus
16779 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
16783 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
16790 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
16793 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
16794 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
16797 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
16798 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
16802 Article washing status can be displayed in the
16803 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
16806 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
16809 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
16810 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
16813 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
16817 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
16818 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
16822 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
16823 Server Internals}).
16826 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
16830 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
16833 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
16834 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
16837 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
16838 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
16839 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
16842 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
16843 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
16846 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
16847 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
16850 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
16854 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
16855 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
16858 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
16859 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
16862 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
16866 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
16869 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
16873 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
16874 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
16877 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
16878 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
16881 A new command for reading collections of documents
16882 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
16883 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
16886 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
16890 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
16891 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
16894 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
16895 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
16896 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
16899 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
16900 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
16904 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
16908 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
16912 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
16917 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
16921 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
16925 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
16926 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
16929 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
16932 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
16933 'gnus-article-emphasize)
16940 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
16942 New features in Gnus 5.6:
16947 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
16948 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
16949 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
16952 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
16953 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
16954 group, which is created automatically.
16957 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
16961 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
16964 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
16965 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
16968 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
16972 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
16975 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
16976 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
16979 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
16982 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
16983 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
16986 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
16987 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
16990 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
16991 control over simplification.
16994 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
16997 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
17001 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
17004 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
17007 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
17008 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
17009 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
17012 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
17013 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
17016 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
17020 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
17021 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
17024 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
17025 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
17028 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
17032 A history of where mails have been split is available.
17035 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
17038 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
17039 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
17042 A new function for citing in Message has been
17043 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
17046 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
17049 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
17053 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
17054 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
17057 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
17058 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
17061 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
17064 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
17069 @node Newest Features
17070 @subsection Newest Features
17073 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
17076 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
17078 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
17079 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
17082 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
17087 Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
17090 Really do unbinhexing.
17093 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
17094 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
17097 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
17100 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
17103 facep is not declared.
17106 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
17107 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
17110 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
17115 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
17116 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
17117 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
17118 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
17119 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
17120 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
17121 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
17126 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
17129 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
17132 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
17134 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
17135 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
17137 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
17139 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
17141 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
17142 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
17144 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
17146 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
17147 be marked as unread.
17149 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
17151 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
17153 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
17154 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
17156 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
17158 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
17160 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
17161 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
17163 topics that contain just groups with ticked
17164 articles aren't displayed.
17166 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
17168 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
17169 make the mail groups killed.
17171 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
17173 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
17174 and articles have to be removed.
17176 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
17179 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
17181 finding short score file names takes forever.
17183 canceling articles in foreign groups.
17185 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
17187 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
17189 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
17191 nnweb doesn't work properly.
17193 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
17195 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
17196 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
17200 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
17202 really unbinhex binhex files.
17204 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
17205 bar and the Gnus bar.
17208 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
17209 `(canonize-message-id id)'
17210 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
17211 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
17212 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
17213 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
17218 nnml .overview directory with splits.
17222 postponed commands.
17224 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
17226 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
17229 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
17230 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
17232 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
17233 inherit copy prompts and save files.
17235 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
17237 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
17238 for backends that support that.
17240 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
17242 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
17243 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
17245 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
17246 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
17248 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
17250 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
17252 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
17254 server mode command: close/open all connections
17256 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
17257 has been changed before using it.
17259 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
17261 hide (sub)threads with low score.
17263 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
17265 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
17267 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
17268 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
17270 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
17271 contain groups that match a regexp.
17273 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
17276 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
17279 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
17280 from subject lines.
17282 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
17284 nntp-ping-before-connect
17286 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
17288 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
17289 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
17291 message annotations.
17293 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
17295 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
17296 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
17298 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
17303 support qmail maildir spools
17305 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
17307 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
17309 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
17311 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
17312 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
17314 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
17316 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
17318 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
17319 finds and generate proper active ranges.
17321 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
17322 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
17324 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
17326 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
17328 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
17329 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
17331 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
17333 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
17335 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
17336 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
17339 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
17341 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
17343 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
17344 `C-c C-c' when posting.
17346 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
17349 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
17350 should be marker as expirable.
17352 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
17354 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
17355 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
17357 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
17358 Also consult Date headers.
17360 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
17362 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
17364 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
17365 Message-ID, delete the "original".
17367 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
17368 into a See-Also header.
17370 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
17372 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
17374 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
17375 should be listed as such and not as "K".
17377 generate font names dynamically.
17379 score file mode auto-alist.
17381 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
17382 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
17384 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
17385 absolutely all headers there is.
17387 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
17388 and pipe them to the process.
17390 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
17391 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
17392 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
17394 function for starting to edit a file to put into
17395 the current mail group.
17397 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
17399 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
17400 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
17402 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
17403 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
17405 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
17407 when replying to several process-marked articles,
17408 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
17410 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
17411 groups it has been mailed to.
17413 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
17415 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
17417 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
17419 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
17420 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
17422 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
17423 newlines) should be ignored.
17425 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
17426 groups in subtopics as well.
17428 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
17430 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
17433 add edit and forward secondary marks.
17435 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
17437 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
17439 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
17441 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
17443 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
17445 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
17446 or the formatted article.
17448 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
17450 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
17451 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
17453 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
17455 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
17457 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
17459 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
17460 even unread articles.
17462 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
17464 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
17466 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
17468 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
17470 canceling articles in foreign groups.
17472 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
17475 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
17476 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
17478 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
17479 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
17481 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
17483 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
17485 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
17486 from a particular server? Hm.
17488 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
17489 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
17491 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
17493 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
17494 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
17496 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
17497 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
17499 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
17500 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
17501 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
17504 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
17505 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
17507 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
17509 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
17511 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
17513 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
17516 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
17519 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
17520 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
17522 command to show and edit group scores
17524 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
17527 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
17529 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
17531 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
17532 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
17535 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
17536 that are of that length.
17538 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
17540 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
17542 asynchronous posting under nntp.
17544 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
17546 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
17548 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
17550 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
17551 a score lower than this number.
17553 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
17555 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
17557 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
17558 so that each copy can be edited separately.
17560 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
17562 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
17563 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
17565 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
17568 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
17569 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
17570 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
17571 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
17573 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
17576 command to remove all topic stuff.
17578 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
17579 and splitting the resulting digests.
17581 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
17583 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
17585 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
17586 matches an alist -- before saving.
17588 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
17590 variable to activate each group before entering them
17591 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
17593 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
17594 starting Gnus first if necessary.
17596 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
17597 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
17599 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
17601 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
17602 of several groups at once.
17604 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
17605 matches some regexp(s).
17607 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
17609 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
17611 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
17613 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
17615 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
17617 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
17619 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
17621 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
17622 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
17623 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
17624 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
17626 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
17627 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
17629 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
17631 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
17632 recently cited text.
17634 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
17636 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
17639 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
17640 server and just read the articles in the server
17642 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
17643 value of nnoo variables.
17645 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
17647 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
17648 listed in each group info.
17650 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
17653 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
17654 should only be applied to some groups.
17656 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
17657 mail-copies-to: never.
17659 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
17660 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
17662 the slave dribble files should auto-save to the slave file names.
17664 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
17667 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
17670 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
17672 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
17675 group user-defined meta-parameters.
17679 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
17681 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
17682 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
17683 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
17684 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
17685 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
17687 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
17688 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
17695 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
17696 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
17698 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
17699 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
17701 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
17702 "Return the date the group was last read."
17703 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
17708 tanken var at n
\e,Ae
\e(Br du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til ilete
17709 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den v
\e,Af
\e(Bre en
17710 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
17711 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
17715 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
17716 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
17718 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
17721 They could be used like this:
17725 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
17726 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
17727 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
17729 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
17731 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
17734 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
17737 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
17738 affect the summary line format.
17742 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
17744 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
17745 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
17747 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
17750 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
17752 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
17754 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
17756 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
17758 - For other files, just find them normally.
17760 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
17761 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
17764 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
17765 tell him what you are doing.
17768 Currently, I get prompted:
17772 decend into sci.something ?
17776 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
17777 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
17778 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
17779 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
17782 Ja, det burde v
\e,Af
\e(Bre en m
\e,Ae
\e(Bte
\e,Ae
\e(B si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
17783 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? S
\e,Ae
\e(B kunne score-regler legges til den
17784 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
17785 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
17788 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
17789 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
17795 more than n blank lines
17797 more than m identical lines
17798 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
17800 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
17804 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
17805 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
17806 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
17807 "same" subject for threading purposes.
17810 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
17811 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
17812 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
17813 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
17816 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
17819 soup - bowl of soup
17820 score below - dim light bulb
17821 score over - bright light bulb
17824 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
17829 show-list-of-articles-in-group
17830 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
17831 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
17832 if (articles-selected)
17833 start-reading-selected-articles;
17834 junk-unread-articles;
17839 else if (key-pressed = '.')
17840 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
17841 select-thread-under-cursor;
17843 select-article-under-cursor;
17847 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
17848 if (more-pages-in-article)
17850 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
17857 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
17858 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
17859 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
17862 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
17863 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
17864 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
17865 the wildcard expression).
17868 It would be nice if it also handled
17870 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
17872 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
17877 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
17878 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
17879 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
17880 article versions) variable.
17882 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
17884 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
17885 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
17889 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
17892 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
17893 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
17894 (message-sent-hook).
17896 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
17899 * Enhancements to Gnus:
17903 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
17904 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
17907 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
17908 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
17909 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
17912 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
17913 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
17917 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
17920 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
17924 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
17925 the nnmail duplicate checking.
17928 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
17929 value of the signature file.
17932 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
17933 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
17936 (setq message-tab-alist
17937 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
17938 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
17940 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
17944 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
17947 a command to import a buffer into a group.
17950 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
17953 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
17954 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
17957 a command to process mark all unread articles.
17960 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
17961 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
17962 do more gathering by subject.
17965 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
17966 article numerical order.
17969 (gnus-thread-total-score
17970 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
17974 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
17977 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
17978 in the summary buffer.
17981 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
17982 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
17985 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
17986 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
17987 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
17988 and/or newsgroup name.
17991 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
17994 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
17997 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
18000 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
18001 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
18002 will automatically get the process mark.
18005 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
18006 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
18007 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
18010 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
18014 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
18015 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
18018 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
18019 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
18023 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
18024 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
18027 be able to post via DejaNews.
18030 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
18033 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
18034 allow them to be displayed separately.
18037 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
18038 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
18041 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
18042 articles that match a certain From header.
18045 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
18046 saving living summary buffers.
18049 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
18050 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
18053 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
18054 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
18057 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
18058 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
18061 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
18062 (goto-char (point-min))
18063 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
18064 (replace-match "`" t t))
18065 (goto-char (point-min))
18066 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
18067 (replace-match "'" t t))
18068 (goto-char (point-min))
18069 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
18070 (replace-match "\"" t t))
18071 (goto-char (point-min))
18072 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
18073 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
18078 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
18080 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
18081 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
18082 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
18083 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
18087 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
18090 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
18091 numbers and match on the age of the article.
18095 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
18096 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
18097 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
18099 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
18100 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
18102 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
18103 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
18108 all commands that react to the process mark should push
18109 the current process mark set onto the stack.
18112 gnus-article-hide-pgp
18113 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt islette den dersom teksten matcher
18115 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
18117 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
18118 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
18121 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
18122 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
18125 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
18129 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
18130 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
18133 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
18136 nndraft-request-group should tally auto-save files.
18139 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
18142 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
18146 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
18152 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
18155 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
18159 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
18160 X characters in the body.
18163 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
18166 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
18169 format spec to "tab" to a position.
18172 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
18175 command to display all dormant articles.
18178 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
18181 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
18182 to something someone else has said.
18185 Read Netscape discussion groups:
18186 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
18189 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
18190 the displayed version.
18193 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
18197 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
18200 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
18201 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
18202 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
18206 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
18207 in the head or body.
18210 Allow breaking lengthy NNTP commands.
18213 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
18216 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
18217 in a special, unique buffer.
18220 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
18223 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
18224 is less than a certain number of days old.
18227 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
18230 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
18233 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
18234 file, for instance.
18237 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
18238 in any other dummy thread will make gnus highlight the
18239 dummy root instead of the first article.
18242 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
18243 topics for displaying.
18246 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
18247 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
18250 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
18253 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
18254 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
18255 summary buffer for each article.
18258 Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
18261 Group parameters and summary commands for un/subscribing to mailing
18265 Introduce nnmail-home-directory.
18268 gnus-fetch-group and friends should exit Gnus when the user
18272 The jingle is only played on the second invocation of Gnus.
18275 Bouncing articles should do MIME.
18278 Crossposted articles should "inherit" the % or @ mark from the other
18279 groups it has been crossposted to, or something. (Agent.)
18282 `S D r' should allow expansion of aliases.
18285 If point is on a group that appears multiple times in topics, and
18286 you press `l', point will move to the first instance of the group.
18289 The documentation should mention pop3.el, fetchmail, smtpmail and why
18290 po:username often fails.
18293 Solve the halting problem.
18302 @section The Manual
18306 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
18307 either @code{texi2dvi}
18309 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
18310 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
18312 to get what you hold in your hands now.
18314 The following conventions have been used:
18319 This is a @samp{string}
18322 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
18325 This is a @file{file}
18328 This is a @code{symbol}
18332 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
18336 (setq flargnoze "yes")
18339 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
18342 (setq flumphel 'yes)
18345 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
18346 ever get them confused.
18350 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
18351 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
18352 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
18353 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
18354 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
18355 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
18356 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
18364 @section Terminology
18366 @cindex terminology
18371 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
18372 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
18373 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
18374 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
18375 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
18379 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
18380 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
18381 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
18382 not posting, and replying is not following up.
18386 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
18390 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
18395 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
18396 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
18397 is all done by the backends.
18401 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
18402 default, way of getting news.
18406 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
18407 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
18412 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
18413 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
18417 A message that has been posted as news.
18420 @cindex mail message
18421 A message that has been mailed.
18425 A mail message or news article
18429 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
18434 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
18439 A line from the head of an article.
18443 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
18444 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
18448 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
18449 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
18450 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
18451 normal @sc{head} format.
18455 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
18456 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
18457 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
18458 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
18459 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
18460 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
18462 @item killed groups
18463 @cindex killed groups
18464 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
18465 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
18467 @item zombie groups
18468 @cindex zombie groups
18469 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
18472 @cindex active file
18473 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
18474 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
18475 is rather large, as you might surmise.
18478 @cindex bogus groups
18479 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
18480 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
18481 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
18484 @cindex activating groups
18485 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
18486 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
18487 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
18491 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
18493 @item select method
18494 @cindex select method
18495 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
18498 @item virtual server
18499 @cindex virtual server
18500 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
18501 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
18502 whole is a virtual server.
18506 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
18507 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
18510 @item ephemeral groups
18511 @cindex ephemeral groups
18512 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
18513 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
18514 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
18517 @cindex solid groups
18518 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
18519 group buffer are solid groups.
18521 @item sparse articles
18522 @cindex sparse articles
18523 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
18524 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
18528 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
18529 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
18533 @cindex thread root
18534 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
18535 articles in the thread.
18539 An article that has responses.
18543 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
18547 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
18548 specified by RFC1153.
18554 @node Customization
18555 @section Customization
18556 @cindex general customization
18558 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
18559 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
18560 for some quite common situations.
18563 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
18564 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
18565 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
18566 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
18570 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
18571 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
18573 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
18574 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
18575 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
18579 @item gnus-read-active-file
18580 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
18581 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
18582 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
18583 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
18584 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
18586 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
18587 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
18588 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
18589 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
18593 @node Slow Terminal Connection
18594 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
18596 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
18597 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
18598 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
18602 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
18603 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
18604 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
18605 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
18606 horizontal and vertical recentering.
18608 @item gnus-visible-headers
18609 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
18610 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
18611 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
18612 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
18614 @item gnus-article-display-hook
18615 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
18617 (setq gnus-article-display-hook
18618 '(gnus-article-hide-headers
18619 gnus-article-hide-signature
18620 gnus-article-hide-citation))
18623 @item gnus-use-full-window
18624 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
18625 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
18626 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
18627 want to read them anyway.
18629 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
18630 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
18633 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
18634 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
18635 lines, which might save some time.
18639 @node Little Disk Space
18640 @subsection Little Disk Space
18643 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
18644 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
18648 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
18649 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
18650 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
18651 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18654 @item gnus-save-killed-list
18655 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
18656 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
18657 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
18658 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
18664 @subsection Slow Machine
18665 @cindex slow machine
18667 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
18668 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
18670 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
18671 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
18673 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
18674 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
18675 summary buffer faster.
18677 Set @code{gnus-article-display-hook} to @code{nil} to make article
18678 processing a bit faster.
18682 @node Troubleshooting
18683 @section Troubleshooting
18684 @cindex troubleshooting
18686 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
18694 Make sure your computer is switched on.
18697 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
18698 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
18702 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
18703 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
18704 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
18705 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
18708 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
18712 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
18713 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
18714 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
18715 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
18716 something like that.
18719 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
18722 @cindex reporting bugs
18724 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
18726 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
18727 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
18728 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
18729 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
18731 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
18732 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
18733 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
18734 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
18737 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
18738 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
18739 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
18740 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
18741 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
18742 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
18744 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
18745 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
18746 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
18749 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
18750 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
18752 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
18753 @cindex ding mailing list
18754 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
18755 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
18759 @node A Programmers Guide to Gnus
18760 @section A Programmer@'s Guide to Gnus
18762 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
18763 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
18764 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
18765 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
18768 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
18769 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
18770 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
18771 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
18772 and general methods of operation.
18775 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
18776 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
18777 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
18778 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
18779 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
18780 * Group Info:: The group info format.
18781 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
18782 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
18783 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
18787 @node Gnus Utility Functions
18788 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
18789 @cindex Gnus utility functions
18790 @cindex utility functions
18792 @cindex internal variables
18794 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
18795 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
18796 Below is a list of the most common ones.
18800 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
18801 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
18802 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
18804 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
18805 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
18806 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
18808 @item gnus-group-real-name
18809 @findex gnus-group-real-name
18810 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
18813 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
18814 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
18815 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
18816 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
18818 @item gnus-get-info
18819 @findex gnus-get-info
18820 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
18822 @item gnus-group-unread
18823 @findex gnus-group-unread
18824 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
18828 @findex gnus-active
18829 The active entry for @var{group}.
18831 @item gnus-set-active
18832 @findex gnus-set-active
18833 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
18835 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
18836 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
18837 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
18840 @item gnus-continuum-version
18841 @findex gnus-continuum-version
18842 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
18843 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
18846 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
18847 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
18848 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
18850 @item gnus-news-group-p
18851 @findex gnus-news-group-p
18852 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
18854 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
18855 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
18856 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
18858 @item gnus-server-to-method
18859 @findex gnus-server-to-method
18860 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
18862 @item gnus-server-equal
18863 @findex gnus-server-equal
18864 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
18866 @item gnus-group-native-p
18867 @findex gnus-group-native-p
18868 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
18870 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
18871 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
18872 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
18874 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
18875 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
18876 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
18878 @item group-group-find-parameter
18879 @findex group-group-find-parameter
18880 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
18881 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
18883 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
18884 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
18885 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
18887 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
18888 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
18889 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
18891 @item gnus-check-backend-function
18892 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
18893 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
18894 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
18897 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
18901 @item gnus-read-method
18902 @findex gnus-read-method
18903 Prompts the user for a select method.
18908 @node Backend Interface
18909 @subsection Backend Interface
18911 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
18912 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
18913 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
18914 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
18915 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
18916 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
18918 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
18919 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
18920 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
18921 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
18922 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
18923 been opened, the function should fail.
18925 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
18926 name. Take this example:
18930 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
18931 (nntp-port-number 4324))
18934 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
18935 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
18937 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
18938 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
18939 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
18941 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
18942 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
18943 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
18945 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
18946 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
18947 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
18948 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
18949 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
18950 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
18953 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
18954 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
18955 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
18956 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
18959 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
18962 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
18965 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
18966 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
18967 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
18968 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
18969 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
18970 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
18974 @node Required Backend Functions
18975 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
18979 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
18981 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
18982 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
18983 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
18984 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
18986 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
18987 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
18988 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
18989 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
18991 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
18992 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
18993 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
18994 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
18995 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
18996 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
18997 number, do maximum fetches.
18999 Here's an example HEAD:
19002 221 1056 Article retrieved.
19003 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
19004 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
19005 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
19006 Subject: Re: Something very droll
19007 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
19008 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
19010 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
19011 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
19012 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
19016 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
19017 these in the data buffer.
19019 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
19023 head = error / valid-head
19024 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
19025 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
19026 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
19027 header = <text> eol
19030 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
19031 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
19035 nov-buffer = *nov-line
19036 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
19037 field = <text except TAB>
19040 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
19044 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
19046 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
19047 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
19049 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
19050 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
19051 server. In fact, it should do so.
19053 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
19054 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
19057 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
19059 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
19060 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
19063 There should be no data returned.
19066 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
19068 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
19069 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
19070 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
19071 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
19073 There should be no data returned.
19076 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
19078 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
19079 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
19080 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
19081 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
19083 There should be no data returned.
19086 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
19088 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
19090 There should be no data returned.
19093 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
19095 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
19096 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
19097 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
19098 it would be nice if that were possible.
19100 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
19101 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
19102 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
19103 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
19104 into its article buffer.
19106 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
19107 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
19108 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
19109 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
19110 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
19111 on successful article retrieval.
19114 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
19116 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
19117 making @var{group} the current group.
19119 If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
19122 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
19125 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
19128 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
19129 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
19130 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
19131 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
19132 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
19133 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
19134 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
19135 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
19138 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
19139 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
19140 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
19144 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
19146 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
19147 a no-op on most backends.
19149 There should be no data returned.
19152 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
19154 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
19157 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
19160 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
19161 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
19164 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
19165 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
19168 active-file = *active-line
19169 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
19171 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
19174 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
19175 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
19176 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
19179 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
19181 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
19182 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
19183 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
19184 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
19185 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
19186 clear if the posting could not be completed.
19188 There should be no result data from this function.
19193 @node Optional Backend Functions
19194 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
19198 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
19200 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
19201 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
19202 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
19204 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
19205 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
19206 former is in the same format as the data from
19207 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
19208 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
19211 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
19215 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
19217 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
19218 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
19219 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
19220 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
19221 should return the (altered) group info.
19223 There should be no result data from this function.
19226 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
19228 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
19229 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
19230 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
19231 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
19232 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
19233 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
19234 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
19235 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
19237 There should be no result data from this function.
19240 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
19242 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
19243 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
19244 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as IMAP) however carry all
19245 information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to propagate
19246 the mark information to the server.
19248 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
19251 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
19254 Range is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. Action is
19255 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
19256 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
19257 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
19258 mentioned) marks. Mark is a list of marks; where each mark is a
19259 symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
19260 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
19261 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
19262 not limit itself to theese.
19264 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
19265 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
19266 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
19267 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
19269 An example action list:
19272 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
19273 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
19274 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
19277 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
19278 mark on (currently not used for anything).
19280 There should be no result data from this function.
19282 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
19284 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
19285 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
19286 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
19287 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
19288 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
19290 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
19291 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
19292 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
19295 There should be no result data from this function.
19298 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
19300 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
19301 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
19302 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
19303 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
19304 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
19305 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
19306 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
19308 There should be no result data from this function.
19311 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
19313 The result data from this function should be a description of
19317 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
19319 description = <text>
19322 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
19324 The result data from this function should be the description of all
19325 groups available on the server.
19328 description-buffer = *description-line
19332 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
19334 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
19335 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
19336 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
19339 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
19341 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
19343 There should be no return data.
19346 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
19348 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
19349 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
19350 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
19351 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
19352 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
19355 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
19358 There should be no result data returned.
19361 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
19364 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
19365 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
19367 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
19368 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
19369 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
19370 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
19371 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
19372 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
19374 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
19375 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
19378 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
19379 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
19381 There should be no data returned.
19384 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
19386 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
19387 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
19388 this function in short order.
19390 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
19391 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
19393 There should be no data returned.
19396 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
19398 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
19399 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
19401 There should be no data returned.
19404 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
19406 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
19407 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
19408 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
19410 There should be no data returned.
19413 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
19415 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
19416 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
19418 There should be no data returned.
19423 @node Error Messaging
19424 @subsubsection Error Messaging
19426 @findex nnheader-report
19427 @findex nnheader-get-report
19428 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
19429 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
19430 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
19431 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
19432 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
19433 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
19436 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
19438 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
19441 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
19442 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
19443 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
19444 takes one argument---the server symbol.
19446 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
19447 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
19448 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
19451 @node Writing New Backends
19452 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
19454 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
19455 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
19456 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
19457 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
19458 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
19461 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
19462 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
19463 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
19465 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
19466 package called @code{nnoo}.
19468 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
19469 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
19475 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
19476 parameters. For instance:
19479 (nnoo-declare nndir
19483 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
19484 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
19487 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
19488 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
19489 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
19491 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
19492 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
19493 a function in those backends.
19496 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
19497 "Where nndir will look for groups."
19498 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
19501 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
19502 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
19503 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
19505 @item nnoo-define-basics
19506 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
19510 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
19514 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
19515 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
19516 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
19518 @item nnoo-map-functions
19519 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
19520 functions from the parent backends.
19523 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
19524 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19525 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
19528 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
19529 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
19530 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
19531 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
19534 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
19535 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
19536 haven't already been defined.
19542 nnmh-request-newgroups)
19546 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
19547 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
19548 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
19553 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
19556 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
19557 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
19561 (require 'nnheader)
19565 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
19567 (nnoo-declare nndir
19570 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
19571 "Where nndir will look for groups."
19572 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
19574 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
19575 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
19578 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
19579 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
19580 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
19582 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
19583 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
19585 ;;; Interface functions.
19587 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
19589 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
19590 (setq nndir-directory
19591 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
19593 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
19594 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
19595 (push `(nndir-current-group
19596 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
19598 (push `(nndir-top-directory
19599 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
19601 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
19603 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
19604 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19605 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19606 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
19607 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
19611 nnmh-status-message
19613 nnmh-request-newgroups))
19619 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
19620 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
19622 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
19623 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
19624 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
19625 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
19627 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
19628 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
19633 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
19636 The abilities can be:
19640 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
19642 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
19644 This backend supports both mail and news.
19646 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
19649 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
19650 articles and groups.
19652 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
19653 true for almost all backends.
19654 @item prompt-address
19655 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
19656 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
19657 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
19661 @node Mail-like Backends
19662 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
19664 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
19665 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
19666 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
19667 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
19670 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
19671 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
19672 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
19675 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
19676 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
19679 This function takes four parameters.
19683 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
19686 @item exit-function
19687 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
19689 @item temp-directory
19690 Where the temporary files should be stored.
19693 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
19694 performed for one group only.
19697 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
19698 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
19699 find the article number assigned to this article.
19701 The function also uses the following variables:
19702 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
19703 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
19704 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
19705 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
19709 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
19710 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
19714 @node Score File Syntax
19715 @subsection Score File Syntax
19717 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
19718 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
19719 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
19721 Here's a typical score file:
19725 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
19732 BNF definition of a score file:
19735 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
19736 element = rule / atom
19737 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
19738 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
19739 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
19740 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
19742 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
19743 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
19744 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
19745 date-header = "date"
19746 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19747 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19748 score = "nil" / <integer>
19749 date = "nil" / <natural number>
19750 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
19751 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
19752 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
19753 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
19754 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19755 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19756 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
19757 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19758 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
19759 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
19760 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
19761 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
19762 exclude-files / read-only / touched
19763 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
19764 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
19765 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
19766 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
19767 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
19768 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
19769 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
19770 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
19771 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
19772 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
19773 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
19774 eval = "eval" space <form>
19775 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
19778 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
19781 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
19782 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
19783 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
19784 one looong line, then that's ok.
19786 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
19787 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19791 @subsection Headers
19793 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
19794 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
19795 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
19796 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
19798 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
19799 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
19800 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
19801 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
19802 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
19803 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
19804 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
19806 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
19807 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
19808 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
19809 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
19810 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
19812 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
19813 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
19819 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
19820 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
19822 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
19823 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
19824 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
19825 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
19827 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
19831 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
19834 is transformed into
19837 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
19840 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
19841 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
19844 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
19847 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
19848 is slightly tricky:
19851 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
19857 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
19860 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
19866 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
19873 and is equal to the previous range.
19875 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
19876 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
19877 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
19881 range = simple-range / normal-range
19882 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
19883 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
19884 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
19885 number *[ " " contents ]
19888 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
19889 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
19890 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
19891 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
19892 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
19897 @subsection Group Info
19899 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
19900 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
19901 describes the group.
19903 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
19904 second is a more complex one:
19907 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
19909 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
19910 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
19912 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
19915 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
19916 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
19917 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
19918 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
19919 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
19920 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
19921 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
19922 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
19923 this section is about.
19925 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
19926 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
19927 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
19929 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
19932 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
19933 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
19934 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19935 group = quote <string> quote
19936 ralevel = rank / level
19937 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
19938 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
19939 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
19941 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
19942 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
19943 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
19944 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
19947 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
19948 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
19951 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
19952 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
19955 @item gnus-info-group
19956 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
19957 @findex gnus-info-group
19958 @findex gnus-info-set-group
19959 Get/set the group name.
19961 @item gnus-info-rank
19962 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
19963 @findex gnus-info-rank
19964 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
19965 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
19967 @item gnus-info-level
19968 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
19969 @findex gnus-info-level
19970 @findex gnus-info-set-level
19971 Get/set the group level.
19973 @item gnus-info-score
19974 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
19975 @findex gnus-info-score
19976 @findex gnus-info-set-score
19977 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
19979 @item gnus-info-read
19980 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
19981 @findex gnus-info-read
19982 @findex gnus-info-set-read
19983 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
19985 @item gnus-info-marks
19986 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
19987 @findex gnus-info-marks
19988 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
19989 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
19991 @item gnus-info-method
19992 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
19993 @findex gnus-info-method
19994 @findex gnus-info-set-method
19995 Get/set the group select method.
19997 @item gnus-info-params
19998 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
19999 @findex gnus-info-params
20000 @findex gnus-info-set-params
20001 Get/set the group parameters.
20004 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
20005 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
20007 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
20008 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
20009 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
20010 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
20013 @node Extended Interactive
20014 @subsection Extended Interactive
20015 @cindex interactive
20016 @findex gnus-interactive
20018 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
20019 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
20020 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
20023 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
20024 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
20029 The best thing to do would have been to implement
20030 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
20031 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
20032 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
20033 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
20034 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
20035 @code{interactive}.
20037 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
20042 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
20043 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
20047 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
20048 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
20049 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
20052 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
20056 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
20060 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
20066 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
20067 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
20071 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
20072 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
20073 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
20075 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
20076 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
20077 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
20078 Gnus, that's very useful.
20080 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
20081 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
20082 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
20083 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
20084 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
20085 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
20086 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
20087 following function:
20090 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
20094 (,function ,@@args))
20098 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
20099 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
20100 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
20103 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
20104 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
20105 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
20107 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
20108 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
20109 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
20112 @node Various File Formats
20113 @subsection Various File Formats
20116 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
20117 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
20121 @node Active File Format
20122 @subsubsection Active File Format
20124 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
20125 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
20128 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
20131 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
20132 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
20133 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
20134 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
20135 no.general 1000 900 y
20138 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
20141 active = *group-line
20142 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
20143 group = <non-white-space string>
20145 high-number = <non-negative integer>
20146 low-number = <positive integer>
20147 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
20150 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
20151 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
20154 @node Newsgroups File Format
20155 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
20157 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
20158 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
20159 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
20162 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
20163 Here's the definition:
20167 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
20168 group = <non-white-space string>
20170 description = <string>
20175 @node Emacs for Heathens
20176 @section Emacs for Heathens
20178 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
20179 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
20180 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
20181 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
20182 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
20183 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
20184 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
20188 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
20189 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
20194 @subsection Keystrokes
20198 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
20201 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
20204 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
20205 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
20206 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
20207 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
20208 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
20209 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
20211 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
20212 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
20213 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
20214 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
20215 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
20216 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
20217 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
20219 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
20220 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
20221 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
20222 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
20223 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
20224 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
20225 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
20227 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
20228 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
20229 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
20230 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
20231 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
20237 @subsection Emacs Lisp
20239 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
20240 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
20241 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
20242 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
20244 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
20245 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
20246 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
20247 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
20248 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
20249 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
20250 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
20253 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
20254 write the following:
20257 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
20260 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
20261 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
20262 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
20265 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
20266 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
20267 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
20268 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
20269 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
20271 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
20272 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
20273 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
20277 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
20281 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
20284 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
20285 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
20288 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
20291 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
20292 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
20295 @include gnus-faq.texi