4 @settitle T-gnus 6.17 Manual
9 @documentencoding ISO-8859-1
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334 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
339 @setchapternewpage odd
344 @title T-gnus 6.17 Manual
346 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
348 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
354 @top The gnus Newsreader
358 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using T-gnus. The news
359 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
360 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
363 T-gnus provides @acronym{MIME} features based on @acronym{SEMI} API. So
364 T-gnus supports your right to read strange messages including big images
365 or other various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
366 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
367 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities. Oh,
368 if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
370 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.17.
381 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
382 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
384 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
385 being accused of plagiarism:
387 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
388 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
389 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
390 can even read news with it!
392 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
393 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
394 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
395 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
396 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
402 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
403 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
404 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
405 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
406 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
407 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
408 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
409 * Various:: General purpose settings.
410 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
411 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
412 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
413 * Key Index:: Key Index.
415 Other related manuals
417 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
418 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
419 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
420 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
421 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
424 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
428 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
429 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
430 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
431 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
432 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
433 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
434 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
435 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
436 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
437 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
438 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
442 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
443 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
444 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
448 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
449 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
450 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
451 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
452 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
453 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
454 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
455 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
456 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
457 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
458 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
459 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
460 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
461 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
462 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
463 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
464 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
468 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
469 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
470 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
474 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
475 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
476 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
477 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
478 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
482 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
483 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
484 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
485 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
486 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
490 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
491 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
492 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
493 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
494 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
495 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
496 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
497 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
498 * Threading:: How threads are made.
499 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
500 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
501 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
502 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
503 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
504 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
505 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
506 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
507 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
508 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
509 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
510 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
511 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
512 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
513 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
514 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
515 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
516 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
517 or reselecting the current group.
518 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
519 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
520 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
521 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
523 Summary Buffer Format
525 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
526 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
527 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
528 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
532 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
533 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
535 Reply, Followup and Post
537 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
538 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
539 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
540 * Canceling and Superseding::
544 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
545 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
546 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
547 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
548 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
549 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
553 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
554 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
556 Customizing Threading
558 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
559 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
560 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
561 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
565 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
566 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
567 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
568 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
569 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
570 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
574 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
575 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
576 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
580 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
581 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
582 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
583 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
584 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
585 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
586 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
587 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
588 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
589 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
590 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
592 Alternative Approaches
594 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
595 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
597 Various Summary Stuff
599 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
600 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
601 * Summary Generation Commands::
602 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
606 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
607 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
608 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
609 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
610 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
614 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
615 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
616 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
617 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
618 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
619 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
620 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
621 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
622 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
626 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
627 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
628 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
629 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
630 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
631 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
632 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
633 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
634 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
638 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
639 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
640 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
641 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
642 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
643 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
644 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
648 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
649 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
653 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
654 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
655 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
656 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
660 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
661 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
662 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
663 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
664 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
665 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
666 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
667 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
668 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
669 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
670 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
671 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
672 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
676 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
677 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
678 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
680 Choosing a Mail Back End
682 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
683 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
684 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
685 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
686 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
687 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
688 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
693 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
694 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
695 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
696 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
697 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
698 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
702 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
703 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
704 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
705 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
706 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
707 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
711 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
712 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
713 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
714 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
715 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
719 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
723 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
724 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
725 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
729 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
730 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
734 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
735 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
736 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
740 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
741 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
742 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
744 The Gnus Diary Library
746 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
747 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
748 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
749 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
753 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
754 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
755 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
756 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
757 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
758 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
759 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
760 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
761 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
762 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
763 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
764 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
765 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
766 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
770 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
771 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
772 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
776 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
777 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
778 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
782 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
783 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
784 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
785 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
786 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
787 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
788 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
789 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
790 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
791 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
792 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
793 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
794 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
795 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
796 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
797 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
801 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
802 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
803 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
807 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
808 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
809 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
810 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
811 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
812 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
813 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
814 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
815 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
816 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
817 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
818 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
819 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
820 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
821 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
822 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
823 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
824 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
825 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
826 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
830 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
831 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
832 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
833 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
834 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
835 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
836 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
837 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
841 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
842 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
843 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
844 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
845 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
849 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
850 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
851 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
852 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
853 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
854 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
856 Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
858 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
859 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
860 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
861 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
862 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
864 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
865 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
867 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
869 * SpamAssassin back end::
870 * ifile spam filtering::
871 * spam-stat spam filtering::
873 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
875 Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
877 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
878 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
879 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
883 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
884 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
885 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
886 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
887 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
888 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
889 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
890 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
891 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
895 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
896 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
897 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
898 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
899 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
900 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
901 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
902 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
903 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
907 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
908 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
909 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
910 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
911 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
912 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
913 * No Gnus:: Very punny.
917 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
918 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
919 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
920 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
924 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
925 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
926 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
927 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
928 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
929 * Group Info:: The group info format.
930 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
931 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
932 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
936 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
937 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
938 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
939 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
940 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
941 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
945 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
946 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
950 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
951 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
957 @chapter Starting gnus
962 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
963 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
966 @findex gnus-other-frame
967 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
968 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
969 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
971 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
972 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
973 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
975 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
976 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
979 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
980 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
981 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
982 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
983 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
984 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
985 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
986 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
987 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
988 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
992 @node Finding the News
993 @section Finding the News
996 @vindex gnus-select-method
998 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
999 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
1000 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
1001 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
1004 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
1005 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
1008 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1011 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1014 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1017 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1018 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1019 server is running Leafnode (which is a simple, standalone private news
1020 server); in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1022 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1024 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1025 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
1026 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1027 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1028 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1029 If that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1030 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1032 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1033 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1034 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1035 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1037 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1038 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1039 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1040 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1041 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
1042 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1043 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1044 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1045 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1048 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1050 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1051 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1052 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1053 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1054 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1055 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1057 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1059 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1060 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1061 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1062 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1063 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1064 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1067 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1068 you would typically set this variable to
1071 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1074 Note: the @acronym{NNTP} back end stores marks in marks files
1075 (@pxref{NNTP marks}). This feature makes it easy to share marks between
1076 several Gnus installations, but may slow down things a bit when fetching
1077 new articles. @xref{NNTP marks}, for more information.
1080 @node The First Time
1081 @section The First Time
1082 @cindex first time usage
1084 If no startup files exist (@pxref{Startup Files}), gnus will try to
1085 determine what groups should be subscribed by default.
1087 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1088 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1089 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1090 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1093 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1094 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1095 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1097 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1098 help you with most common problems.
1100 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1101 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1105 @node The Server is Down
1106 @section The Server is Down
1107 @cindex server errors
1109 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1110 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1111 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1113 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1114 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1115 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1116 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1117 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1118 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1119 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1121 @findex gnus-no-server
1122 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1124 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1125 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1126 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1127 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1128 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1129 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1130 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1134 @section Slave Gnusae
1137 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1138 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1139 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1140 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1142 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1143 @file{.newsrc} file.
1145 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1146 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1147 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1148 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1149 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1150 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1151 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1154 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1155 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1156 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1157 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1158 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1159 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1160 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1161 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1163 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1164 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1166 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1167 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1168 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1169 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1170 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1177 @cindex subscription
1179 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1180 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1181 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1182 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1183 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1184 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1185 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1186 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1187 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1190 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1191 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1192 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1196 @node Checking New Groups
1197 @subsection Checking New Groups
1199 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1200 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1201 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1202 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1203 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1204 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1205 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1206 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1207 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1208 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1210 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1211 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1212 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1213 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1214 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1215 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1216 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1217 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1218 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1219 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1220 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1222 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1223 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1224 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1225 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1226 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1227 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1230 @node Subscription Methods
1231 @subsection Subscription Methods
1233 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1234 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1235 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1237 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1238 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1240 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1244 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1245 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1246 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1247 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1248 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1250 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1251 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1252 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1253 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1255 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1256 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1257 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1259 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1260 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1261 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1262 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1263 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1264 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1265 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1266 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1267 up. Or something like that.
1269 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1270 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1271 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1272 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1273 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1275 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1276 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1277 Kill all new groups.
1279 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1280 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1281 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1282 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1283 topic parameter that looks like
1289 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1292 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1297 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1298 A closely related variable is
1299 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1300 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1301 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1302 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1305 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1306 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1307 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1308 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1311 @node Filtering New Groups
1312 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1314 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1315 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1316 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1319 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1322 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1323 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1324 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1325 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1326 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1327 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1328 subscribing these groups.
1329 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1330 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1332 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1333 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1334 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1335 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1336 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1337 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1338 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1339 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1341 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1342 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1343 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1344 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1345 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1346 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1347 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1348 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1349 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1350 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1353 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1354 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1357 @node Changing Servers
1358 @section Changing Servers
1359 @cindex changing servers
1361 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1362 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1363 very flaky and you want to use another.
1365 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1366 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1370 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1371 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1372 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1373 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1376 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1377 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1378 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1379 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1381 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1382 @findex gnus-change-server
1383 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1384 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1385 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1386 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1387 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1389 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1390 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1391 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1392 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1393 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1395 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1396 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1397 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1398 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1399 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1400 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1402 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1403 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1404 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1405 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1407 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1408 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1409 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1410 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1411 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1412 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1413 cache for all groups).
1417 @section Startup Files
1418 @cindex startup files
1423 Most common Unix news readers use a shared startup file called
1424 @file{.newsrc}. This file contains all the information about what
1425 groups are subscribed, and which articles in these groups have been
1428 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1429 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1430 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1431 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1432 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1433 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1434 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1436 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1437 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1438 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1439 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1440 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1441 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1443 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1444 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1445 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1446 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1447 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1448 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1449 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1450 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1451 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which can be
1452 convenient if you use a different news reader occasionally, and you
1453 want to read a different subset of the available groups with that
1456 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1457 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1458 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1459 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1460 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1461 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1462 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1463 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1464 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1465 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1466 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1467 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1469 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1470 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1471 @vindex version-control
1472 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1473 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1474 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1475 If you want version control for this file, set
1476 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1477 @code{version-control} variable.
1479 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1480 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1481 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1482 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1483 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1484 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1485 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1486 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1487 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1488 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1491 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1492 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1494 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1495 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1498 @vindex gnus-init-file
1499 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1500 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1501 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus-init} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1502 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1503 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1504 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1505 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1506 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1507 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1508 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order). If Emacs was invoked with
1509 the @option{-q} or @option{--no-init-file} options (@pxref{Initial
1510 Options, ,Initial Options, emacs, The Emacs Manual}), Gnus doesn't read
1511 @code{gnus-init-file}.
1516 @cindex dribble file
1519 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1520 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1521 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1522 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1523 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1526 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1527 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1530 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1531 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1532 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1534 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1535 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1536 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1537 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1538 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1539 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1541 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1542 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1543 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1546 @node The Active File
1547 @section The Active File
1549 @cindex ignored groups
1551 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1552 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1553 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1555 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1556 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1557 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1558 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1559 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1560 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1561 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1564 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1565 @c if you set it to anything else.
1567 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1569 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1570 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1571 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1573 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1574 you actually subscribe to.
1576 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1577 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1578 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1579 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1581 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1582 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1583 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1584 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1585 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1586 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1588 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1589 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1590 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1593 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1594 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1595 @acronym{NNTP} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1596 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1597 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1598 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1600 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1601 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1603 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1604 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1606 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1607 secondary select methods.
1610 @node Startup Variables
1611 @section Startup Variables
1615 @item gnus-load-hook
1616 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1617 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1618 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1619 times you start gnus.
1621 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1622 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1623 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1625 @item gnus-startup-hook
1626 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1627 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1629 @item gnus-started-hook
1630 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1631 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1634 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1635 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1636 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1637 generating the group buffer.
1639 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1640 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1641 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1642 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1643 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1644 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1645 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1646 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1648 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1649 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1650 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1651 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1652 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1653 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1655 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1656 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1657 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1659 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1660 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1661 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1663 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1664 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1665 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1666 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1672 @chapter Group Buffer
1673 @cindex group buffer
1675 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1677 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1678 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1679 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1680 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1681 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1682 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1683 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1684 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1685 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1686 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1687 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1688 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1689 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1690 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1691 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1692 @c human rights at 9...
1695 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1696 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1697 long as gnus is active.
1701 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1702 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1703 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1704 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1705 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1706 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1707 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1708 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1714 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1715 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1716 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1717 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1718 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1719 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1720 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1721 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1722 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1723 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1724 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1725 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1726 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1727 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1728 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1729 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1730 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1734 @node Group Buffer Format
1735 @section Group Buffer Format
1738 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1739 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1740 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1744 @node Group Line Specification
1745 @subsection Group Line Specification
1746 @cindex group buffer format
1748 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1749 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1751 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1754 25: news.announce.newusers
1755 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1760 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1761 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1762 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1763 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1765 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1766 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1767 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1768 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1769 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1770 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1772 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1774 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1775 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1776 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1777 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1778 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1780 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1781 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1782 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1784 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1789 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1792 Whether the group is subscribed.
1795 Level of subscribedness.
1798 Number of unread articles.
1801 Number of dormant articles.
1804 Number of ticked articles.
1807 Number of read articles.
1810 Number of unseen articles.
1813 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1814 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1816 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1817 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1818 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1819 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1820 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1821 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1822 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1823 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1826 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1829 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1838 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1839 comment element in the group parameters.
1842 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1843 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1844 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1848 @samp{m} if moderated.
1851 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1857 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1863 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1867 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1870 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1871 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1872 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1873 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1874 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1877 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1879 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1883 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1886 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1890 The disk space used by the articles fetched by both the cache and
1891 agent. The value is automatically scaled to bytes(B), kilobytes(K),
1892 megabytes(M), or gigabytes(G) to minimize the column width. A format
1893 of %7F is sufficient for a fixed-width column.
1896 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1897 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1898 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1899 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1900 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1901 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1906 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1907 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1908 group, or a bogus native group.
1911 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1912 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1913 @cindex group mode line
1915 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1916 The mode line can be changed by setting
1917 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1918 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1922 The native news server.
1924 The native select method.
1928 @node Group Highlighting
1929 @subsection Group Highlighting
1930 @cindex highlighting
1931 @cindex group highlighting
1933 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1934 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1935 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1936 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1937 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1939 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1943 (cond (window-system
1944 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1945 (defface my-group-face-1
1946 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1947 (defface my-group-face-2
1948 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1949 "Second group face")
1950 (defface my-group-face-3
1951 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1952 (defface my-group-face-4
1953 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1954 (defface my-group-face-5
1955 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1957 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1958 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1959 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1960 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1961 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1962 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1965 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1967 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1974 The number of unread articles in the group.
1978 Whether the group is a mail group.
1980 The level of the group.
1982 The score of the group.
1984 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1986 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1987 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1989 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1990 topic being inserted.
1993 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1994 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1995 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1997 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1998 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1999 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
2000 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
2001 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
2004 @node Group Maneuvering
2005 @section Group Maneuvering
2006 @cindex group movement
2008 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
2009 expected, hopefully.
2015 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
2016 Go to the next group that has unread articles
2017 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2023 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2024 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2025 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2029 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2030 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2034 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2035 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2039 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2040 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2041 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2045 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2046 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2047 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2050 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2056 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2057 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2058 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2063 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2064 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2065 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2069 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2070 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2071 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2074 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2075 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2076 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2077 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2081 @node Selecting a Group
2082 @section Selecting a Group
2083 @cindex group selection
2088 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2089 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2090 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2091 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2092 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2093 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2094 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2095 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2096 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2097 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2099 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2100 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2101 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2103 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2104 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2109 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2110 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2111 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2112 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2113 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2117 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2118 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2119 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2120 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2121 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2122 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2123 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2124 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2125 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2126 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2129 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2130 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2131 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2132 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2133 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2136 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2137 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2138 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2139 doing any processing of its contents
2140 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2141 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2142 manner will have no permanent effects.
2146 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2147 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2148 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2149 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2150 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2151 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2152 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2153 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2154 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2155 most recently will be fetched.
2157 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2158 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2159 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2162 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2163 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2164 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2165 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2166 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2167 Which article this is is controlled by the
2168 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2174 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2177 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2180 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2182 @item unseen-or-unread
2183 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2184 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2188 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2192 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2193 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2195 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2196 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2197 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2198 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2202 @node Subscription Commands
2203 @section Subscription Commands
2204 @cindex subscription
2212 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2213 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2214 Toggle subscription to the current group
2215 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2221 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2222 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2223 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2224 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2230 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2231 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2232 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2238 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2239 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2242 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2243 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2244 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2245 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2246 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2252 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2253 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2257 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2258 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2261 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2262 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2263 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2264 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2265 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2266 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2267 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2268 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2269 @file{.newsrc} file.
2273 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2283 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2284 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2285 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2286 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2287 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2288 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2293 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2294 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2295 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2299 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2300 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2301 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2303 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2304 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2305 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2306 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2307 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2308 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2315 @section Group Levels
2319 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2320 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2321 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2322 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2323 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2325 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2331 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2332 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2333 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2334 prompted for a level.
2337 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2338 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2339 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2340 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2341 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2342 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2343 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2344 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2345 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2346 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2347 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2348 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2349 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2350 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2351 reasons of efficiency.
2353 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2354 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2356 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2357 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2358 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2359 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2360 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2361 groups are hidden, in a way.
2363 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2364 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2365 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2366 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2367 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2368 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2370 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2371 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2372 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2373 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2374 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2375 list of killed groups.)
2377 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2378 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2379 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2381 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2382 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2383 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2384 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2385 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2386 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2387 relevant valid ranges.
2389 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2390 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2391 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2392 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2393 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2394 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2397 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2398 one with the best level.
2400 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2401 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2402 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2405 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2406 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2407 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2408 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2411 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2412 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2413 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2414 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2416 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2417 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2418 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2419 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2420 to 5. The default is 6.
2424 @section Group Score
2429 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2430 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2431 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2434 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2435 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2436 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2437 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2438 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2439 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2440 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2441 least significant part.))
2443 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2444 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2445 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2446 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2447 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2448 action after each summary exit, you can add
2449 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2450 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2451 slow things down somewhat.
2454 @node Marking Groups
2455 @section Marking Groups
2456 @cindex marking groups
2458 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2459 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2460 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2461 bidding on those groups.
2463 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2464 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2465 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2473 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2474 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2480 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2481 Remove the mark from the current group
2482 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2486 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2487 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2491 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2492 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2496 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2497 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2501 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2502 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2503 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2506 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2508 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2509 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2510 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2511 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2512 the command to be executed.
2515 @node Foreign Groups
2516 @section Foreign Groups
2517 @cindex foreign groups
2519 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2520 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2521 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2522 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2529 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2530 @cindex making groups
2531 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2532 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2533 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2537 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2538 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2539 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2543 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2544 @cindex renaming groups
2545 Rename the current group to something else
2546 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2547 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2553 @findex gnus-group-customize
2554 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2558 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2559 @cindex renaming groups
2560 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2561 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2565 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2566 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2567 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2571 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2572 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2573 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2577 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2579 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2580 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2585 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2586 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2590 @cindex (ding) archive
2591 @cindex archive group
2592 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2593 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2594 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2595 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2596 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2597 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2598 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2602 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2604 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2605 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2606 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2607 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2611 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2613 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2614 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2615 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2619 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2620 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2622 Make a group based on some file or other
2623 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2624 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2625 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2626 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2627 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2628 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2629 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2630 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2631 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2635 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2636 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2637 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2638 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2642 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2646 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2647 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2648 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2649 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2650 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2651 @xref{Web Searches}.
2653 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2654 to a particular group by using a match string like
2655 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2659 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2660 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2661 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2665 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2666 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2667 This function will delete the current group
2668 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2669 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2670 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2671 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2672 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2676 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2677 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2678 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2682 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2683 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2684 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2687 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2690 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2691 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2692 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2693 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2694 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2695 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2699 @node Group Parameters
2700 @section Group Parameters
2701 @cindex group parameters
2703 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2704 Here's an example group parameter list:
2707 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2711 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2712 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2713 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2714 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2716 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2717 is an alist of regexps and values.
2719 The following group parameters can be used:
2724 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2727 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2730 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2731 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2732 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2733 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2734 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2736 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2737 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2738 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2739 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2740 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2741 list address instead.
2743 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2747 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2750 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2753 It is totally ignored
2754 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2755 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2757 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2758 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2759 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2760 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2761 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2763 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2764 @cindex mail list groups
2765 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2766 entering summary buffer.
2768 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2773 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2774 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2775 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2776 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2777 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2778 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2779 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2780 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2783 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2784 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2787 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2788 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2792 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2793 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2794 of whether it has any unread articles.
2796 @item broken-reply-to
2797 @cindex broken-reply-to
2798 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2799 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2800 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2801 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2802 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2803 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2807 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2808 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2812 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2813 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2814 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2819 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2820 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2821 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2822 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2823 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2824 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2825 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2827 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2828 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2829 doesn't accept articles.
2833 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2834 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2835 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2837 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2840 @cindex total-expire
2841 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2842 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2843 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2844 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2847 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2851 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2852 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2853 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2854 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2855 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2856 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2857 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2860 @cindex expiry-target
2861 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2862 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2865 @cindex score file group parameter
2866 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2867 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2868 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2871 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2872 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2873 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2874 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2877 @cindex admin-address
2878 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2879 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2880 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2881 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2885 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2886 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2890 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2893 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2894 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2897 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2901 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2903 Here are some examples:
2907 Display only unread articles.
2910 Display everything except expirable articles.
2912 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2913 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2917 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2918 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2919 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2920 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2921 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2925 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2926 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2927 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2931 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2932 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2933 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2937 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2938 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2939 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2941 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2943 @item ignored-charsets
2944 @cindex ignored-charset
2945 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2946 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2947 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2949 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2952 @cindex posting-style
2953 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2954 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2955 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2956 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2957 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2959 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2960 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2961 like this in the group parameters:
2966 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2967 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2972 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2973 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2977 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
2978 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
2979 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2980 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2981 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2985 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2986 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2987 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2988 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2990 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
2991 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2992 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2993 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2996 if address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com" @{
2997 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3001 To generate tests for multiple email-addresses use a group parameter
3002 like @code{(sieve address "sender" ("name@@one.org" else@@two.org"))}.
3003 When generating a sieve script (@pxref{Sieve Commands}) Sieve code
3004 like the following is generated:
3007 if address "sender" ["name@@one.org", "else@@two.org"] @{
3008 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3012 See @pxref{Sieve Commands} for commands and variables that might be of
3013 interest in relation to the sieve parameter.
3015 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
3016 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
3018 @item (agent parameters)
3019 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of the its parameters
3020 to control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
3021 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
3022 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
3023 minimize the configuration effort.
3025 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
3026 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
3027 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
3028 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3029 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3030 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3031 @code{eval}ed there.
3033 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer.
3034 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3035 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3036 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3037 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3038 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3039 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3040 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3043 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3046 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3047 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3048 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3051 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3054 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3055 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3056 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3057 into the group parameters for the group.
3059 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function. If you want to
3060 hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put something like
3061 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group.
3062 @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the (meaningless) result of the
3065 Alternatively, since the VARIABLE becomes local to the group, this
3066 pattern can be used to temporarily change a hook. For example, if the
3067 following is added to a group parameter
3070 (gnus-summary-prepared-hook
3071 '(lambda nil (local-set-key "d" (local-key-binding "n"))))
3074 when the group is entered, the 'd' key will not mark the article as
3079 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
3080 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
3081 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
3082 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
3083 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
3085 @vindex gnus-parameters
3086 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3087 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
3091 (setq gnus-parameters
3093 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3094 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3095 (gnus-summary-line-format
3096 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3100 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3104 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3108 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3111 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3112 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3114 @vindex gnus-parameters-case-fold-search
3115 By default, whether comparing the group name and one of those regexps
3116 specified in @code{gnus-parameters} is done in a case-sensitive manner
3117 or a case-insensitive manner depends on the value of
3118 @code{case-fold-search} at the time when the comparison is done. The
3119 value of @code{case-fold-search} is typically @code{t}; it means, for
3120 example, the element @code{("INBOX\\.FOO" (total-expire . t))} might be
3121 applied to both the @samp{INBOX.FOO} group and the @samp{INBOX.foo}
3122 group. If you want to make those regexps always case-sensitive, set the
3123 value of the @code{gnus-parameters-case-fold-search} variable to
3124 @code{nil}. Otherwise, set it to @code{t} if you want to compare them
3125 always in a case-insensitive manner.
3127 You can define different sorting to different groups via
3128 @code{gnus-parameters}. Here is an example to sort an @acronym{NNTP}
3129 group by reverse date to see the latest news at the top and an
3130 @acronym{RSS} group by subject. In this example, the first group is the
3131 Debian daily news group @code{gmane.linux.debian.user.news} from
3132 news.gmane.org. The @acronym{RSS} group corresponds to the Debian
3133 weekly news RSS feed
3134 @url{http://packages.debian.org/unstable/newpkg_main.en.rdf},
3140 '(("nntp.*gmane\\.debian\\.user\\.news"
3141 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3142 (gnus-article-sort-functions '((not gnus-article-sort-by-date)))
3143 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3144 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
3146 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3147 (gnus-article-sort-functions 'gnus-article-sort-by-subject)
3148 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3149 (gnus-use-scoring t)
3150 (gnus-score-find-score-files-function 'gnus-score-find-single)
3151 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%d %I%(%[ %s %]%)\n"))))
3155 @node Listing Groups
3156 @section Listing Groups
3157 @cindex group listing
3159 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3167 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3168 List all groups that have unread articles
3169 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3170 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3171 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3172 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3179 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3180 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3181 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3182 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3183 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3184 unsubscribed groups).
3188 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3189 List all unread groups on a specific level
3190 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3191 with no unread articles.
3195 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3196 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3197 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3198 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3203 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3204 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3208 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3209 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3210 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3214 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3215 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3219 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3220 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3221 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3222 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3223 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3224 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3225 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3226 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3230 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3231 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3232 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3236 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3237 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3238 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3242 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3243 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3247 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3248 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3252 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3253 List groups limited within the current selection
3254 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3258 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3259 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3263 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3264 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3268 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3269 @cindex visible group parameter
3270 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3271 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3272 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3273 get the same effect.
3275 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3276 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3277 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3278 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3279 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3282 @node Sorting Groups
3283 @section Sorting Groups
3284 @cindex sorting groups
3286 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3287 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3288 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3289 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3290 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3291 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3296 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3297 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3298 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3300 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3301 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3302 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3304 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3305 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3306 Sort by group level.
3308 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3309 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3310 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3312 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3313 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3314 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3315 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3317 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3318 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3319 Sort by number of unread articles.
3321 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3322 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3323 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3325 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3326 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3327 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3332 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3333 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3337 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3338 some sorting criteria:
3342 @kindex G S a (Group)
3343 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3344 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3345 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3348 @kindex G S u (Group)
3349 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3350 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3351 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3354 @kindex G S l (Group)
3355 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3356 Sort the group buffer by group level
3357 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3360 @kindex G S v (Group)
3361 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3362 Sort the group buffer by group score
3363 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3366 @kindex G S r (Group)
3367 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3368 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3369 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3372 @kindex G S m (Group)
3373 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3374 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3375 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3378 @kindex G S n (Group)
3379 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3380 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3381 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3385 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3386 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3388 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3389 commands will sort in reverse order.
3391 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3395 @kindex G P a (Group)
3396 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3397 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3398 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3401 @kindex G P u (Group)
3402 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3403 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3404 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3407 @kindex G P l (Group)
3408 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3409 Sort the groups by group level
3410 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3413 @kindex G P v (Group)
3414 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3415 Sort the groups by group score
3416 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3419 @kindex G P r (Group)
3420 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3421 Sort the groups by group rank
3422 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3425 @kindex G P m (Group)
3426 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3427 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3428 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3431 @kindex G P n (Group)
3432 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3433 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3434 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3437 @kindex G P s (Group)
3438 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3439 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3443 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3447 @node Group Maintenance
3448 @section Group Maintenance
3449 @cindex bogus groups
3454 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3455 Find bogus groups and delete them
3456 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3460 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3461 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3462 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3463 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3464 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3468 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3469 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3470 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3471 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3472 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3473 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3476 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3477 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3478 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3479 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3484 @node Browse Foreign Server
3485 @section Browse Foreign Server
3486 @cindex foreign servers
3487 @cindex browsing servers
3492 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3493 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3494 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3495 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3498 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3499 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3500 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3501 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3503 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3508 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3509 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3513 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3514 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3517 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3518 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3519 Enter the current group and display the first article
3520 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3523 @kindex RET (Browse)
3524 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3525 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3529 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3530 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3531 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3537 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3538 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3542 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3543 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3547 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3548 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3549 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3554 @section Exiting gnus
3555 @cindex exiting gnus
3557 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3562 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3563 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3564 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3565 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3569 @findex gnus-group-exit
3570 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3571 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3575 @findex gnus-group-quit
3576 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3577 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3580 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3581 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3582 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3583 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3584 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3585 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3591 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3592 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3593 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3599 @section Group Topics
3602 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3603 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3604 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3605 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3606 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3607 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3611 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3612 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3623 2: alt.religion.emacs
3626 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3628 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3629 13: comp.sources.unix
3632 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3634 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3635 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3636 is a toggling command.)
3638 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3639 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3640 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3641 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3644 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3645 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3646 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3649 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3653 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3654 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3655 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3656 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3657 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3661 @node Topic Commands
3662 @subsection Topic Commands
3663 @cindex topic commands
3665 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3666 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3667 definitions slightly.
3669 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3670 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3671 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3672 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3673 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3674 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3676 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3683 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3684 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3685 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3689 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3691 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3692 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3693 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3694 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3697 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3698 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3699 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3700 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3704 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3705 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3706 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3707 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3713 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3714 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3715 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3719 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3720 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3721 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3724 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3725 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3726 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3727 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3728 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3730 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3731 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3735 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3736 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3743 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3745 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3746 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3747 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3748 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3749 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3750 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3754 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3760 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3761 Move the current group to some other topic
3762 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3763 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3767 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3768 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3772 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3773 Copy the current group to some other topic
3774 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3775 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3779 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3780 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3781 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3785 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3786 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3787 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3791 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3792 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3793 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3794 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3795 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3796 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3797 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3800 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3801 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3805 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3806 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3807 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3811 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3812 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3813 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3817 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3818 Toggle hiding empty topics
3819 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3823 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3824 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3825 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3826 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3829 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3830 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3831 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3832 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3833 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3836 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3837 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3838 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3839 expiry process (if any)
3840 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3844 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3845 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3848 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3849 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3850 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3854 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3855 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3856 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3859 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3860 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3861 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3864 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3865 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3866 Go to the previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3870 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3871 @cindex group parameters
3872 @cindex topic parameters
3874 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3875 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3880 @node Topic Variables
3881 @subsection Topic Variables
3882 @cindex topic variables
3884 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3885 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3887 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3888 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3889 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3902 Number of groups in the topic.
3904 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3906 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3909 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3910 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3911 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3914 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3915 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3917 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3918 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3919 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3923 @subsection Topic Sorting
3924 @cindex topic sorting
3926 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3932 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3933 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3934 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3935 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3938 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3939 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3940 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3941 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3944 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3945 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3946 Sort the current topic by group level
3947 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3950 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3951 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3952 Sort the current topic by group score
3953 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3956 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3957 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3958 Sort the current topic by group rank
3959 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3962 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3963 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3964 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3965 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3968 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3969 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3970 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3971 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3974 @kindex T S s (Topic)
3975 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3976 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3977 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3978 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3982 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3983 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3987 @node Topic Topology
3988 @subsection Topic Topology
3989 @cindex topic topology
3992 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3999 2: alt.religion.emacs
4002 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4004 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4005 13: comp.sources.unix
4009 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
4010 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
4011 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
4016 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
4017 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
4021 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
4022 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
4023 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
4024 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
4025 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
4026 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
4028 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
4029 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
4030 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
4033 @node Topic Parameters
4034 @subsection Topic Parameters
4035 @cindex topic parameters
4037 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
4038 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
4039 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
4040 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
4041 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
4043 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
4048 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
4049 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
4050 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
4053 @item subscribe-level
4054 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
4055 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
4056 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
4060 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
4061 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
4062 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
4063 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
4070 2: alt.religion.emacs
4074 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4076 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4077 13: comp.sources.unix
4082 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4083 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4084 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4085 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4086 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4087 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4089 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4090 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4091 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4092 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4093 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4095 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4096 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4097 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4098 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4099 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4100 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4101 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4102 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4105 @node Misc Group Stuff
4106 @section Misc Group Stuff
4109 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
4110 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
4111 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
4112 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
4113 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
4120 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
4121 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
4122 @xref{Server Buffer}.
4126 @findex gnus-group-post-news
4127 Start composing a message (a news by default)
4128 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
4129 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4130 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4131 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4132 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4136 @findex gnus-group-mail
4137 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4138 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4139 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4140 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4144 @findex gnus-group-news
4145 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4146 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4147 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4149 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4150 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4151 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4152 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4153 for this to work though.
4157 Variables for the group buffer:
4161 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4162 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4163 is called after the group buffer has been
4166 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4167 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4168 is called after the group buffer is
4169 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4172 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4173 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4174 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4175 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4177 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4178 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4179 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4180 whether they are empty or not.
4182 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4183 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4184 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4185 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4189 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4190 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4193 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4194 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4195 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4196 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4197 is used to show non-@acronym{ASCII} group names. @code{((".*"
4198 utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the
4199 default is @code{nil}.
4203 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4204 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4209 @node Scanning New Messages
4210 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4211 @cindex new messages
4212 @cindex scanning new news
4218 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4219 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4220 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4221 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4222 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4223 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4228 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4229 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4230 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4231 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4232 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4233 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4234 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4236 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4237 @cindex activating groups
4239 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4240 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4245 @findex gnus-group-restart
4246 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4247 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4248 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
4252 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4253 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4255 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4256 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4260 @node Group Information
4261 @subsection Group Information
4262 @cindex group information
4263 @cindex information on groups
4270 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4271 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4274 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
4275 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
4276 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
4277 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
4278 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4279 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
4280 used for fetching the file.
4282 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
4283 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4287 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4288 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4290 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4291 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4294 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4295 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4296 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4300 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4301 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4302 @cindex control message
4303 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4304 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4305 group if given a prefix argument.
4307 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4308 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4309 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4310 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4312 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4313 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
4314 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
4318 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4320 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4321 @cindex describing groups
4322 @cindex group description
4323 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4324 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4325 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4329 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4330 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4331 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4338 @findex gnus-version
4339 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4343 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4344 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4347 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4350 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4351 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4355 @node Group Timestamp
4356 @subsection Group Timestamp
4358 @cindex group timestamps
4360 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
4361 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4362 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4365 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4368 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4370 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4371 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4374 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4375 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4378 This will result in lines looking like:
4381 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4382 0: custom 19961002T012713
4385 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4386 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4390 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4391 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4394 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4395 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4399 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4400 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4401 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4402 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4404 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4410 @subsection File Commands
4411 @cindex file commands
4417 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4418 @vindex gnus-init-file
4419 @cindex reading init file
4420 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4421 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4425 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4426 @cindex saving .newsrc
4427 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4428 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4429 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4432 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4433 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4434 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4439 @node Sieve Commands
4440 @subsection Sieve Commands
4441 @cindex group sieve commands
4443 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4444 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4445 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4446 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4447 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4449 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4450 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4451 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4452 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4453 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4454 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4455 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4456 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4457 regenerate the Sieve script.
4459 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4460 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4461 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4462 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4463 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4464 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4465 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4466 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4467 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4468 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4471 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4472 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4477 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4483 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4484 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4485 @cindex generating sieve script
4486 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4487 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4491 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4492 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4493 @cindex updating sieve script
4494 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4495 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4496 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4501 @node Summary Buffer
4502 @chapter Summary Buffer
4503 @cindex summary buffer
4505 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4506 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4508 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4509 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4511 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4514 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4515 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4516 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4517 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4518 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4519 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4520 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4521 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4522 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4523 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4524 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4525 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4526 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4527 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4528 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4529 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4530 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4531 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4532 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4533 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4534 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4535 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4536 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4537 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4538 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4539 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4540 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4541 or reselecting the current group.
4542 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4543 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4544 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4545 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4549 @node Summary Buffer Format
4550 @section Summary Buffer Format
4551 @cindex summary buffer format
4555 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4556 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4557 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4563 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4564 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4565 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4566 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4569 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4570 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4571 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4572 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4573 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4574 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4575 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4576 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4577 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4578 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4579 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4580 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4581 other function instead:
4584 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4585 'mail-extract-address-components)
4588 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4589 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4590 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4591 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4594 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4595 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4597 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4598 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4599 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4600 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4601 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4603 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4604 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4605 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4606 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4607 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4608 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4610 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4612 The following format specification characters and extended format
4613 specification(s) are understood:
4619 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4620 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4622 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4623 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4624 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4626 Full @code{From} header.
4628 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4630 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4633 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4634 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4635 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4636 may be more thorough.
4638 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4641 Number of lines in the article.
4643 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4644 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4646 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4647 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4649 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4651 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4652 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4665 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4666 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4667 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4668 line-drawing glyphs.
4670 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4671 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4672 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4673 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4675 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4676 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4677 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4678 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4680 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4681 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4682 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4683 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4685 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4686 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4687 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4689 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4690 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4691 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4693 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4694 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4695 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4697 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4698 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4699 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4704 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4705 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4707 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4708 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4710 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4711 for adopted articles.
4713 One space for each thread level.
4715 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4717 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4720 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4721 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4722 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4725 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4727 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4728 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4729 default level. If the difference between
4730 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4731 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4739 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4741 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4747 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4748 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4750 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4751 article has any children.
4757 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4758 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4760 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4761 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4762 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
4763 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4764 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4765 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4768 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4769 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4770 There can only be one such area.
4772 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4773 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4774 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4775 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4776 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4777 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4779 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4780 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4782 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4785 @node To From Newsgroups
4786 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4790 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4791 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4792 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4793 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4794 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4798 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4799 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4800 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4804 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4805 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4808 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4809 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4812 @findex gnus-extra-header
4813 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4814 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4815 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4818 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4822 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4823 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4824 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4825 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4826 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4827 headers are used instead.
4829 To distinguish regular articles from those where the @code{From} field
4830 has been swapped, a string is prefixed to the @code{To} or
4831 @code{Newsgroups} header in the summary line. By default the string is
4832 @samp{-> } for @code{To} and @samp{=> } for @code{Newsgroups}, you can
4833 customize these strings with @code{gnus-summary-to-prefix} and
4834 @code{gnus-summary-newsgroup-prefix}.
4838 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4839 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4840 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
4841 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4842 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4843 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4846 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4847 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4848 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4849 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4851 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4855 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4857 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4858 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4859 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4860 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4864 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4867 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4868 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4871 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4872 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4873 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4879 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4880 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4883 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4884 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4886 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4887 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4888 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4889 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4891 Here are the elements you can play with:
4897 Unprefixed group name.
4899 Current article number.
4901 Current article score.
4905 Number of unread articles in this group.
4907 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4910 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4911 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4912 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4913 and no unselected ones.
4915 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4916 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4918 Subject of the current article.
4920 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4922 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4924 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4926 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4928 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4930 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4934 @node Summary Highlighting
4935 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4939 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4940 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4941 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4942 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4943 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4945 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4946 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4947 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4948 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4950 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4951 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4952 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4953 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4955 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4956 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4957 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4958 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4959 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4960 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4963 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4964 ((> score default) . bold))
4966 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4967 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4971 @node Summary Maneuvering
4972 @section Summary Maneuvering
4973 @cindex summary movement
4975 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4976 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4978 None of these commands select articles.
4983 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4984 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4985 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4986 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4987 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4991 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4992 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4993 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4994 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4995 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4998 @kindex G g (Summary)
4999 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
5000 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
5001 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
5004 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
5005 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
5006 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
5007 to the group buffer.
5009 Variables related to summary movement:
5013 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
5014 @item gnus-auto-select-next
5015 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
5016 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
5017 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
5018 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
5019 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
5020 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
5021 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
5022 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
5023 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
5024 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
5025 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
5026 @pxref{Group Levels}.
5028 @item gnus-auto-select-same
5029 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
5030 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
5031 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
5032 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
5033 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
5034 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
5036 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
5038 @item gnus-summary-check-current
5039 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
5040 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
5041 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
5042 Instead, they will choose the current article.
5044 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
5045 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
5046 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
5047 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
5048 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
5049 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
5050 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
5051 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
5054 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
5055 the given number of lines from the top.
5060 @node Choosing Articles
5061 @section Choosing Articles
5062 @cindex selecting articles
5065 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
5066 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
5070 @node Choosing Commands
5071 @subsection Choosing Commands
5073 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
5074 and they all select and display an article.
5076 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
5077 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
5081 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5082 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5083 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
5084 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5086 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
5087 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
5088 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
5093 @kindex G n (Summary)
5094 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
5095 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
5096 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
5101 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
5102 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
5103 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
5108 @kindex G N (Summary)
5109 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
5110 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
5115 @kindex G P (Summary)
5116 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
5117 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
5120 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
5121 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
5122 Go to the next article with the same subject
5123 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
5126 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
5127 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
5128 Go to the previous article with the same subject
5129 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
5133 @kindex G f (Summary)
5135 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5136 Go to the first unread article
5137 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5141 @kindex G b (Summary)
5143 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5144 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5145 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5146 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5151 @kindex G l (Summary)
5152 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5153 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5156 @kindex G o (Summary)
5157 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5159 @cindex article history
5160 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5161 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5162 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5163 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5164 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5165 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5170 @kindex G j (Summary)
5171 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5172 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5173 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5178 @node Choosing Variables
5179 @subsection Choosing Variables
5181 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5184 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5185 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5186 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5187 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5188 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5189 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5191 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5192 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5193 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. The default is
5194 @code{nil}. If you would like each article to be saved in the Agent as
5195 you read it, putting @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this
5198 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5199 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5200 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5201 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5202 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5203 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5204 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5205 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5206 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-read-mark}. The only
5207 articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5208 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5209 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5210 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5211 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5216 @node Paging the Article
5217 @section Scrolling the Article
5218 @cindex article scrolling
5223 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5224 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5225 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5226 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5227 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5229 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5230 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5231 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5232 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5233 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5234 what is considered uninteresting with
5235 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5236 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5239 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5240 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5241 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5244 @kindex RET (Summary)
5245 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5246 Scroll the current article one line forward
5247 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5250 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5251 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5252 Scroll the current article one line backward
5253 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5257 @kindex A g (Summary)
5259 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5260 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5261 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5262 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5263 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5264 the way it came from the server.
5266 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5267 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5268 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5271 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5276 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5281 @kindex A < (Summary)
5282 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5283 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5284 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5289 @kindex A > (Summary)
5290 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5291 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5295 @kindex A s (Summary)
5297 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5298 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5299 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5303 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5304 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5309 @node Reply Followup and Post
5310 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5313 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5314 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5315 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5316 * Canceling and Superseding::
5320 @node Summary Mail Commands
5321 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5323 @cindex composing mail
5325 Commands for composing a mail message:
5331 @kindex S r (Summary)
5333 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5334 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5335 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5336 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5337 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5342 @kindex S R (Summary)
5343 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5344 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5345 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5346 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5347 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5350 @kindex S w (Summary)
5351 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5352 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5353 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5354 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5355 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
5356 present, that's used instead.
5359 @kindex S W (Summary)
5360 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5361 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5362 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5363 the process/prefix convention.
5366 @kindex S v (Summary)
5367 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5368 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5369 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5370 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5371 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5372 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5375 @kindex S V (Summary)
5376 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5377 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5378 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5379 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5382 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5383 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5384 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5385 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5386 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5387 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5388 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5389 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5392 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5393 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5394 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5395 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5396 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5400 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5401 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5402 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5403 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5404 Forward the current article to some other person
5405 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5406 headers of the forwarded article.
5411 @kindex S m (Summary)
5412 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5413 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5414 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5415 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5416 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5421 @kindex S i (Summary)
5422 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5423 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5424 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5425 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5427 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5428 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5429 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5430 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5431 for this to work though.
5434 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5435 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5436 @cindex bouncing mail
5437 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5438 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5439 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5440 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5441 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5442 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
5443 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5444 very well fail, though.
5447 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5448 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5449 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5450 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5451 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5452 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5453 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5454 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5455 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5456 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5458 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5459 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5460 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5461 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5462 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5464 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5465 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5468 @kindex S D e (Summary)
5469 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
5471 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
5472 if it were a new message before resending.
5475 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5476 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
5477 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5478 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
5479 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5482 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5483 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5484 @cindex crossposting
5485 @cindex excessive crossposting
5486 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5487 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5489 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5490 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5491 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5492 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5493 command understands the process/prefix convention
5494 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5498 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5499 Manual}, for more information.
5502 @node Summary Post Commands
5503 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5505 @cindex composing news
5507 Commands for posting a news article:
5513 @kindex S p (Summary)
5514 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5515 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5516 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5517 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5518 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5523 @kindex S f (Summary)
5524 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5525 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5526 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5530 @kindex S F (Summary)
5532 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5533 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5534 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5535 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5536 process/prefix convention.
5539 @kindex S n (Summary)
5540 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5541 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5542 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5545 @kindex S N (Summary)
5546 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5547 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5548 message through mail and include the original message
5549 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5550 the process/prefix convention.
5553 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5554 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5555 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5556 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5557 headers of the forwarded article.
5560 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5561 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
5563 @cindex making digests
5564 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5565 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5566 process/prefix convention.
5569 @kindex S u (Summary)
5570 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5571 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5572 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5573 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5576 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5577 Manual}, for more information.
5580 @node Summary Message Commands
5581 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5585 @kindex S y (Summary)
5586 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5587 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5588 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5589 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5590 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5595 @node Canceling and Superseding
5596 @subsection Canceling Articles
5597 @cindex canceling articles
5598 @cindex superseding articles
5600 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5601 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5603 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5605 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5607 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5608 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5609 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5610 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5611 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5612 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5614 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5615 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5618 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5619 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5620 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5622 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
5623 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
5624 message, Message Manual}).
5626 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5627 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5628 your original article.
5630 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5632 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5633 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5634 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5637 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5638 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5639 have posted almost the same article twice.
5641 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5642 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5643 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5644 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5645 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5646 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5647 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5648 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5649 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5650 canceled/superseded.
5652 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5654 @node Delayed Articles
5655 @section Delayed Articles
5656 @cindex delayed sending
5657 @cindex send delayed
5659 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5660 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5661 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5662 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5665 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5668 @findex gnus-delay-article
5669 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5670 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5671 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5672 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5676 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5677 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5678 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5679 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5682 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5683 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5684 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5687 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5688 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5689 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5690 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5691 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5692 that means a time tomorrow.
5695 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5696 couple of variables:
5699 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5700 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5701 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5702 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5704 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5705 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5706 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5707 formats described above.
5709 @item gnus-delay-group
5710 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5711 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5712 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5713 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5715 @item gnus-delay-header
5716 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5717 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5718 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5719 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5722 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5723 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5724 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5725 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5726 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5728 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5729 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5730 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5731 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5732 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5733 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5734 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5737 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5738 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5740 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5741 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5742 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5743 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5744 argument is ignored.
5746 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5747 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5748 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5752 @node Marking Articles
5753 @section Marking Articles
5754 @cindex article marking
5755 @cindex article ticking
5758 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5760 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5761 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5762 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5764 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5767 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks.
5771 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5772 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5773 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5774 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5775 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5776 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5780 @node Unread Articles
5781 @subsection Unread Articles
5783 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5788 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5789 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5791 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5792 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5793 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5794 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5795 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5796 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5797 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5800 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5801 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5803 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5804 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5805 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5806 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5810 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5811 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5813 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5818 @subsection Read Articles
5819 @cindex expirable mark
5821 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5826 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5827 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5828 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5831 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5832 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5835 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5836 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5837 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5840 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5841 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5844 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5845 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5848 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5849 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5852 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5853 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5856 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5857 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5860 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5861 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5864 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5865 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5869 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5870 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5871 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5875 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5876 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5878 One more special mark, though:
5882 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5883 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5885 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5886 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5887 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5888 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5894 @subsection Other Marks
5895 @cindex process mark
5898 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5904 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5905 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5906 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5907 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5908 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5911 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5912 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5913 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5914 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5917 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5918 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5919 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5922 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5923 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5924 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5927 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5928 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5929 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5930 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5933 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5934 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5935 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5936 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5937 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5938 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5941 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5942 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5943 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5944 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5947 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5948 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
5949 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5950 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5951 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5955 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5956 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
5957 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5958 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5959 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5960 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5963 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5964 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
5965 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5966 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5967 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5968 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5972 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5973 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5974 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5975 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5976 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5979 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5980 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5981 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5982 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5983 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5984 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5988 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5989 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5990 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5992 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5993 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5994 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5998 @subsection Setting Marks
5999 @cindex setting marks
6001 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
6006 @kindex M c (Summary)
6007 @kindex M-u (Summary)
6008 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
6009 @cindex mark as unread
6010 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
6011 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
6017 @kindex M t (Summary)
6018 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
6019 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
6020 @xref{Article Caching}.
6025 @kindex M ? (Summary)
6026 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
6027 Mark the current article as dormant
6028 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
6032 @kindex M d (Summary)
6034 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
6035 Mark the current article as read
6036 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
6040 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
6041 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
6042 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
6047 @kindex M k (Summary)
6048 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
6049 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
6050 and then select the next unread article
6051 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
6055 @kindex M K (Summary)
6056 @kindex C-k (Summary)
6057 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
6058 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
6059 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
6062 @kindex M C (Summary)
6063 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
6064 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
6065 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
6068 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
6069 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
6070 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
6071 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
6074 @kindex M H (Summary)
6075 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
6076 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
6077 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
6080 @kindex M h (Summary)
6081 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
6082 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
6083 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
6086 @kindex C-w (Summary)
6087 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
6088 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
6089 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
6092 @kindex M V k (Summary)
6093 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
6094 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
6095 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
6099 @kindex M e (Summary)
6101 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
6102 Mark the current article as expirable
6103 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
6106 @kindex M b (Summary)
6107 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
6108 Set a bookmark in the current article
6109 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
6112 @kindex M B (Summary)
6113 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
6114 Remove the bookmark from the current article
6115 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
6118 @kindex M V c (Summary)
6119 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
6120 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
6121 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6124 @kindex M V u (Summary)
6125 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
6126 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
6127 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
6130 @kindex M V m (Summary)
6131 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
6132 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
6133 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
6134 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6137 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6138 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6139 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6140 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6141 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6142 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6143 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6144 The default is @code{t}.
6147 @node Generic Marking Commands
6148 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6150 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6151 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6152 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6153 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6154 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6157 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6158 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6161 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6162 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6163 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6164 to list in this manual.
6166 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6167 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6168 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6169 article, you could say something like:
6173 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6174 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6175 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6183 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6184 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6188 @node Setting Process Marks
6189 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6190 @cindex setting process marks
6192 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6193 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6194 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6195 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6196 commands into the cache. For more information,
6197 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6204 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6205 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6206 Mark the current article with the process mark
6207 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6208 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6212 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6213 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6214 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6215 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6218 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6219 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6220 Remove the process mark from all articles
6221 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6224 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6225 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6226 Invert the list of process marked articles
6227 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6230 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6231 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6232 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6233 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6236 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6237 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6238 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6239 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6242 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6243 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6244 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6247 @kindex M P g (Summary)
6248 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6249 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6252 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6253 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6254 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6255 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6258 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6259 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6260 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6261 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6264 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6265 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6266 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6267 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6270 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6271 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6272 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6275 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6276 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6277 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6278 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6281 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6282 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6283 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}).
6286 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6287 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6288 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6289 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6292 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6293 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6294 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6295 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6298 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6299 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6300 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6301 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6304 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6305 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6306 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6307 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6311 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
6312 set process marks based on article body contents.
6319 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6320 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6321 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6324 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6325 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6326 additional articles.
6332 @kindex / / (Summary)
6333 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6334 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6335 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6339 @kindex / a (Summary)
6340 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6341 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6342 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6346 @kindex / R (Summary)
6347 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient
6348 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some recipient
6349 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient}). If given a prefix, exclude
6353 @kindex / x (Summary)
6354 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6355 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6356 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6357 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6362 @kindex / u (Summary)
6364 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6365 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6366 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6367 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6368 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6371 @kindex / m (Summary)
6372 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6373 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6374 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6377 @kindex / t (Summary)
6378 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6379 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6380 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6381 articles younger than that number of days.
6384 @kindex / n (Summary)
6385 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6386 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6387 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6388 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6391 @kindex / w (Summary)
6392 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6393 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6394 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6398 @kindex / . (Summary)
6399 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6400 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6401 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6404 @kindex / v (Summary)
6405 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6406 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6407 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6410 @kindex / p (Summary)
6411 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6412 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6413 group parameter predicate
6414 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
6415 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
6418 @kindex / r (Summary)
6419 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
6420 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
6421 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
6426 @kindex M S (Summary)
6427 @kindex / E (Summary)
6428 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6429 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6430 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6433 @kindex / D (Summary)
6434 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6435 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6436 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6439 @kindex / * (Summary)
6440 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6441 Include all cached articles in the limit
6442 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6445 @kindex / d (Summary)
6446 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6447 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6448 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6451 @kindex / M (Summary)
6452 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6453 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6456 @kindex / T (Summary)
6457 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6458 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6461 @kindex / c (Summary)
6462 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6463 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6464 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6467 @kindex / C (Summary)
6468 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6469 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6470 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6471 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6474 @kindex / N (Summary)
6475 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6476 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6477 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6480 @kindex / o (Summary)
6481 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6482 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6483 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6491 @cindex article threading
6493 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6494 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6495 hierarchical fashion.
6497 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6498 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6499 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6500 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6501 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6502 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6503 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
6505 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6509 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6512 A tree-like article structure.
6515 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6518 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6519 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6520 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6521 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6522 called loose threads.
6524 @item thread gathering
6525 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6527 @item sparse threads
6528 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6529 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6535 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6536 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6540 @node Customizing Threading
6541 @subsection Customizing Threading
6542 @cindex customizing threading
6545 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6546 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6547 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6548 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6553 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6556 @cindex loose threads
6559 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6560 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6561 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6562 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6563 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6564 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6566 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
6567 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
6568 There are four possible values:
6572 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6573 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6574 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6575 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6576 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6581 @cindex adopting articles
6586 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6587 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6588 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6589 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6592 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6593 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6594 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6595 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6596 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6597 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6598 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6599 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6600 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6601 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6604 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6605 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6606 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6610 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6611 display them after one another.
6614 Don't gather loose threads.
6617 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6618 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6619 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6620 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
6621 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6622 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6623 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6624 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6625 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6626 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
6627 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6629 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6630 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
6631 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6634 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6635 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6636 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6637 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6638 simplification is used.
6640 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6641 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6642 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6643 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6645 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6647 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6653 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6654 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6655 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6656 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6661 (mapconcat 'identity
6662 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6664 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6667 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6670 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6671 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6672 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6673 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6674 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6675 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6677 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6680 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6681 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6682 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6684 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6685 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6688 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6689 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6690 Remove excessive whitespace.
6692 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6693 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6694 Remove all whitespace.
6697 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6700 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6701 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6702 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6703 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6704 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6705 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6706 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6707 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6709 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6710 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6711 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6712 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6713 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6714 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6715 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6716 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6717 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6721 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6722 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6723 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6724 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6726 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6727 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6728 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6731 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6735 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6736 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6742 @node Filling In Threads
6743 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6746 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6747 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6748 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6749 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
6750 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
6751 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
6752 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
6753 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
6754 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
6755 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6756 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6757 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
6760 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6761 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6762 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6764 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6765 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6766 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
6769 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6770 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6771 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6772 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6773 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6774 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6775 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6776 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6777 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6778 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6779 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6780 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6781 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6782 @code{nil} by default.
6784 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6785 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6786 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6787 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6788 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6789 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6790 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6792 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6793 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6794 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6799 @node More Threading
6800 @subsubsection More Threading
6803 @item gnus-show-threads
6804 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6805 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6806 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6807 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6808 slower and more awkward.
6810 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6811 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6812 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6815 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6816 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6817 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
6822 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6823 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6824 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6827 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6828 unread, but you get my drift.)
6831 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6832 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6833 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6834 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6835 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6836 threads are expunged.
6838 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6839 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6840 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6843 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6844 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6845 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6846 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6847 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6848 result in a new thread.
6850 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6851 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6852 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6855 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6856 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6857 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6858 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6859 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6860 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6861 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6862 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6863 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6864 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6865 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6870 @node Low-Level Threading
6871 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6875 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6876 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6877 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6878 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6879 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6880 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6882 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6883 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6884 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6885 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6886 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6887 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6888 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6889 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6890 meaningful. Here's one example:
6893 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6895 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6896 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6898 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6900 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6907 @node Thread Commands
6908 @subsection Thread Commands
6909 @cindex thread commands
6915 @kindex T k (Summary)
6916 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6917 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6918 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6919 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6920 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6925 @kindex T l (Summary)
6926 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6927 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6928 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6929 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6932 @kindex T i (Summary)
6933 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6934 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6935 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6938 @kindex T # (Summary)
6939 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6940 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6941 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6944 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6945 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6946 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6947 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6950 @kindex T T (Summary)
6951 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6952 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6955 @kindex T s (Summary)
6956 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6957 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
6958 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6961 @kindex T h (Summary)
6962 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6963 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6966 @kindex T S (Summary)
6967 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6968 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6971 @kindex T H (Summary)
6972 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6973 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6976 @kindex T t (Summary)
6977 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6978 Re-thread the current article's thread
6979 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6980 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6983 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6984 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6985 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6986 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6990 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6991 understand the numeric prefix.
6996 @kindex T n (Summary)
6998 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
7000 @kindex M-down (Summary)
7001 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
7002 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
7005 @kindex T p (Summary)
7007 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
7009 @kindex M-up (Summary)
7010 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
7011 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
7014 @kindex T d (Summary)
7015 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
7016 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
7019 @kindex T u (Summary)
7020 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
7021 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
7024 @kindex T o (Summary)
7025 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
7026 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
7029 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
7030 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
7031 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
7032 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
7033 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
7034 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
7035 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
7036 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
7037 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
7038 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
7039 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
7040 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
7044 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
7045 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
7047 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
7048 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
7049 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date-reverse
7050 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
7051 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7052 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
7053 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient
7054 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7055 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
7056 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
7057 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
7058 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
7059 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
7060 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
7061 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
7062 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
7064 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
7065 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
7066 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient},
7067 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
7068 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date-reverse},
7069 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
7070 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
7071 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
7072 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
7073 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
7075 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
7076 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
7077 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
7079 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
7080 last function in the list. You should probably always include
7081 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
7082 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
7083 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
7084 ascending article order.
7086 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
7087 by number, you could do something like:
7090 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7091 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7092 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7093 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
7096 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
7097 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
7098 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
7099 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
7100 which the articles arrived.
7102 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
7106 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7107 '((not gnus-thread-sort-by-number)
7108 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
7111 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
7112 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
7113 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
7114 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
7117 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
7118 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
7119 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
7120 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
7121 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
7122 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
7123 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
7124 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
7125 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
7126 variable. It is very similar to the
7127 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
7128 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
7129 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
7130 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
7131 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
7132 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
7133 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
7135 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
7139 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
7140 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
7141 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
7144 You can define group specific sorting via @code{gnus-parameters},
7145 @xref{Group Parameters}.
7148 @node Asynchronous Fetching
7149 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
7150 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
7151 @cindex article pre-fetch
7154 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
7155 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
7156 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
7157 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7158 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7160 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7161 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
7163 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7164 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7165 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7166 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7167 connection is blocked.
7169 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7170 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7171 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7172 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
7174 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7175 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7176 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7177 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7180 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7183 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7184 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7185 happen automatically.
7187 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7188 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7189 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7190 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7191 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7192 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7193 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7195 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7196 @findex gnus-async-read-p
7197 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7198 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7199 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7200 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7201 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
7202 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7203 article data structure as the only parameter.
7205 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7206 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7209 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7210 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7211 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7212 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7215 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7218 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7219 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
7220 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7222 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7223 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7224 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7225 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7229 Remove articles when they are read.
7232 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7235 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7237 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7238 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7239 @c from the next group.
7242 @node Article Caching
7243 @section Article Caching
7244 @cindex article caching
7247 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7248 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7249 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7250 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7251 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7253 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7255 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7256 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7257 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7258 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7259 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7260 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7261 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7262 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7264 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7265 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7266 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7267 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7268 as dormant, and don't worry.
7270 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7272 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7273 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7274 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7275 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7276 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7277 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7278 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7279 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7280 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7281 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7283 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7284 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7285 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7286 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7287 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7288 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7289 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7290 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7291 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7292 not then be downloaded by this command.
7294 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7295 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7296 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7297 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7298 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7299 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7301 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7302 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7303 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7304 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7305 variables, the group is not cached.
7307 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7308 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7309 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7310 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7311 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7312 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
7313 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7314 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7315 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7318 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7319 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7320 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7321 where, isn't that cool?
7323 @node Persistent Articles
7324 @section Persistent Articles
7325 @cindex persistent articles
7327 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7328 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7329 useful in my opinion.
7331 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7332 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7333 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7334 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7335 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7336 the expiry going on at the news server.
7338 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7339 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7340 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7346 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7347 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7350 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7351 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7352 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7353 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7357 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7359 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7360 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7361 interested in persistent articles:
7364 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7368 @node Article Backlog
7369 @section Article Backlog
7371 @cindex article backlog
7373 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7374 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7375 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
7376 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7377 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7378 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7379 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
7380 increase memory usage some.
7382 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7383 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
7384 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7385 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
7386 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7387 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7388 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7390 The default value is 20.
7393 @node Saving Articles
7394 @section Saving Articles
7395 @cindex saving articles
7397 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7398 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7399 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7400 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7401 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7403 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7404 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7405 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7407 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7408 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
7409 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7411 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7412 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7413 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7414 deleted before saving.
7420 @kindex O o (Summary)
7422 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7423 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7424 Save the current article using the default article saver
7425 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7428 @kindex O m (Summary)
7429 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7430 Save the current article in mail format
7431 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7434 @kindex O r (Summary)
7435 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7436 Save the current article in Rmail format
7437 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7440 @kindex O f (Summary)
7441 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7442 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7443 Save the current article in plain file format
7444 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7447 @kindex O F (Summary)
7448 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7449 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7450 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7453 @kindex O b (Summary)
7454 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7455 Save the current article body in plain file format
7456 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7459 @kindex O h (Summary)
7460 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7461 Save the current article in mh folder format
7462 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7465 @kindex O v (Summary)
7466 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7467 Save the current article in a VM folder
7468 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7472 @kindex O p (Summary)
7474 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7475 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7476 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7477 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7478 complete headers in the piped output.
7481 @kindex O P (Summary)
7482 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7483 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7484 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7485 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7486 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7487 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7488 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7492 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7493 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7494 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7495 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7496 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7497 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7498 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7499 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7500 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7501 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7502 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7503 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7507 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7508 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7509 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7510 functions below, or you can create your own.
7514 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7515 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7516 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7517 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7518 This is the default format, @dfn{Babyl}. Uses the function in the
7519 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7520 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7522 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7523 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7524 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7525 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7526 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7527 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7529 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7530 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7531 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7532 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7533 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7534 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7535 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7537 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7538 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7539 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7540 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7541 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7542 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7544 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7545 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7546 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7547 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7548 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7550 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7551 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7552 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7553 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7554 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7557 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7558 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7559 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7560 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7561 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7563 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7564 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7565 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7566 reader to use this setting.
7569 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7570 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7571 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7572 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7575 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7576 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7577 available functions that generate names:
7581 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7582 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7583 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7585 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7586 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7587 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7589 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7590 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7591 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7593 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7594 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7595 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7597 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7598 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7599 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7602 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7603 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7604 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7605 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7606 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7610 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7611 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7612 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7613 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7616 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7617 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7618 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7619 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7620 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7621 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7622 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7623 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7624 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7626 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7627 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7628 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7629 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7631 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7632 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7633 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7636 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7637 lots of mail groups called things like
7638 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7639 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7640 following will do just that:
7643 (defun my-save-name (group)
7644 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7645 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7647 (setq gnus-split-methods
7648 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7653 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7654 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7655 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7656 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7657 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7658 all the files in the top level directory
7659 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7660 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7661 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7662 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7664 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7665 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7666 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7667 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7668 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7671 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7675 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
7676 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7677 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
7680 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7681 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7682 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7683 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7686 @node Decoding Articles
7687 @section Decoding Articles
7688 @cindex decoding articles
7690 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7691 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7694 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7695 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7696 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7697 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7698 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7699 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7703 @cindex article series
7704 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7705 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7706 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7707 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7708 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7710 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7711 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7712 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7714 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
7715 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7716 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7718 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7719 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7720 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7723 @node Uuencoded Articles
7724 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7726 @cindex uuencoded articles
7731 @kindex X u (Summary)
7732 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7733 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7734 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7737 @kindex X U (Summary)
7738 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7739 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7740 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7743 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7744 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7745 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7748 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7749 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7750 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7751 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7755 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7756 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7757 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7758 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7759 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7761 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7762 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7763 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7764 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7767 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7768 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7769 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7770 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7771 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7772 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7776 @node Shell Archives
7777 @subsection Shell Archives
7779 @cindex shell archives
7780 @cindex shared articles
7782 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7783 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7784 some commands to deal with these:
7789 @kindex X s (Summary)
7790 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7791 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7794 @kindex X S (Summary)
7795 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7796 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7799 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7800 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7801 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7804 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7805 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7806 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7807 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7811 @node PostScript Files
7812 @subsection PostScript Files
7818 @kindex X p (Summary)
7819 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7820 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7823 @kindex X P (Summary)
7824 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7825 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7826 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7829 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7830 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7831 View the current PostScript series
7832 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7835 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7836 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7837 View and save the current PostScript series
7838 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7843 @subsection Other Files
7847 @kindex X o (Summary)
7848 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7849 Save the current series
7850 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7853 @kindex X b (Summary)
7854 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7855 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7856 doesn't really work yet.
7860 @node Decoding Variables
7861 @subsection Decoding Variables
7863 Adjective, not verb.
7866 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7867 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7868 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7872 @node Rule Variables
7873 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7874 @cindex rule variables
7876 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7877 variables are of the form
7880 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7887 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7888 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7890 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7891 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7894 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7895 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7898 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7899 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7900 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7901 user and default view rules.
7903 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7904 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7905 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7910 @node Other Decode Variables
7911 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7914 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7916 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7917 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7918 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7919 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7920 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7924 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7925 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7928 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7929 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7930 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7933 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7934 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7935 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7936 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7937 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7940 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7941 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7942 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7944 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7945 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7946 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7947 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7948 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
7951 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7952 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7953 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7955 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7956 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7957 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7958 looking for files to display.
7960 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7961 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7962 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7965 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7966 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7967 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7970 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7971 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7972 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7975 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7976 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7977 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7980 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7981 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7982 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7983 decoded articles as unread.
7985 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7986 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7987 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7988 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7990 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7991 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7992 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7994 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7995 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7997 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7998 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
7999 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
8000 @code{metamail} for viewing.
8002 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
8003 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
8004 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
8005 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
8006 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
8007 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
8008 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
8009 simply dropped them.
8014 @node Uuencoding and Posting
8015 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
8019 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
8020 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
8021 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
8022 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
8023 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
8024 for you when you post the article.
8026 @item gnus-uu-post-length
8027 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
8028 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
8029 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
8031 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
8032 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
8033 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
8034 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
8035 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
8036 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
8037 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
8039 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
8040 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
8041 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
8042 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
8043 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
8044 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
8045 Default is @code{t}.
8051 @subsection Viewing Files
8052 @cindex viewing files
8053 @cindex pseudo-articles
8055 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
8056 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
8057 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
8058 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
8059 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
8060 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
8061 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
8063 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
8064 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
8065 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
8066 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
8068 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
8069 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
8070 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
8072 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
8073 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
8074 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
8075 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
8076 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
8078 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
8079 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
8080 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
8081 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
8082 a list of parameters to that command.
8084 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
8085 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
8086 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
8088 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
8089 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
8090 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
8093 @node Article Treatment
8094 @section Article Treatment
8096 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
8097 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
8098 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
8099 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
8100 these articles easier.
8103 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
8104 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
8105 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
8106 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
8107 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
8108 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
8109 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
8110 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
8111 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
8112 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
8113 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
8117 @node Article Highlighting
8118 @subsection Article Highlighting
8119 @cindex highlighting
8121 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
8122 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
8127 @kindex W H a (Summary)
8128 @findex gnus-article-highlight
8129 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8130 Do much highlighting of the current article
8131 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
8132 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
8135 @kindex W H h (Summary)
8136 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
8137 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
8138 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
8139 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
8140 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
8141 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
8142 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
8143 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
8144 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
8145 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
8146 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
8149 @kindex W H c (Summary)
8150 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
8151 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
8153 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
8156 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8158 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8159 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
8160 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8162 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8163 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8164 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8166 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8167 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8168 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8169 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8170 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8171 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8173 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8174 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8175 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8177 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8178 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8179 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8181 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8182 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8183 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8184 that it's a citation.
8186 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8187 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8188 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8190 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8191 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8192 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8194 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8195 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8196 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8197 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8199 @item gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8200 @vindex gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8201 If non-@code{nil}, no citation highlighting will be performed on lines
8202 beginning with @samp{>From }. Those lines may have been quoted by MTAs
8203 in order not to mix up with the envelope From line. The default value
8210 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8211 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8212 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8213 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8214 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8215 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8216 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8217 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8222 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8225 @node Article Fontisizing
8226 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8228 @cindex article emphasis
8230 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8231 @kindex W e (Summary)
8232 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8233 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8234 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8235 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8237 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8238 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8239 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8240 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8241 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8242 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8243 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8244 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8248 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8249 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8250 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8259 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8260 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8261 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8262 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8263 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8264 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8265 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8266 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8267 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8268 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8269 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8270 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8271 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8273 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8274 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8275 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8279 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8282 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8284 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8285 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8286 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8287 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8289 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8292 @node Article Hiding
8293 @subsection Article Hiding
8294 @cindex article hiding
8296 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8297 too much cruft in most articles.
8302 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8303 @findex gnus-article-hide
8304 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8305 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8306 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8309 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8310 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8311 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8315 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8316 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8317 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8318 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8321 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8322 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8323 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8327 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8328 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8329 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8330 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8331 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8332 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8333 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8334 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8338 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8339 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8340 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8341 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8346 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8347 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8348 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8349 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8352 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8353 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8354 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8355 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8358 @cindex stripping advertisements
8359 @cindex advertisements
8360 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8361 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8362 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8363 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8364 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8365 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8366 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8367 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8368 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8369 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8372 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8373 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8374 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8378 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8379 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8380 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8381 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8382 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8383 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8384 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8385 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8386 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8387 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8388 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8391 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8392 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8398 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8399 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8400 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8401 customizing the hiding:
8405 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8406 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8407 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8408 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8409 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8410 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8411 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8416 Starting point of the hidden text.
8418 Ending point of the hidden text.
8420 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8422 Number of lines of hidden text.
8425 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8426 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8427 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8428 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8429 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8434 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8435 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8437 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8438 following two variables:
8441 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8442 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8443 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8444 50), hide the cited text.
8446 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8447 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8448 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8453 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8454 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8455 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8456 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8457 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8458 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8462 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8463 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8464 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8466 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8467 citation customization.
8469 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8473 @node Article Washing
8474 @subsection Article Washing
8476 @cindex article washing
8478 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8479 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8481 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8482 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8485 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8486 articles by default.
8491 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8492 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8496 Force redisplaying of the current article
8497 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8498 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8499 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8500 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8503 @kindex W l (Summary)
8504 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8505 Remove page breaks from the current article
8506 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8510 @kindex W r (Summary)
8511 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8512 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8513 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8514 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8515 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8516 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8518 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8519 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8520 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8521 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8524 @kindex W m (Summary)
8525 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8526 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8529 @kindex W i (Summary)
8530 @findex gnus-summary-idna-message
8531 Decode IDNA encoded domain names in the current articles. IDNA
8532 encoded domain names looks like @samp{xn--bar}. If a string remain
8533 unencoded after running invoking this, it is likely an invalid IDNA
8534 string (@samp{xn--bar} is invalid). You must have GNU Libidn
8535 (@url{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/}) installed for this command
8540 @kindex W t (Summary)
8542 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8543 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8544 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8547 @kindex W v (Summary)
8548 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8549 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8550 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8553 @kindex W m (Summary)
8554 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
8555 Toggle whether to run the article through @acronym{MIME} before
8556 displaying (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
8559 @kindex W o (Summary)
8560 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8561 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8564 @kindex W d (Summary)
8565 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8566 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8568 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8570 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8571 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8572 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8573 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8576 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8577 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8578 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8579 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8582 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8583 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8584 @cindex Outlook Express
8585 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8586 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8587 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8590 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8591 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8592 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8593 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8594 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8595 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8596 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8597 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
8598 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8599 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8602 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8603 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8604 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
8605 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8608 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8609 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8610 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8611 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8614 @kindex W w (Summary)
8615 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8616 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8618 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8622 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8623 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8624 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8627 @kindex W C (Summary)
8628 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8629 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8630 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8633 @kindex W c (Summary)
8634 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8635 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8636 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8637 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8638 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8640 @kindex W q (Summary)
8641 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8642 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8643 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
8644 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
8645 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
8646 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
8647 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8648 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8649 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8652 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8653 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8654 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
8655 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
8656 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
8657 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8658 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8659 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8662 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8663 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8664 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8665 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8666 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8669 @kindex W A (Summary)
8670 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
8671 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
8672 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
8673 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
8674 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
8677 @kindex W u (Summary)
8678 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8679 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8680 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8681 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8682 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8685 @kindex W h (Summary)
8686 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8687 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8688 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8689 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
8691 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for. If it is a number,
8692 the charset defined in @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist}
8693 (@pxref{Paging the Article}) will be used.
8695 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8696 The default is to use the function specified by
8697 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
8698 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
8699 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
8700 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8708 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
8710 @item w3m-standalone
8711 Use @uref{http://w3m.sourceforge.net/, w3m}.
8714 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
8717 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
8720 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
8725 @kindex W b (Summary)
8726 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8727 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8728 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8731 @kindex W B (Summary)
8732 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8733 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8734 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8737 @kindex W p (Summary)
8738 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8739 Verify a signed control message
8740 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
8741 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
8742 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
8743 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8744 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
8745 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8748 @kindex W s (Summary)
8749 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8750 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
8751 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
8752 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8755 @kindex W a (Summary)
8756 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8757 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8758 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8761 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8762 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8763 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8764 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8767 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8768 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8769 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8770 lines with a single empty line.
8771 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8774 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8775 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8776 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8777 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8780 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8781 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8782 Do all the three commands above
8783 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8786 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8787 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8788 Remove all blank lines
8789 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8792 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8793 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8794 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8795 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8798 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8799 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8800 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8801 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8805 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8808 @node Article Header
8809 @subsection Article Header
8811 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8816 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8817 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8818 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8821 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8822 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8823 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8824 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8827 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8828 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8829 Fold all the message headers
8830 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8833 @kindex W E w (Summary)
8834 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8835 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8836 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8841 @node Article Buttons
8842 @subsection Article Buttons
8845 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8846 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8847 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8848 button on these references.
8850 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8851 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8852 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
8853 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
8854 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
8858 @item gnus-button-alist
8859 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8860 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8863 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8869 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8870 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8871 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8872 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8873 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
8876 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8877 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8878 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8881 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8882 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8883 avoid false matches. Often variables named
8884 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
8885 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
8887 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
8890 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8893 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8894 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8898 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8901 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8904 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8905 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8906 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8907 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8908 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8911 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8914 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8917 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
8920 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
8921 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
8923 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
8925 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8926 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8927 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8928 default values of the variables above.
8930 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
8932 @item gnus-button-man-handler
8933 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8934 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
8935 argument with a string naming the man page.
8937 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
8939 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8940 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8941 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
8943 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8944 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8945 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
8946 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
8947 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
8948 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
8949 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
8950 @code{ask}, always query the user what do do. If it is a function, this
8951 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
8952 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
8953 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
8954 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8956 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8957 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8958 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
8959 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
8960 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
8963 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8964 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8965 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
8966 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8968 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
8970 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
8971 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
8972 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
8973 argument, the string naming the URL.
8976 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
8977 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
8978 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
8982 @item gnus-article-button-face
8983 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8984 Face used on buttons.
8986 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8987 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8988 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8992 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8995 @node Article Button Levels
8996 @subsection Article button levels
8997 @cindex button levels
8998 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
8999 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
9000 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
9001 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
9002 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
9003 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
9004 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
9005 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
9008 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
9009 (setq gnus-parameters
9010 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
9011 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
9012 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
9017 @item gnus-button-browse-level
9018 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
9019 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
9020 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
9021 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
9022 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
9024 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
9025 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
9026 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
9027 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
9028 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
9029 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
9030 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
9031 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
9032 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
9033 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
9034 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
9035 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
9036 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
9038 @item gnus-button-man-level
9039 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
9040 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
9041 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
9043 @item gnus-button-message-level
9044 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
9045 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
9046 Related variables and functions include
9047 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
9048 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
9049 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
9050 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
9052 @item gnus-button-tex-level
9053 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
9054 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
9055 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
9056 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
9057 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
9058 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
9064 @subsection Article Date
9066 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
9067 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
9068 when the article was sent.
9073 @kindex W T u (Summary)
9074 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
9075 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
9076 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
9079 @kindex W T i (Summary)
9080 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
9082 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
9083 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
9086 @kindex W T l (Summary)
9087 @findex gnus-article-date-local
9088 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
9091 @kindex W T p (Summary)
9092 @findex gnus-article-date-english
9093 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
9094 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
9097 @kindex W T s (Summary)
9098 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
9099 @findex gnus-article-date-user
9100 @findex format-time-string
9101 Display the date using a user-defined format
9102 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
9103 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
9104 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
9105 for a list of possible format specs.
9108 @kindex W T e (Summary)
9109 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
9110 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
9111 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
9112 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
9113 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
9116 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
9119 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
9120 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
9121 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
9124 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
9125 into wonderful absurdities.
9127 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
9130 (gnus-start-date-timer)
9133 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
9134 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
9138 @kindex W T o (Summary)
9139 @findex gnus-article-date-original
9140 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
9141 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
9142 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
9143 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
9144 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
9148 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
9149 preferred format automatically.
9152 @node Article Display
9153 @subsection Article Display
9158 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
9159 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
9161 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
9162 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
9164 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
9165 headers (@pxref{Face}).
9167 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
9168 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
9170 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
9171 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
9173 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
9178 @kindex W D x (Summary)
9179 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
9180 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
9181 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
9184 @kindex W D d (Summary)
9185 @findex gnus-article-display-face
9186 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
9187 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
9190 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9191 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9192 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9195 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9196 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9197 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9200 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9201 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9202 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9203 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9206 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9207 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9208 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9209 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9212 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9213 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9214 Remove all images from the article buffer
9215 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9221 @node Article Signature
9222 @subsection Article Signature
9224 @cindex article signature
9226 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9227 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9228 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9229 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9230 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9231 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9232 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9233 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9234 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9237 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9238 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9239 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9240 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9241 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9242 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9243 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9244 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9247 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9250 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9251 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9252 signature when displaying articles.
9256 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9259 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9262 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9263 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9265 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9266 in question is not a signature.
9269 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9270 listed above. Here's an example:
9273 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9274 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9277 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9278 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9279 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9280 signature after all.
9283 @node Article Miscellanea
9284 @subsection Article Miscellanea
9288 @kindex A t (Summary)
9289 @findex gnus-article-babel
9290 Translate the article from one language to another
9291 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9297 @section MIME Commands
9298 @cindex MIME decoding
9300 @cindex viewing attachments
9302 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9303 instance, @kbd{3 K v} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9309 @kindex K v (Summary)
9310 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9313 @kindex K o (Summary)
9314 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9317 @kindex K O (Summary)
9318 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} part and strip it
9319 from the article. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred
9320 via the message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
9323 @kindex K r (Summary)
9324 Replace the @acronym{MIME} part with an external body.
9327 @kindex K d (Summary)
9328 Delete the @acronym{MIME} part and add some information about the
9332 @kindex K c (Summary)
9333 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9336 @kindex K e (Summary)
9337 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9340 @kindex K i (Summary)
9341 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9344 @kindex K | (Summary)
9345 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9348 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9353 @kindex K b (Summary)
9354 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9355 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9359 @kindex K m (Summary)
9360 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9361 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9362 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9363 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9364 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9367 @kindex X m (Summary)
9368 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9369 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9370 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9371 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9374 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9375 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9376 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9377 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9380 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9381 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9382 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9383 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9386 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9387 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9388 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9389 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9391 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9392 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9393 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9394 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9395 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9396 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9399 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9400 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9401 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9402 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9409 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9410 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9411 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9412 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9415 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9418 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9422 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9423 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9424 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9425 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9426 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9427 default is @code{nil}.
9429 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9430 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9431 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9432 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9433 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9434 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9435 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9437 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9438 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9439 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9440 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9441 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9442 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9443 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9444 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9446 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9447 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9448 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9449 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9450 displayed. This variable overrides
9451 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9452 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9455 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9456 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9457 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9459 You could also add @code{"multipart/alternative"} to this list to
9460 display radio buttons that allow you to choose one of two media types
9461 those mails include. See also @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}
9462 (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The
9463 Emacs MIME Manual}).
9465 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9466 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9467 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9468 default value is @code{nil}.
9470 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9471 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9472 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9473 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9474 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9475 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9476 save all jpegs into some directory).
9478 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9481 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9482 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9484 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9485 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9486 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9487 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9488 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9491 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9492 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9493 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9495 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9496 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9497 Display "multipart/alternative" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9499 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9500 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9501 Display "multipart/related" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9503 If displaying "text/html" is discouraged, see
9504 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}, images or other material inside a
9505 "multipart/related" part might be overlooked when this variable is
9506 @code{nil}. @ref{Display Customization, Display Customization, ,
9507 emacs-mime, Emacs-Mime Manual}.
9509 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9510 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9511 Display "multipart" parts as "multipart/mixed". If @code{t}, it
9512 overrides @code{nil} values of
9513 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed} and
9514 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed}.
9516 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9517 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9518 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9519 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9521 Ready-made functions include@*
9522 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9523 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9524 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9525 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9526 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9527 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9528 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9529 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9530 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9531 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9532 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9533 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9535 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9536 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9538 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9539 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9540 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9543 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9544 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9545 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9546 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9550 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9559 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
9560 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9561 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
9562 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9563 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9564 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9565 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp}.
9567 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9568 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9569 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9570 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9572 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9573 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
9574 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9575 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9576 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9577 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9578 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9579 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9580 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9582 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9583 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9584 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
9585 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9586 quoted-printable header encoding.
9588 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9589 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9590 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9594 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9597 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9598 means encode all charsets),
9600 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9601 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9602 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9609 @cindex coding system aliases
9610 @cindex preferred charset
9612 @xref{Encoding Customization, , Encoding Customization, emacs-mime,
9613 The Emacs MIME Manual}, for additional variables that control which
9614 MIME charsets are used when sending messages.
9616 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9618 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9619 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9622 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9623 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9626 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9627 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
9629 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9632 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9635 This will almost do the right thing.
9637 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9641 (codepage-setup 1251)
9642 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9646 @node Article Commands
9647 @section Article Commands
9654 @kindex A P (Summary)
9655 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9656 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9657 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9658 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9659 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9660 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9665 @node Summary Sorting
9666 @section Summary Sorting
9667 @cindex summary sorting
9669 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9670 can't really see why you'd want that.
9675 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9676 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9677 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9680 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9681 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9682 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9685 @kindex C-c C-s C-t (Summary)
9686 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient
9687 Sort by recipient (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient}).
9690 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9691 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9692 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9695 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9696 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9697 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9700 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9701 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9702 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9705 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9706 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9707 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9710 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9711 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9712 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9715 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9716 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9717 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9720 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9721 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9722 Sort using the default sorting method
9723 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9726 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9727 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9728 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9729 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9730 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9734 @node Finding the Parent
9735 @section Finding the Parent
9736 @cindex parent articles
9737 @cindex referring articles
9742 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9743 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9744 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9745 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
9746 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9747 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9748 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9749 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9750 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9752 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9753 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9754 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
9755 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9756 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9760 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9761 @kindex A R (Summary)
9762 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9763 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9766 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9767 @kindex A T (Summary)
9768 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9769 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9770 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9771 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9772 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9773 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9774 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9776 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9777 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9778 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9779 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9780 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9781 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9784 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9785 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9787 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9788 You can also ask Gnus for an arbitrary article, no matter what group it
9789 belongs to. @kbd{M-^} (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you
9790 for a @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read
9791 thingies that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}.
9792 You have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9794 Gnus looks for the @code{Message-ID} in the headers that have already
9795 been fetched, but also tries all the select methods specified by
9796 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} if it is not found.
9799 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9800 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9801 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9802 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
9803 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
9804 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9807 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9808 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9809 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9812 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9813 then ask Google if that fails:
9816 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9818 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9821 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9822 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9823 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
9824 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9825 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
9826 group. (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does
9827 not support this at all.
9830 @node Alternative Approaches
9831 @section Alternative Approaches
9833 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9834 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9837 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9838 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9843 @subsection Pick and Read
9844 @cindex pick and read
9846 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9847 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9848 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9849 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9851 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9852 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9853 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9854 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9855 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9856 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9858 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9863 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9864 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9865 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9866 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9867 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9868 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9869 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9870 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9873 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9874 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9875 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9876 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9880 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9881 Unpick the thread or article
9882 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9883 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9884 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9885 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9886 the thread or article at that line.
9890 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9891 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9892 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9893 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9894 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9895 will still be visible when you are reading.
9899 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9900 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9901 which is mapped to the same function
9902 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9904 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9907 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9910 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9911 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9913 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9914 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9915 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9917 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9918 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9919 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9920 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9921 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9922 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9923 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9927 @subsection Binary Groups
9928 @cindex binary groups
9930 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9931 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9932 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9933 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9934 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9935 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9936 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9939 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9940 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9941 command, when you have turned on this mode
9942 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9944 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9945 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9949 @section Tree Display
9952 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9953 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
9954 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9955 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9958 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9961 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9962 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9963 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9965 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9966 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9967 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9968 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9969 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9971 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9972 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9973 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9974 default is @code{modeline}.
9976 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9977 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9978 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9979 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9980 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9981 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9982 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9988 The name of the poster.
9990 The @code{From} header.
9992 The number of the article.
9994 The opening bracket.
9996 The closing bracket.
10001 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
10003 Variables related to the display are:
10006 @item gnus-tree-brackets
10007 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
10008 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
10009 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
10011 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
10012 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
10013 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
10015 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
10017 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
10018 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
10019 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
10020 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
10024 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
10025 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
10026 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
10027 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
10028 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
10029 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
10030 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
10031 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
10032 other windows displayed next to it.
10034 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
10038 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
10039 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
10042 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
10043 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
10044 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
10045 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
10046 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
10047 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
10048 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
10052 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
10055 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
10065 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
10070 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
10071 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
10073 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
10075 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
10081 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
10082 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
10083 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
10086 (setq gnus-use-trees t
10087 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
10088 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
10089 (gnus-add-configuration
10093 (summary 0.75 point)
10098 @xref{Window Layout}.
10101 @node Mail Group Commands
10102 @section Mail Group Commands
10103 @cindex mail group commands
10105 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
10106 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
10108 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
10109 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10114 @kindex B e (Summary)
10115 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
10116 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
10117 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
10118 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
10119 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
10122 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
10123 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
10124 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
10125 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
10126 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
10127 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
10130 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
10131 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
10132 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
10133 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
10134 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
10135 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
10138 @kindex B m (Summary)
10140 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
10141 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
10142 Move the article from one mail group to another
10143 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10144 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10147 @kindex B c (Summary)
10149 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
10150 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
10151 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
10152 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10153 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10156 @kindex B B (Summary)
10157 @cindex crosspost mail
10158 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
10159 Crosspost the current article to some other group
10160 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
10161 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
10162 be properly updated.
10165 @kindex B i (Summary)
10166 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
10167 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
10168 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
10169 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10172 @kindex B I (Summary)
10173 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
10174 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
10175 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
10176 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10179 @kindex B r (Summary)
10180 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
10181 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
10182 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
10183 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
10184 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
10185 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
10186 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
10187 (which is the default).
10191 @kindex B w (Summary)
10192 @kindex e (Summary)
10193 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
10194 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
10195 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
10196 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
10197 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
10198 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
10199 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
10202 @kindex B q (Summary)
10203 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
10204 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
10205 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
10206 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
10209 @kindex B t (Summary)
10210 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
10211 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
10212 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
10215 @kindex B p (Summary)
10216 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
10217 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
10218 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
10219 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
10220 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
10221 article from your news server (or rather, from
10222 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
10223 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
10224 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
10225 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
10226 just not have arrived yet.
10229 @kindex K E (Summary)
10230 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
10231 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
10232 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
10233 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
10234 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
10238 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
10239 @cindex moving articles
10240 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
10241 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10242 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10243 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10244 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10245 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10246 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10249 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10250 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10251 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10252 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10256 @node Various Summary Stuff
10257 @section Various Summary Stuff
10260 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10261 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10262 * Summary Generation Commands::
10263 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10267 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10268 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10269 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10270 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10271 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10272 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10274 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
10275 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
10276 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
10279 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10280 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10281 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10283 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10284 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10285 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10286 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10287 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10288 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10291 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10292 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10293 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10294 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10295 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10297 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10298 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10299 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10302 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10303 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10304 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10305 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10306 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10307 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10308 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
10309 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10310 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10311 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10313 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10314 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10315 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10316 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10317 list of articles to be selected.
10319 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10320 the list in one particular group:
10323 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10324 (if (string= group "some.group")
10325 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10329 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10330 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10331 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10332 variables and their default expressions to be evalled (when the default
10333 values are not @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary
10336 Note: The default expressions will be evaluated (using function
10337 @code{eval}) before assignment to the local variable rather than just
10338 assigned to it. If the default expression is the symbol @code{global},
10339 that symbol will not be evaluated but the global value of the local
10340 variable will be used instead.
10342 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
10343 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
10344 buffers. For example:
10347 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10348 '(message-use-followup-to
10349 (gnus-visible-headers .
10350 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10353 Also @pxref{Group Parameters}.
10357 @node Summary Group Information
10358 @subsection Summary Group Information
10363 @kindex H f (Summary)
10364 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
10365 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
10366 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} (list of frequently asked questions)
10367 for the current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try
10368 to get the @acronym{FAQ} from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which
10369 is usually a directory on a remote machine. This variable can also be
10370 a list of directories. In that case, giving a prefix to this command
10371 will allow you to choose between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp}
10372 or @code{efs} will probably be used for fetching the file.
10375 @kindex H d (Summary)
10376 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10377 Give a brief description of the current group
10378 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10379 rereading the description from the server.
10382 @kindex H h (Summary)
10383 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10384 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10385 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10388 @kindex H i (Summary)
10389 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10390 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10394 @node Searching for Articles
10395 @subsection Searching for Articles
10400 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10401 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10402 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10403 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10406 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10407 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10408 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10409 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10412 @kindex & (Summary)
10413 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10414 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10415 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10416 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10417 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10418 search backward instead.
10420 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
10421 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10424 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10425 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10426 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10427 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10430 @node Summary Generation Commands
10431 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10436 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10437 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10438 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10441 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10442 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10443 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10444 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10447 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10448 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10449 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10450 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10455 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10456 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10462 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10463 @kindex A D (Summary)
10464 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10465 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10466 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10467 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10468 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10469 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10470 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10471 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10475 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10476 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10477 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10478 several documents into one biiig group
10479 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10480 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10481 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10482 command understands the process/prefix convention
10483 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10486 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10487 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10488 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10489 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10490 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10491 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10494 @kindex = (Summary)
10495 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10496 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10497 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10500 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10501 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10502 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10503 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10506 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10507 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10508 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10509 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10514 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10515 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10516 @cindex summary exit
10517 @cindex exiting groups
10519 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10520 group and return you to the group buffer.
10527 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10528 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
10529 @kindex q (Summary)
10530 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10531 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10532 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10533 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10534 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10535 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10536 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10537 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10538 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10539 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10540 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10541 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10545 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10546 @kindex Q (Summary)
10547 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10548 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10549 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10553 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10554 @kindex c (Summary)
10555 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10556 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10557 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10558 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10561 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10562 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10563 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10564 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10567 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10568 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10569 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10570 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10573 @kindex Z p (Summary)
10574 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group
10575 Mark all articles as read and go to the previous group
10576 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group}).
10580 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10581 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
10582 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10583 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10584 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10585 all articles, both read and unread.
10589 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10590 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10591 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10592 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10593 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10594 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10595 articles, both read and unread.
10598 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10599 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10600 Exit the group and go to the next group
10601 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10604 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10605 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10606 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10607 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10610 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10611 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10612 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10613 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10614 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10615 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10618 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10619 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10620 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10621 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10623 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10624 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10625 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10626 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10627 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10628 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10629 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10630 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10631 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10632 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10633 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10634 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10636 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10638 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10639 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10640 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10641 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10642 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10643 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10644 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10645 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10646 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10649 @node Crosspost Handling
10650 @section Crosspost Handling
10654 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10655 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10656 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10657 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10658 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10659 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10662 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10663 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10664 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10665 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10666 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10668 @cindex cross-posting
10670 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
10671 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10672 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
10673 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10674 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
10675 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10676 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10677 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10678 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10679 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10680 the cross reference mechanism.
10682 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10683 @cindex overview.fmt
10684 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10685 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10686 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10687 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10688 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10689 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10692 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10693 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10694 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10699 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10702 @node Duplicate Suppression
10703 @section Duplicate Suppression
10705 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10706 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10707 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10708 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10713 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10714 is evil and not very common.
10717 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10718 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10721 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10722 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
10725 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10728 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10729 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10731 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10732 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10733 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10734 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10735 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10736 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10737 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10740 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10741 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10742 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10743 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10744 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10745 saw the article in.
10748 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10749 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10750 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10752 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10753 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10754 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10755 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10756 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
10757 session are suppressed.
10759 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10760 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10761 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10762 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10764 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10765 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10766 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10767 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10770 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
10771 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10772 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10773 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10774 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
10775 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10776 to you to figure out, I think.
10781 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10782 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
10783 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
10788 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
10789 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
10790 to GnuPG included with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG
10791 Manual}), but Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10794 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10795 or newer is recommended.
10799 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10800 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10803 @item mm-verify-option
10804 @vindex mm-verify-option
10805 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10806 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10807 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10809 @item mm-decrypt-option
10810 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10811 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10812 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10813 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10816 @vindex mml1991-use
10817 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10818 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10819 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10823 @vindex mml2015-use
10824 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10825 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10826 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10831 @cindex snarfing keys
10832 @cindex importing PGP keys
10833 @cindex PGP key ring import
10834 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
10835 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
10836 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
10837 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
10838 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
10839 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
10840 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
10841 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
10842 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
10845 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
10848 This happens to also be the default action defined in
10849 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
10852 @section Mailing List
10853 @cindex mailing list
10856 @kindex A M (summary)
10857 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10858 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10859 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10860 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10863 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10868 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10869 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10870 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10873 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10874 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10875 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10878 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10879 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10880 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10884 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10885 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10886 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10889 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10890 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10891 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10894 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10895 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
10896 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10901 @node Article Buffer
10902 @chapter Article Buffer
10903 @cindex article buffer
10905 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10906 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10907 tell gnus otherwise.
10910 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10911 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
10912 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10913 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10914 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10918 @node Hiding Headers
10919 @section Hiding Headers
10920 @cindex hiding headers
10921 @cindex deleting headers
10923 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10924 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10926 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10927 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10928 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10929 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10930 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10931 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10932 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
10933 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10934 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10936 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10940 @item gnus-visible-headers
10941 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10942 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10943 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10944 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10946 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10947 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10950 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10953 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10956 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10957 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10958 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10959 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10960 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10961 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10963 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
10964 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
10967 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10970 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10973 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10974 variable will have no effect.
10978 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10979 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10980 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10981 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10982 the headers are to be displayed.
10984 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10985 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10988 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10991 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10992 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10994 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10995 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10996 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10997 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10998 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10999 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
11000 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
11003 These conditions are:
11006 Remove all empty headers.
11008 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
11009 @code{Newsgroups} header.
11011 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
11012 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
11015 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
11018 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
11019 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
11021 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
11022 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
11024 Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
11025 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
11027 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
11030 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
11032 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
11035 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
11038 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
11039 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
11042 This is also the default value for this variable.
11046 @section Using MIME
11047 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11049 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
11050 while people stand around yawning.
11052 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
11053 while all newsreaders die of fear.
11055 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
11056 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
11057 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
11059 @vindex gnus-show-mime
11060 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
11061 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
11062 gnus handles @acronym{MIME} by pushing the articles through
11063 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
11064 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
11065 calls the @acronym{SEMI} MIME-View program to actually do the work. For
11066 more information on @acronym{SEMI} MIME-View, see its manual page
11067 (however it is not existed yet, sorry).
11069 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
11070 @acronym{MIME} all the time. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime} set,
11071 then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article buffer.
11072 These can't be avoided.
11074 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
11075 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
11076 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
11077 @acronym{MIME} has decoded the sound file in the article and some
11078 horrible sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you
11079 can't find the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are
11080 starting to look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't,
11081 and you can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else
11082 in the room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll
11083 feel rather stupid.)
11085 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
11087 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
11088 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
11089 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
11090 buffer when there are nobody else.
11092 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
11095 @node Customizing Articles
11096 @section Customizing Articles
11097 @cindex article customization
11099 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
11100 exist. You can call these functions interactively
11101 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
11102 called automatically when you select the articles.
11104 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
11105 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
11106 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
11107 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
11109 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
11110 for sensible values.
11114 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
11117 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
11120 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
11123 @code{first}: Do this treatment on the first body part.
11126 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last body part.
11129 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
11133 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
11134 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
11135 regexps in the list.
11138 A list where the first element is not a string:
11140 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
11141 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
11142 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
11146 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
11150 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
11155 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
11156 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
11157 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
11158 considered to contain just a single part.
11160 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
11161 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
11162 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
11163 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
11164 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
11165 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
11166 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
11168 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
11169 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
11170 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
11171 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
11174 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
11175 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
11177 @xref{Article Buttons}.
11179 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
11180 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
11181 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
11182 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
11183 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, first, integer)
11184 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
11185 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
11186 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
11187 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
11188 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
11189 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset (t, integer)
11191 @xref{Article Washing}.
11193 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
11194 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
11195 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
11196 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
11197 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
11198 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
11199 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
11201 @xref{Article Date}.
11203 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
11204 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
11205 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
11209 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
11211 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
11213 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
11214 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
11215 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
11219 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
11223 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
11227 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
11228 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
11229 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
11230 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
11231 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
11232 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
11233 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
11234 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
11235 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
11236 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
11238 @xref{Article Hiding}.
11240 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
11241 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
11242 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
11244 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
11246 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
11247 @item gnus-treat-translate
11248 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
11249 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
11251 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
11252 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
11253 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
11254 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
11256 @xref{Article Header}.
11261 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
11262 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
11263 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
11264 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
11265 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
11269 @node Article Keymap
11270 @section Article Keymap
11272 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
11273 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
11274 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
11275 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
11278 A few additional keystrokes are available:
11283 @kindex SPACE (Article)
11284 @findex gnus-article-next-page
11285 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
11286 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
11289 @kindex DEL (Article)
11290 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
11291 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
11292 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
11295 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
11296 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
11297 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
11298 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
11299 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
11302 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
11303 @findex gnus-article-mail
11304 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
11305 given a prefix, include the mail.
11308 @kindex s (Article)
11309 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
11310 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
11311 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
11314 @kindex ? (Article)
11315 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
11316 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
11317 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
11320 @kindex TAB (Article)
11321 @findex gnus-article-next-button
11322 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
11323 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
11326 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
11327 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
11328 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
11331 @kindex R (Article)
11332 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
11333 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
11334 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
11335 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11339 @kindex F (Article)
11340 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
11341 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
11342 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
11343 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11351 @section Misc Article
11355 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
11356 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
11357 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
11358 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
11361 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
11362 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
11363 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11364 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
11365 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
11367 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
11368 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
11369 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
11370 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
11371 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
11372 the contents of the article buffer.
11374 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
11375 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
11376 Hook called in article mode buffers.
11378 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11379 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11380 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
11381 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
11383 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
11384 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
11385 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
11386 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
11388 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
11389 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
11390 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
11391 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Summary Buffer Mode
11392 Line}). It accepts the same format specifications as that variable,
11393 with two extensions:
11398 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
11399 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
11400 performed. The characters and their meaning:
11405 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
11408 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
11411 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
11412 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
11413 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
11416 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
11419 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
11422 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
11427 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
11431 @vindex gnus-break-pages
11433 @item gnus-break-pages
11434 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
11435 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
11436 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
11437 paging will not be done.
11439 @item gnus-page-delimiter
11440 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
11441 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
11445 @cindex internationalized domain names
11446 @vindex gnus-use-idna
11447 @item gnus-use-idna
11448 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
11449 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
11450 @samp{Cc} headers. @xref{IDNA, ,IDNA,message, The Message Manual},
11451 for how to compose such messages. This requires
11452 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
11453 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
11458 @node Composing Messages
11459 @chapter Composing Messages
11460 @cindex composing messages
11463 @cindex sending mail
11468 @cindex using s/mime
11469 @cindex using smime
11471 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
11472 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
11473 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
11474 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
11475 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
11476 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
11479 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
11480 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
11481 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
11482 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
11483 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
11484 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
11485 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
11486 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
11487 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
11490 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
11491 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
11497 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
11500 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
11501 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
11502 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
11503 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
11504 @code{nil} include all headers.
11506 @item gnus-add-to-list
11507 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11508 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11509 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11511 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11512 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11513 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you for a confirmation when you are
11514 about to reply to news articles by mail. If it is @code{nil}, nothing
11515 interferes in what you want to do. This can also be a function
11516 receiving the group name as the only parameter which should return
11517 non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is needed, or a regular expression
11518 matching group names, where confirmation should be asked for.
11520 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11521 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
11523 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11524 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11525 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11526 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11527 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11532 @node Posting Server
11533 @section Posting Server
11535 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11536 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11538 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11540 It can be quite complicated.
11542 @vindex gnus-post-method
11543 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11544 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11545 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11546 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11547 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11548 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11549 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11550 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11551 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11554 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11557 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11558 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11559 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11560 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11562 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11563 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11565 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11566 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11569 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11570 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11572 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11573 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11574 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11575 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11576 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @acronym{SMTP}
11577 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11578 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11579 package correctly. An example:
11582 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11583 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11584 ;; @r{The following variable needs to be set if you are using smtpmail.el}
11585 ;; @r{distributed with FLIM, lesser than the version 1.14.6.}
11586 (setq smtp-default-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11589 To the thing similar to this, there is
11590 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}. It is useful if your @acronym{ISP}
11591 requires the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication.
11592 @xref{POP before SMTP}.
11594 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11595 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11596 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11598 @node POP before SMTP
11599 @section POP before SMTP
11600 @cindex pop before smtp
11601 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
11602 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
11604 Does your @acronym{ISP} require the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
11605 authentication? It is whether you need to connect to the @acronym{POP}
11606 mail server within a certain time before sending mails. If so, there is
11607 a convenient way. To do that, put the following lines in your
11608 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
11611 (setq message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
11612 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
11616 It means to let Gnus connect to the @acronym{POP} mail server in advance
11617 whenever you send a mail. The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function
11618 does only a @acronym{POP} authentication according to the value of
11619 @code{mail-sources} without fetching mails, just before sending a mail.
11620 Note that you have to use @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} which runs
11621 @code{message-send-mail-hook} rather than @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
11622 set the value of @code{mail-sources} for a @acronym{POP} connection
11623 correctly. @xref{Mail Sources}.
11625 If you have two or more @acronym{POP} mail servers set in
11626 @code{mail-sources}, you may want to specify one of them to
11627 @code{mail-source-primary-source} as the @acronym{POP} mail server to be
11628 used for the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. If it
11629 is your primary @acronym{POP} mail server (i.e., you are fetching mails
11630 mainly from that server), you can set it permanently as follows:
11633 (setq mail-source-primary-source
11634 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11635 :password "secret"))
11639 Otherwise, bind it dynamically only when performing the
11640 @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication as follows:
11643 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook
11645 (let ((mail-source-primary-source
11646 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11647 :password "secret")))
11648 (mail-source-touch-pop))))
11651 @node Mail and Post
11652 @section Mail and Post
11654 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11658 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11659 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11660 @cindex mailing lists
11662 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11663 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
11664 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11665 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11666 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11667 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11668 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11669 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11670 still a pain, though.
11672 @item gnus-user-agent
11673 @vindex gnus-user-agent
11676 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
11677 User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
11678 Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
11679 @code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
11680 configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
11681 system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
11682 use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
11686 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11687 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11688 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11691 @findex ispell-message
11693 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11696 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11697 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11700 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11704 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11705 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11707 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11710 Modify to suit your needs.
11713 @node Archived Messages
11714 @section Archived Messages
11715 @cindex archived messages
11716 @cindex sent messages
11718 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11719 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11720 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11721 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11724 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11725 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11728 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11729 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
11730 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11733 (nnfolder "archive"
11734 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11735 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11736 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11737 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11740 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11741 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11742 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11743 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11746 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11747 '(nnfolder "archive"
11748 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11749 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11750 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11753 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11755 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11756 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11757 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11759 This variable can be used to do the following:
11763 Messages will be saved in that group.
11765 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11766 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11767 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11768 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11769 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11770 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11771 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11772 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11775 @item a list of strings
11776 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11778 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11779 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11782 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11787 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11789 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11792 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11794 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11797 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11799 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11800 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11801 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11802 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11805 More complex stuff:
11807 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11808 '((if (message-news-p)
11813 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11814 messages in one file per month:
11817 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11818 '((if (message-news-p)
11820 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11823 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11824 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11826 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11827 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11828 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11829 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11830 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11831 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11832 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11833 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11834 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11835 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11837 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11838 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11839 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11840 this will disable archiving.
11843 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11844 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11845 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11846 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11847 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11850 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11851 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11852 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11855 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11856 but the latter is the preferred method.
11858 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11859 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11860 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11862 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11863 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11864 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11865 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11866 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11867 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11868 changed in the future.
11873 @node Posting Styles
11874 @section Posting Styles
11875 @cindex posting styles
11878 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11880 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11881 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11882 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11885 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11886 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11887 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11888 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11889 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11894 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11895 (organization "What me?"))
11897 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11898 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11899 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11902 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11903 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11904 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11905 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11906 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11907 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11908 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11909 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11911 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11912 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11913 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
11914 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
11915 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
11916 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
11917 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
11918 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11919 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
11920 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11921 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11922 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
11923 said to @dfn{match}.
11925 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11926 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. In
11927 addition, you can also use the @code{(@var{name} :file @var{value})}
11928 form or the @code{(@var{name} :value @var{value})} form. Where
11929 @code{:file} signifies @var{value} represents a file name and its
11930 contents should be used as the attribute value, @code{:value} signifies
11931 @var{value} does not represent a file name explicitly. The attribute
11932 name can be one of:
11935 @item @code{signature}
11936 @item @code{signature-file}
11937 @item @code{x-face-file}
11938 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
11939 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
11943 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
11944 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
11945 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
11946 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
11947 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
11949 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11950 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11951 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11952 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11953 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11954 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11955 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11956 references chars lines xref extra.
11958 @vindex message-reply-headers
11960 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11961 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11962 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11964 @findex message-mail-p
11965 @findex message-news-p
11967 So here's a new example:
11970 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11972 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11974 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11975 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11977 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11978 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
11979 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11980 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
11981 (signature my-news-signature))
11982 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
11983 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11984 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
11985 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11986 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11987 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
11988 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11989 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11990 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11991 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11993 (From (save-excursion
11994 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11995 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11997 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
12000 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
12001 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
12002 if you fill many roles.
12004 Setting the @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} variable will make
12005 posting-styles allow to have distinctive names. You can specify an
12006 arbitrary posting-style when article posting with @kbd{S P} in the
12007 summary buffer. @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} is an alist which maps
12008 the names to styles. Once a posting-style is added to the alist, we can
12009 import it from @code{gnus-posting-styles}. If an attribute whose name
12010 is @code{import} is found, Gnus will look for the attribute value in
12011 @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} and expand it in place.
12016 (setq gnus-named-posting-styles
12018 (signature-file "~/.signature")
12020 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
12021 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
12024 (organization "The Church of Emacs"))))
12027 The posting-style named "Emacs" will inherit all the attributes from
12028 "Default" except @code{organization}.
12035 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
12036 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
12037 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
12038 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
12039 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
12041 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
12042 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
12043 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
12044 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
12045 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
12049 @vindex nndraft-directory
12050 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
12051 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
12052 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
12053 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
12054 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
12055 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
12057 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
12058 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
12059 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
12060 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
12061 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
12062 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
12063 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
12064 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
12065 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
12067 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
12068 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
12069 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
12070 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
12071 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
12072 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
12073 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
12074 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
12075 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
12076 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
12077 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
12078 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
12079 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
12080 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
12082 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
12083 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
12084 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
12086 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
12087 @kindex D e (Draft)
12088 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
12089 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
12090 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
12092 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
12095 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
12096 @kindex D s (Draft)
12097 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
12098 @kindex D S (Draft)
12099 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
12100 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
12101 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
12102 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
12103 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
12106 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
12107 @kindex D t (Draft)
12108 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
12109 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
12110 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
12113 @node Rejected Articles
12114 @section Rejected Articles
12115 @cindex rejected articles
12117 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
12118 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
12119 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
12120 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
12122 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
12123 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
12124 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
12125 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
12126 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
12128 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
12129 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
12130 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
12132 @node Signing and encrypting
12133 @section Signing and encrypting
12135 @cindex using s/mime
12136 @cindex using smime
12138 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
12139 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
12140 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
12141 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
12143 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
12144 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
12145 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
12146 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
12147 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
12148 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
12149 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
12150 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
12151 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
12152 automatically encrypted messages.
12154 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
12155 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
12156 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
12161 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
12162 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
12164 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12167 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
12168 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12170 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12173 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
12174 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12176 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12179 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
12180 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
12182 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12185 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
12186 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
12188 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12191 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
12192 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
12194 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12197 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
12198 @findex mml-unsecure-message
12199 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
12203 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
12205 @node Select Methods
12206 @chapter Select Methods
12207 @cindex foreign groups
12208 @cindex select methods
12210 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
12211 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
12212 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
12213 personal mail group.
12215 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
12216 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
12217 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
12218 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
12219 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
12220 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
12222 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
12223 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
12225 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
12228 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
12229 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
12230 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
12231 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
12232 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
12234 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
12237 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
12238 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
12239 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
12240 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
12241 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
12242 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
12243 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
12244 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
12245 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
12249 @node Server Buffer
12250 @section Server Buffer
12252 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
12253 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
12254 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
12255 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
12256 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
12257 back end represents a virtual server.
12259 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
12260 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
12261 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
12262 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
12264 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
12265 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
12266 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
12267 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
12268 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
12269 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
12270 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
12272 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
12273 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
12276 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
12277 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
12278 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
12279 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
12280 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
12281 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
12282 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
12285 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
12286 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
12289 @node Server Buffer Format
12290 @subsection Server Buffer Format
12291 @cindex server buffer format
12293 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
12294 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
12295 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
12296 variable, with some simple extensions:
12301 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
12304 The name of this server.
12307 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
12310 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
12313 Whether this server is agentized.
12316 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
12317 The mode line can also be customized by using the
12318 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
12319 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
12329 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
12332 @node Server Commands
12333 @subsection Server Commands
12334 @cindex server commands
12340 @findex gnus-server-add-server
12341 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
12345 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
12346 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
12349 @kindex SPACE (Server)
12350 @findex gnus-server-read-server
12351 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
12355 @findex gnus-server-exit
12356 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
12360 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
12361 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
12365 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
12366 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
12370 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
12371 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
12375 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
12376 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
12380 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
12381 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
12382 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
12387 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
12388 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
12389 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
12390 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
12395 @node Example Methods
12396 @subsection Example Methods
12398 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
12401 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
12404 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
12410 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
12411 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
12414 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
12415 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
12417 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
12418 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
12422 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
12425 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
12426 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
12428 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
12429 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
12430 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
12434 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
12437 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
12440 Here's the method for a public spool:
12444 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
12445 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
12451 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
12452 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
12453 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12454 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
12455 should probably look something like this:
12459 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
12460 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
12461 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
12462 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12465 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
12466 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
12467 configuration to the example above:
12470 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12473 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}. Here's an example for
12474 an indirect connection:
12476 (setq gnus-select-method
12478 (nntp-address "news.server.example")
12479 (nntp-via-user-name "intermediate_user_name")
12480 (nntp-via-address "intermediate.host.example")
12481 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12482 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
12483 (nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches ("-C" "-t" "-e" "none"))
12484 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)))
12487 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
12488 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
12489 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
12493 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12494 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
12495 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
12496 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12499 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
12500 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
12501 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
12502 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
12505 @node Creating a Virtual Server
12506 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
12508 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
12509 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
12511 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
12512 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
12513 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
12515 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
12517 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
12518 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
12519 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
12520 will contain the following:
12530 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
12531 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
12534 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
12535 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
12536 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
12539 @node Server Variables
12540 @subsection Server Variables
12541 @cindex server variables
12542 @cindex server parameters
12544 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
12545 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
12546 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
12547 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
12548 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
12550 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
12551 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
12552 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
12553 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
12554 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
12555 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
12556 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
12557 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
12558 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
12562 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
12563 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
12564 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
12567 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
12569 @node Servers and Methods
12570 @subsection Servers and Methods
12572 Wherever you would normally use a select method
12573 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
12574 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
12575 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
12579 @node Unavailable Servers
12580 @subsection Unavailable Servers
12582 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
12583 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
12584 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
12585 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
12586 actually the case or not.
12588 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
12589 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
12590 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
12591 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
12592 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
12593 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
12594 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
12595 it will regard that server as ``down''.
12597 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
12598 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
12600 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
12601 with the following commands:
12607 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12608 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12609 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12613 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12614 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12615 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12619 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12620 Mark the current server as unreachable
12621 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12624 @kindex M-o (Server)
12625 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12626 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12627 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12630 @kindex M-c (Server)
12631 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12632 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12633 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12637 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12638 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12639 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12643 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12644 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12650 @section Getting News
12651 @cindex reading news
12652 @cindex news back ends
12654 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12655 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
12656 or it can read from a local spool.
12659 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12660 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12668 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
12669 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
12670 server as the, uhm, address.
12672 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12673 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12674 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12675 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12677 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12678 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12679 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12681 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12686 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12687 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12688 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12690 @cindex authentification
12691 @cindex nntp authentification
12692 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12693 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12694 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12695 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
12696 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12697 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12698 present in this hook.
12700 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12701 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12702 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12703 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12704 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
12705 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12706 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12707 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12708 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12709 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12710 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12711 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12715 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12718 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12720 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12721 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12722 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12723 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12724 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12725 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12726 @samp{force} is explained below.
12730 Here's an example file:
12733 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12734 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12737 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12738 have to be first, for instance.
12740 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12741 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12742 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12743 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12744 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12745 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12746 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12748 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12749 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12755 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12756 previously mentioned.
12758 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12760 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12761 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12762 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12763 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12764 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12767 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12768 '(("innd" (ding))))
12771 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12773 The default value is
12776 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12777 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12778 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12781 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12782 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12784 @item nntp-maximum-request
12785 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12786 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
12787 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12788 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12789 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12790 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12791 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12793 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12794 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12795 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12796 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
12797 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12798 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12799 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12800 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12801 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12802 no timeouts are done.
12804 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12805 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12806 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
12807 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
12810 @item nntp-xover-commands
12811 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12812 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
12814 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
12815 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12819 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12820 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
12821 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12822 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12823 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
12824 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12825 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12826 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12827 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12828 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12829 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12831 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12832 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12833 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12835 @item nntp-record-commands
12836 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12837 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12838 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12839 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
12840 that doesn't seem to work.
12842 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12843 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12844 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12845 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12846 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12847 Seven pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped
12848 in two categories: direct connection functions (four pre-made), and
12849 indirect ones (three pre-made).
12851 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12852 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12853 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12854 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12855 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12856 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12857 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12860 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12863 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12864 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12866 @item nntp-list-options
12867 @vindex nntp-list-options
12868 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
12869 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
12870 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
12871 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
12872 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
12876 (setq gnus-select-method
12877 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12878 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
12881 @item nntp-options-subscribe
12882 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
12883 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
12884 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12885 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12886 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12887 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12890 (setq gnus-select-method
12891 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12892 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
12895 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
12896 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
12897 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
12898 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12899 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12900 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12901 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12904 (setq gnus-select-method
12905 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12906 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
12911 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12912 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12913 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12914 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
12918 @node Direct Functions
12919 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12920 @cindex direct connection functions
12922 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12923 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
12924 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12925 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12928 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12929 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12930 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12933 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
12934 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
12935 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12936 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
12937 installed. You then define a server as follows:
12940 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12941 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
12943 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12944 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
12945 (nntp-port-number )
12946 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12949 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12950 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12951 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12952 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
12953 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
12954 then define a server as follows:
12957 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12958 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
12960 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12961 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12962 (nntp-port-number 563)
12963 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12966 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12967 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12968 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12969 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12970 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12971 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12972 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12973 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12977 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12978 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12979 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12982 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12983 session, which is not a good idea.
12987 @node Indirect Functions
12988 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12989 @cindex indirect connection functions
12991 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12992 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12993 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12994 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
12995 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12996 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12999 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
13000 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
13001 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
13002 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
13003 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
13005 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
13008 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
13009 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
13010 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
13011 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
13013 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13014 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13015 List of strings to be used as the switches to
13016 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
13017 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
13018 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
13019 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
13020 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
13024 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
13025 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13027 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
13028 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
13029 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{netcat}
13030 (@uref{http://netcat.sourceforge.net/}) instead of @samp{telnet} to
13031 connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the intermediate host.
13033 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat}-specific variables:
13036 @item nntp-via-netcat-command
13037 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-command
13038 Command used to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the
13039 intermediate host. The default is @samp{nc}. You can also use other
13040 programs like @samp{connect}
13041 (@uref{http://www.imasy.or.jp/~gotoh/ssh/connect.html}) instead.
13043 @item nntp-via-netcat-switches
13044 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-switches
13045 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
13046 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @code{nil}.
13048 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
13049 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
13050 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
13052 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13053 List of strings to be used as the switches to
13054 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}.
13057 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13058 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13059 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
13060 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
13062 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
13065 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
13066 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
13067 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
13070 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
13071 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
13072 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
13073 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
13075 @item nntp-via-user-password
13076 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
13077 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
13079 @item nntp-via-envuser
13080 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
13081 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
13082 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
13083 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
13085 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
13086 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
13087 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
13088 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
13092 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
13093 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13097 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
13102 @item nntp-via-user-name
13103 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
13104 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
13106 @item nntp-via-address
13107 @vindex nntp-via-address
13108 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
13113 @node Common Variables
13114 @subsubsection Common Variables
13116 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
13117 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
13118 affected (the values of the following variables will be used as the
13119 default if each virtual @code{nntp} server doesn't specify those server
13120 variables individually).
13124 @item nntp-pre-command
13125 @vindex nntp-pre-command
13126 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
13127 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
13128 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}). This is
13129 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
13132 @vindex nntp-address
13133 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
13135 @item nntp-port-number
13136 @vindex nntp-port-number
13137 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13138 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
13139 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you may want to use integer ports rather
13140 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
13141 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
13142 not work with named ports.
13144 @item nntp-end-of-line
13145 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
13146 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
13147 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
13148 using a non native telnet connection function.
13150 @item nntp-telnet-command
13151 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
13152 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
13153 @samp{telnet}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
13154 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13157 @item nntp-telnet-switches
13158 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
13159 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
13165 @subsubsection NNTP marks
13166 @cindex storing NNTP marks
13168 Gnus stores marks (@pxref{Marking Articles}) for @acronym{NNTP}
13169 servers in marks files. A marks file records what marks you have set
13170 in a group and each file is specific to the corresponding server.
13171 Marks files are stored in @file{~/News/marks}
13172 (@code{nntp-marks-directory}) under a classic hierarchy resembling
13173 that of a news server, for example marks for the group
13174 @samp{gmane.discuss} on the news.gmane.org server will be stored in
13175 the file @file{~/News/marks/news.gmane.org/gmane/discuss/.marks}.
13177 Marks files are useful because you can copy the @file{~/News/marks}
13178 directory (using rsync, scp or whatever) to another Gnus installation,
13179 and it will realize what articles you have read and marked. The data
13180 in @file{~/News/marks} has priority over the same data in
13181 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
13183 Note that marks files are very much server-specific: Gnus remembers
13184 the article numbers so if you don't use the same servers on both
13185 installations things are most likely to break (most @acronym{NNTP}
13186 servers do not use the same article numbers as any other server).
13187 However, if you use servers A, B, C on one installation and servers A,
13188 D, E on the other, you can sync the marks files for A and then you'll
13189 get synchronization for that server between the two installations.
13191 Using @acronym{NNTP} marks can possibly incur a performance penalty so
13192 if Gnus feels sluggish, try setting the @code{nntp-marks-is-evil}
13193 variable to @code{t}. Marks will then be stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
13199 @item nntp-marks-is-evil
13200 @vindex nntp-marks-is-evil
13201 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any marks files. The
13202 default is @code{nil}.
13204 @item nntp-marks-directory
13205 @vindex nntp-marks-directory
13206 The directory where marks for nntp groups will be stored.
13212 @subsection News Spool
13216 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
13217 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
13218 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
13221 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
13222 anything else) as the address.
13224 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
13225 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
13226 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
13227 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
13231 @item nnspool-inews-program
13232 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
13233 Program used to post an article.
13235 @item nnspool-inews-switches
13236 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
13237 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
13239 @item nnspool-spool-directory
13240 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
13241 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
13242 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
13244 @item nnspool-nov-directory
13245 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
13246 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
13247 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
13249 @item nnspool-lib-dir
13250 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
13251 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
13253 @item nnspool-active-file
13254 @vindex nnspool-active-file
13255 The name of the active file.
13257 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
13258 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
13259 The name of the group descriptions file.
13261 @item nnspool-history-file
13262 @vindex nnspool-history-file
13263 The name of the news history file.
13265 @item nnspool-active-times-file
13266 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
13267 The name of the active date file.
13269 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
13270 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
13271 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
13274 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13275 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13277 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
13278 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
13279 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
13286 @section Getting Mail
13287 @cindex reading mail
13290 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
13294 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
13295 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
13296 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
13297 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
13298 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
13299 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
13300 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
13301 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
13302 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
13303 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
13304 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
13305 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
13306 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
13310 @node Mail in a Newsreader
13311 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
13313 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
13314 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
13315 of a culture shock.
13317 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
13318 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
13320 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
13321 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
13322 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
13323 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
13325 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
13327 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
13328 deleted? How awful!
13330 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
13331 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
13332 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
13333 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
13336 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
13337 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
13338 they want to treat a message.
13340 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
13341 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
13342 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
13343 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
13344 archived somewhere else.
13346 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
13347 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
13348 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
13349 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
13350 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
13352 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
13353 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
13354 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
13356 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
13357 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
13360 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
13361 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
13362 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
13363 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
13364 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
13366 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
13367 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
13368 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
13369 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
13370 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
13371 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
13375 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
13376 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
13378 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
13379 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
13380 and things will happen automatically.
13382 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
13383 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13386 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
13389 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
13390 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
13391 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
13392 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
13393 like any other group.
13395 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
13398 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13399 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13400 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13404 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
13405 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
13406 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
13409 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
13410 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
13411 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
13414 @node Splitting Mail
13415 @subsection Splitting Mail
13416 @cindex splitting mail
13417 @cindex mail splitting
13418 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
13420 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
13421 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
13422 to be split into groups.
13425 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13426 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13427 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13428 ("mail.other" "")))
13431 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
13432 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
13433 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
13434 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
13435 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
13436 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
13437 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
13440 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
13444 In that case, @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether
13445 the inserted text should be made lowercase. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
13447 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13448 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
13449 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
13450 mail belongs in that group.
13452 @cindex @samp{bogus} group
13453 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
13454 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{""} so that it matches any mails
13455 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
13456 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first rule
13457 to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled. In
13458 that case, all matching rules will ``win''.) If no rule matched, the mail
13459 will end up in the @samp{bogus} group. When new groups are created by
13460 splitting mail, you may want to run @code{gnus-group-find-new-groups} to
13461 see the new groups. This also applies to the @samp{bogus} group.
13463 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
13464 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
13465 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
13466 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
13467 thinks should carry this mail message.
13469 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
13470 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
13471 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
13472 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
13474 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
13475 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
13476 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
13477 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
13478 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{""}) group.
13480 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
13483 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
13484 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
13485 links. If that's the case for you, set
13486 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
13487 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
13489 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
13490 @findex nnmail-split-history
13491 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
13492 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
13493 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
13494 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
13497 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
13498 Header lines longer than the value of
13499 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
13502 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
13503 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
13504 By default the splitting codes @acronym{MIME} decodes headers so you
13505 can match on non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. The
13506 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset} variable specifies the default
13507 charset for decoding. The behavior can be turned off completely by
13508 binding @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to @code{nil}, which is
13509 useful if you want to match articles based on the raw header data.
13511 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13512 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
13513 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
13514 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
13515 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
13516 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
13517 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
13518 other kinds of entries.)
13520 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
13521 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
13522 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
13523 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
13524 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
13525 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
13526 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
13527 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
13528 month's rent money.
13532 @subsection Mail Sources
13534 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
13535 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
13536 maildir, for instance.
13539 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
13540 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
13541 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
13545 @node Mail Source Specifiers
13546 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
13548 @cindex mail server
13551 @cindex mail source
13553 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
13554 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
13559 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
13562 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
13563 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
13564 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
13567 The following mail source types are available:
13571 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
13577 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
13578 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
13579 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
13583 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13586 An example file mail source:
13589 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
13592 Or using the default file name:
13598 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
13599 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
13600 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
13601 mail spool while moving the mail.
13603 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
13607 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
13610 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
13614 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
13617 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
13619 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
13622 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
13626 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
13627 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
13628 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
13629 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
13630 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
13631 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
13632 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
13633 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
13634 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
13635 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
13637 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13638 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
13639 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
13640 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
13646 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
13650 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
13654 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
13655 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
13656 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
13657 predicate are considered.
13661 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13665 An example directory mail source:
13668 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13673 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
13679 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
13680 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13683 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
13684 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13685 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13686 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13687 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13690 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
13694 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
13695 the user is prompted.
13698 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
13699 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13702 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13705 The valid format specifier characters are:
13709 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13710 included in this string.
13713 The name of the server.
13716 The port number of the server.
13719 The user name to use.
13722 The password to use.
13725 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13726 corresponding keywords.
13729 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13730 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13733 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13734 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13737 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
13738 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
13739 mail should be moved to.
13741 @item :authentication
13742 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13743 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13747 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this can be the symbol
13748 @code{ssl}, the symbol @code{tls} or others. The default is @code{nil}
13749 and use insecure connections. Note that for SSL/TLS, you need external
13750 programs and libraries:
13754 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL@. Requires OpenSSL (the program
13755 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
13756 library @samp{ssl.el}.
13758 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to SSL)@.
13759 Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13764 Non-@code{nil} if mail is to be left on the server and UIDL used for
13765 message retrieval. The default is @code{nil}.
13769 @vindex pop3-movemail
13770 @vindex pop3-leave-mail-on-server
13771 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13772 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used. If the
13773 @code{pop3-leave-mail-on-server} is non-@code{nil} the mail is to be
13774 left on the @acronym{POP} server after fetching when using
13775 @code{pop3-movemail}. Note that POP servers maintain no state
13776 information between sessions, so what the client believes is there and
13777 what is actually there may not match up. If they do not, then the whole
13778 thing can fall apart and leave you with a corrupt mailbox.
13780 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server,
13781 using the default user name, and default fetcher:
13787 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13790 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13791 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13794 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13797 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13801 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13802 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13803 contains exactly one mail.
13809 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13810 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13813 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13814 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13816 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13817 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13818 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13821 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13822 from locking problems).
13826 Two example maildir mail sources:
13829 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13830 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13834 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13839 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
13840 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
13841 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
13842 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
13843 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
13845 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
13846 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13852 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
13853 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13856 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13857 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
13860 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
13864 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
13868 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13869 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13870 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
13871 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13873 @item :authentication
13874 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13875 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13876 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13877 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13880 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13881 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
13882 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13888 The valid format specifier characters are:
13892 The name of the server.
13895 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
13898 The port number of the server.
13901 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13902 corresponding keywords.
13905 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13906 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13909 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13910 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13911 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
13912 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13913 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13914 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13917 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13918 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13919 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13920 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13923 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
13924 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
13928 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
13931 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13933 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13937 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
13938 @uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
13939 @uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
13941 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13942 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13944 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13950 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13951 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13954 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13958 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13962 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
13963 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
13967 An example webmail source:
13970 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13972 :password "secret")
13977 @item Common Keywords
13978 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13984 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
13985 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
13990 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13995 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13996 useful when you use local mail and news.
14001 @subsubsection Function Interface
14003 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
14004 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
14005 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
14006 consider the following mail-source setting:
14009 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
14010 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
14013 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
14014 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
14015 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
14016 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
14017 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
14019 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
14022 @node Mail Source Customization
14023 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
14025 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
14026 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
14030 @item mail-source-crash-box
14031 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
14032 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
14033 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
14035 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
14036 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
14037 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
14038 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
14039 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
14040 (This will only happen, when receiving new mail). You may also set
14041 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
14042 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
14044 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
14045 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
14046 If non-@code{nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
14047 files. This variable only applies when
14048 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
14050 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
14051 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
14052 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
14054 @item mail-source-directory
14055 @vindex mail-source-directory
14056 Directory where incoming mail source files (if any) will be stored. The
14057 default is @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for
14058 is to say where the incoming files will be stored if the variable
14059 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a number.
14061 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
14062 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
14063 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
14064 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
14065 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
14066 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a
14069 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
14070 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
14071 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
14073 @item mail-source-movemail-program
14074 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
14075 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
14076 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
14081 @node Fetching Mail
14082 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
14084 @vindex mail-sources
14085 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
14086 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
14087 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
14088 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
14090 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
14091 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
14094 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
14095 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
14100 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
14101 :password "secret")))
14104 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
14108 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
14109 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
14112 :password "secret")))
14116 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
14117 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
14118 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
14119 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
14120 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
14121 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
14125 @node Mail Back End Variables
14126 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
14128 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
14132 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
14133 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
14134 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
14135 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
14137 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
14138 @item nnmail-split-hook
14139 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
14140 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
14141 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
14142 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
14143 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
14144 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
14145 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
14146 in the buffer will show up in any files.
14147 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
14150 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14151 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14152 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14153 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14154 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
14155 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
14156 starting to handle the new mail) and
14157 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
14158 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
14159 default file modes the new mail files get:
14162 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14163 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
14165 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14166 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
14169 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
14170 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
14171 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
14172 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
14173 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
14174 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
14175 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
14177 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
14178 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
14179 @findex delete-file
14180 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
14182 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14183 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14184 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
14185 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
14186 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
14188 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14189 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14190 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
14191 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
14192 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
14194 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
14195 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
14196 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
14201 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
14202 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
14203 @cindex mail splitting
14204 @cindex fancy mail splitting
14206 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
14207 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
14208 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
14209 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
14210 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
14211 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
14213 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
14216 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
14217 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
14218 ;; @r{from real errors.}
14219 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
14221 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
14222 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
14223 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
14224 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
14225 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
14226 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
14227 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
14228 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
14229 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
14230 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
14231 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
14232 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
14233 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
14234 (any "mypackage@@somewhere" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
14235 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
14236 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
14237 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
14241 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
14242 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
14243 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
14248 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
14249 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
14251 @c Don't fold this line.
14252 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split} [@var{invert-partial}])
14253 The split can be a list containing at least three elements. If the
14254 first element @var{field} (a regexp matching a header) contains
14255 @var{value} (also a regexp) then store the message as specified by
14258 If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp) matches some string after
14259 @var{field} and before the end of the matched @var{value}, the
14260 @var{split} is ignored. If none of the @var{restrict} clauses match,
14261 @var{split} is processed.
14263 The last element @var{invert-partial} is optional. If it is
14264 non-@code{nil}, the match-partial-words behavior controlled by the
14265 variable @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} (see below) is
14266 be inverted. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
14268 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
14269 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
14270 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
14271 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
14272 stored in one or more groups.
14274 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
14275 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
14276 process all @var{split}s in the list.
14279 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
14280 this message. Use with extreme caution.
14282 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
14283 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
14284 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
14285 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
14288 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
14289 body of the messages:
14292 (defun split-on-body ()
14296 (goto-char (point-min))
14297 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
14301 The buffer is narrowed to the message in question when @var{function}
14302 is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called after
14303 @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
14304 above. Also note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will
14305 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
14306 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
14307 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
14309 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
14310 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
14311 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
14312 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
14313 should return a split.
14316 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
14320 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
14322 Normally, @var{value} in these splits must match a complete @emph{word}
14323 according to the fundamental mode syntax table. In other words, all
14324 @var{value}'s will be implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers,
14325 which are word delimiters. Therefore, if you use the following split,
14329 (any "joe" "joemail")
14333 messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will normally not be filed
14334 in @samp{joemail}. If you want to alter this behavior, you can use any
14335 of the following three ways:
14339 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
14340 You can set the @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} variable
14341 to non-@code{nil} in order to ignore word boundaries and instead the
14342 match becomes more like a grep. This variable controls whether partial
14343 words are matched during fancy splitting. The default value is
14346 Note that it influences all @var{value}'s in your split rules.
14349 @var{value} beginning with @code{.*} ignores word boundaries in front of
14350 a word. Similarly, if @var{value} ends with @code{.*}, word boundaries
14351 in the rear of a word will be ignored. For example, the @var{value}
14352 @code{"@@example\\.com"} does not match @samp{foo@@example.com} but
14353 @code{".*@@example\\.com"} does.
14356 You can set the @var{invert-partial} flag in your split rules of the
14357 @samp{(@var{field} @var{value} @dots{})} types, aforementioned in this
14358 section. If the flag is set, word boundaries on both sides of a word
14359 are ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
14360 @code{nil}. Contrarily, if the flag is set, word boundaries are not
14361 ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
14362 non-@code{nil}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
14365 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
14366 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
14367 they are expanded as specified by the variable
14368 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
14369 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
14370 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
14371 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
14375 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
14377 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
14378 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
14380 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
14383 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
14384 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
14385 when all this splitting is performed.
14387 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
14388 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
14389 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
14392 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
14395 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
14396 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
14398 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
14399 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
14400 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
14401 groupings 1 through 9.
14403 @vindex nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded
14404 Where @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether the
14405 lowercase of the matched string should be used for the substitution.
14406 Setting it as non-@code{nil} is useful to avoid the creation of multiple
14407 groups when users send to an address using different case
14408 (i.e. mailing-list@@domain vs Mailing-List@@Domain). The default value
14411 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
14412 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
14413 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
14414 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
14415 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
14416 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
14417 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
14418 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
14419 it once per thread.
14421 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
14422 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
14423 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
14424 using the colon feature, like so:
14426 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
14427 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
14429 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
14430 ;; @r{other splits go here}
14434 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
14435 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
14436 in the file specified by the variable
14437 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
14438 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
14439 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
14440 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
14441 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
14442 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
14443 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
14444 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
14445 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
14446 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
14447 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
14448 300 kBytes in size.)
14449 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14450 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
14451 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
14452 messages goes into the new group.
14454 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
14455 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
14456 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
14457 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
14458 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
14459 ``outgoing'' group.
14462 @node Group Mail Splitting
14463 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
14464 @cindex mail splitting
14465 @cindex group mail splitting
14467 @findex gnus-group-split
14468 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
14469 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
14470 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
14471 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
14472 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
14473 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
14474 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
14475 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
14477 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
14478 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
14479 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
14480 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
14482 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
14483 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
14484 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
14485 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
14486 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
14487 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
14488 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
14490 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
14491 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
14492 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
14493 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
14494 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
14495 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
14496 @code{gnus-group-split}.
14498 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
14499 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
14500 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
14501 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
14502 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
14503 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
14504 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
14505 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
14506 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
14507 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
14508 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
14509 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
14510 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
14512 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
14517 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
14518 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
14520 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
14521 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
14522 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
14523 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
14525 ((split-spec . catch-all))
14528 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
14529 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
14530 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
14533 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
14534 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
14535 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
14539 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
14540 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
14541 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
14545 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
14548 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
14549 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
14550 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
14551 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
14552 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
14553 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
14554 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
14555 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
14556 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
14558 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
14559 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
14560 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
14561 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
14562 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
14563 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
14564 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
14565 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
14566 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
14568 @findex gnus-group-split-update
14569 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
14570 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
14571 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
14572 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
14573 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
14576 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
14579 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
14580 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
14581 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
14582 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
14583 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
14586 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
14587 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
14588 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
14589 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
14591 @node Incorporating Old Mail
14592 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
14593 @cindex incorporating old mail
14594 @cindex import old mail
14596 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
14597 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
14598 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
14601 Doing so can be quite easy.
14603 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
14604 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
14605 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
14606 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
14607 your @code{nnml} groups.
14613 Go to the group buffer.
14616 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
14617 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14620 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
14623 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
14624 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14627 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
14628 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
14631 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
14632 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
14633 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
14634 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
14635 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
14637 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
14638 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
14639 using the new mail back end.
14642 @node Expiring Mail
14643 @subsection Expiring Mail
14644 @cindex article expiry
14646 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
14647 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
14648 different approach to mail reading.
14650 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
14651 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
14652 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
14653 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
14654 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
14655 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
14658 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
14659 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
14660 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
14661 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
14662 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
14663 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
14664 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
14665 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
14666 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
14668 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
14669 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
14670 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
14671 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
14672 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
14673 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
14674 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
14677 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
14678 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
14679 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
14680 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
14681 into its own group.)
14683 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
14684 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
14685 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
14686 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
14687 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
14688 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
14689 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
14690 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
14693 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14694 Groups that match the regular expression
14695 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
14696 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
14697 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
14699 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
14700 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
14701 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
14702 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
14703 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14705 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
14707 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
14708 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
14709 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
14712 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
14713 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
14714 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
14715 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
14716 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
14718 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
14719 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
14722 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14723 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
14726 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
14727 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
14729 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
14730 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
14731 don't really mix very well.
14733 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
14734 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
14735 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
14736 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
14739 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
14740 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
14741 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
14742 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
14745 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14747 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14749 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
14751 ((string= group "mail.junk")
14753 ((string= group "important")
14759 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
14760 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
14762 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
14763 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
14764 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
14767 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
14768 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14770 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
14771 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
14772 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
14773 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
14774 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
14775 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
14776 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
14777 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
14778 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
14779 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
14780 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
14781 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
14782 name or @code{delete}.
14784 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
14786 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
14789 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14790 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14791 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
14792 expire mail to groups according to the variable
14793 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
14796 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14797 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14798 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
14799 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
14800 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
14803 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
14804 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
14805 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
14806 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
14807 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
14808 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14810 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14811 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14812 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14813 easier for procmail users.
14815 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14816 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14817 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14818 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14819 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14820 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14821 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14822 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14823 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14824 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14825 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14826 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14827 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14830 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14832 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14833 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14834 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14835 auto-expire turned on.
14839 @subsection Washing Mail
14840 @cindex mail washing
14841 @cindex list server brain damage
14842 @cindex incoming mail treatment
14844 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
14845 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
14846 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
14847 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
14848 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
14849 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
14851 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
14852 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
14853 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
14856 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
14857 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
14858 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
14859 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
14862 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14863 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14864 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
14865 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
14866 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
14869 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14870 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14871 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
14872 Emacs running on MS machines.
14876 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14877 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14878 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
14879 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
14882 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14883 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14884 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
14885 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
14887 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
14888 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
14889 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
14890 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
14891 into a feature by documenting it.)
14893 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14894 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14895 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
14896 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
14897 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
14898 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
14899 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
14902 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
14903 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
14906 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
14907 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14910 This can also be done non-destructively with
14911 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14913 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14914 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14915 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14917 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14918 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14920 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14921 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14922 @code{References} headers.
14926 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14927 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14928 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14932 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14933 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14934 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14941 @subsection Duplicates
14943 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14944 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14945 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14946 @cindex duplicate mails
14947 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14948 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14949 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14950 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14951 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14952 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14953 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14954 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14955 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14956 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14957 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14958 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14959 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14961 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14962 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14963 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14964 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14966 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14969 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14970 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14974 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14975 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
14976 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14977 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
14978 (any mail "mail.misc")
14979 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14985 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14986 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14987 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14991 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14992 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14993 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14994 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14995 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14998 @node Not Reading Mail
14999 @subsection Not Reading Mail
15001 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
15002 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
15003 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
15005 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
15006 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
15007 mail, which should help.
15009 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
15010 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
15011 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
15012 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
15013 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
15014 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
15015 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old Rmail
15016 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
15017 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
15018 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
15019 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
15021 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
15022 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
15026 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
15027 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
15029 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
15030 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
15031 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
15033 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
15034 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
15035 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
15039 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
15040 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
15041 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
15042 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
15043 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
15044 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
15045 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
15049 @node Unix Mail Box
15050 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
15052 @cindex unix mail box
15054 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
15055 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
15056 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
15057 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
15058 which group it belongs in.
15060 Virtual server settings:
15063 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
15064 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
15065 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
15068 @item nnmbox-active-file
15069 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
15070 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
15071 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
15073 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
15074 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
15075 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
15076 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
15081 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
15085 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
15086 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
15087 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{Rmail
15088 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
15089 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
15091 Virtual server settings:
15094 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
15095 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
15096 The name of the Rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
15098 @item nnbabyl-active-file
15099 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
15100 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
15101 @file{~/.rmail-active}
15103 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
15104 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
15105 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
15111 @subsubsection Mail Spool
15113 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
15115 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
15116 format. It should be used with some caution.
15118 @vindex nnml-directory
15119 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
15120 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
15121 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
15122 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
15124 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
15127 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
15128 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
15129 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
15130 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
15131 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
15132 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
15133 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
15134 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
15136 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
15137 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
15138 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
15139 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
15141 @cindex self contained nnml servers
15143 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
15144 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15145 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15146 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
15147 for a group are usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
15148 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
15149 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
15150 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
15153 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
15154 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
15155 them next time it starts.
15157 Virtual server settings:
15160 @item nnml-directory
15161 @vindex nnml-directory
15162 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
15163 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
15166 @item nnml-active-file
15167 @vindex nnml-active-file
15168 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
15169 @file{~/Mail/active}.
15171 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
15172 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
15173 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15174 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
15176 @item nnml-get-new-mail
15177 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
15178 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
15181 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
15182 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
15183 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15184 default is @code{nil}.
15186 @item nnml-nov-file-name
15187 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
15188 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
15190 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
15191 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
15192 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
15194 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
15195 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
15196 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15197 default is @code{nil}.
15199 @item nnml-marks-file-name
15200 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
15201 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
15203 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
15204 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
15205 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
15206 files. This requires @code{auto-compression-mode} to be enabled
15207 (@pxref{Compressed Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
15208 If the value of @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is a string, it is used
15209 as the file extension specifying the comression program. You can set it
15210 to @samp{.bz2} if your Emacs supports it. A value of @code{t} is
15211 equivalent to @samp{.gz}.
15213 @item nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
15214 @vindex nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
15215 Default size threshold for compressed message files. Message files with
15216 bodies larger than that many characters will be automatically compressed
15217 if @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil}.
15221 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
15222 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of
15223 whack, you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
15224 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
15225 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
15226 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
15227 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
15232 @subsubsection MH Spool
15234 @cindex mh-e mail spool
15236 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
15237 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks
15238 file. This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than
15239 @code{nnml}, but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts
15242 Virtual server settings:
15245 @item nnmh-directory
15246 @vindex nnmh-directory
15247 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
15248 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
15251 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
15252 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
15253 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
15257 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
15258 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
15259 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks
15260 they are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
15261 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
15262 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not
15263 have to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
15268 @subsubsection Maildir
15272 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
15273 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
15274 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
15275 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. @code{nnmaildir}
15276 also stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory
15279 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
15280 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
15281 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
15282 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
15283 can still do that with @code{nnmaildir}, but the more common
15284 configuration is to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs
15285 that appear as group in Gnus.
15287 @code{nnmaildir} is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will
15288 never corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never
15289 corrupt its data in the filesystem.
15291 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each
15292 maildir. So you can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to
15293 another, and you will keep your marks.
15295 Virtual server settings:
15299 For each of your @code{nnmaildir} servers (it's very unlikely that
15300 you'd need more than one), you need to create a directory and populate
15301 it with maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not
15302 choose a directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir
15303 will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
15304 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
15305 in the directory starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is
15306 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
15307 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
15308 @code{nnmaildir} notices at these times.
15310 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
15311 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
15312 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
15313 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
15314 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
15315 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
15316 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
15317 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
15318 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
15319 if @code{nnmaildir} uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical
15322 @item target-prefix
15323 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
15324 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
15325 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
15328 When you create a group on an @code{nnmaildir} server, the maildir is
15329 created with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
15330 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
15331 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
15332 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
15333 the group @code{foo}, @code{nnmaildir} will create
15334 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
15335 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
15336 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
15338 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
15339 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
15340 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
15341 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
15342 symlinks pointing to them will be).
15344 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
15345 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
15346 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
15347 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
15348 @code{force} argument.
15350 @item directory-files
15351 This should be a function with the same interface as
15352 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
15353 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
15354 parameter is optional; the default is
15355 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
15356 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
15357 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
15358 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
15359 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
15360 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
15363 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
15364 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
15365 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
15366 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
15367 value is @code{nil}.
15369 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
15370 an @code{nnmaildir} group. The results might happen to be useful, but
15371 that would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be
15372 different in the future. If your split rules create new groups,
15373 remember to supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
15376 @subsubsection Group parameters
15378 @code{nnmaildir} uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore
15379 all this; the default behavior for @code{nnmaildir} is the same as the
15380 default behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after
15381 one week, etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this
15382 functionality is unique to @code{nnmaildir}, so you can ignore it if
15383 you're just trying to duplicate the behavior you already have with
15386 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
15387 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
15388 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
15389 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
15390 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
15391 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
15392 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
15393 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
15394 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
15398 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article
15399 before it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
15400 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
15401 @code{nnmaildir} falls back to the usual
15402 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (the
15403 @code{expiry-wait} group parameter overrides @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}
15404 and makes @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} ineffective). If you
15405 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
15406 60 60)]}; @code{nnmaildir} will evaluate the form and use the result.
15407 An article's age is measured starting from the article file's
15408 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
15409 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
15410 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
15413 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
15415 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
15417 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
15418 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
15419 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an @code{nnmaildir}
15420 group, the article will be just as old in the destination group as it
15421 was in the source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
15422 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
15423 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
15424 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
15425 article. So that form can refer to
15426 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
15427 article. @emph{Even if this parameter is not set, @code{nnmaildir}
15428 does not fall back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
15429 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
15432 If this is set to @code{t}, @code{nnmaildir} will treat the articles
15433 in this maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed
15434 from @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in
15435 @file{new/}, not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles
15436 cannot be edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the
15437 @file{new/} directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox
15438 containing a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the
15439 maildir outside @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for
15440 a shared mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or
15441 have write permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't
15442 contain extra copies of the articles.
15444 @item directory-files
15445 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
15446 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
15447 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
15448 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
15450 @item distrust-Lines:
15451 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmaildir} will always count the lines of an
15452 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
15453 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
15456 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever
15457 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15458 say that all articles have these marks, regardless of whether the
15459 marks stored in the filesystem say so. This is a proof-of-concept
15460 feature that will probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done
15461 in Gnus proper, or abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15464 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
15465 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15466 say that no articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks
15467 stored in the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
15468 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
15469 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
15470 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15472 @item nov-cache-size
15473 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To
15474 speed things up, @code{nnmaildir} keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory
15475 for a limited number of articles in each group. (This is probably not
15476 worthwhile, and will probably be removed in the future.) This
15477 parameter's value is noticed only the first time a group is seen after
15478 the server is opened---i.e., when you first start Gnus, typically.
15479 The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized until the server is closed
15480 and reopened. The default is an estimate of the number of articles
15481 that would be displayed in the summary buffer: a count of articles
15482 that are either marked with @code{tick} or not marked with
15483 @code{read}, plus a little extra.
15486 @subsubsection Article identification
15487 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
15488 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
15489 contains no colons. @code{nnmaildir} ignores, but preserves, the
15490 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
15491 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
15492 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
15493 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
15494 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
15495 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
15496 request the article in the summary buffer.
15498 @subsubsection NOV data
15499 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used
15500 to generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
15501 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
15502 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
15503 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically
15504 when the article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can
15505 force @code{nnmaildir} to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a
15506 single article simply by deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV}
15507 file, but @emph{beware}: this will also cause @code{nnmaildir} to
15508 assign a new article number for this article, which may cause trouble
15509 with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
15511 @subsubsection Article marks
15512 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
15513 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
15514 When Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for a group's marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15515 looks for such files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus
15516 asks @code{nnmaildir} to store a new set of marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15517 creates and deletes the corresponding files as needed. (Actually,
15518 rather than create a new file for each mark, it just creates hard
15519 links to @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
15521 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
15522 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
15523 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
15524 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
15525 this while Gnus is running and your @code{nnmaildir} server is open,
15526 it's best to exit all summary buffers for @code{nnmaildir} groups and
15527 type @kbd{s} in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or
15528 @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not
15529 pick up the changes, and might undo them.
15533 @subsubsection Mail Folders
15535 @cindex mbox folders
15536 @cindex mail folders
15538 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a
15539 separate file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.
15540 @code{nnfolder} will add extra headers to keep track of article
15541 numbers and arrival dates.
15543 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
15545 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
15546 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15547 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15548 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
15549 Marks for a group are usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
15550 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
15551 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder}
15552 directory. Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to
15553 backup, use @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup
15554 into the @code{nnfolder} directory).
15556 Virtual server settings:
15559 @item nnfolder-directory
15560 @vindex nnfolder-directory
15561 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this
15562 directory. The default is the value of @code{message-directory}
15563 (whose default is @file{~/Mail})
15565 @item nnfolder-active-file
15566 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
15567 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
15569 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15570 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15571 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15572 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
15574 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
15575 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
15576 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The
15577 default is @code{t}
15579 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15580 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15581 @cindex backup files
15582 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
15583 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If
15584 you wish to switch this off, you could say something like the
15585 following in your @file{.emacs} file:
15588 (defun turn-off-backup ()
15589 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
15591 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
15594 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15595 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15596 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
15597 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
15598 extract some information from it before removing it.
15600 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15601 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15602 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15603 default is @code{nil}.
15605 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15606 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15607 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
15609 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
15610 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
15611 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
15612 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15614 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15615 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15616 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15617 default is @code{nil}.
15619 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15620 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15621 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
15623 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
15624 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
15625 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
15626 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15631 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
15632 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
15633 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
15634 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
15635 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
15636 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
15639 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
15640 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
15642 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
15643 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
15644 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
15645 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
15646 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
15648 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
15649 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
15650 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
15651 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
15652 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
15653 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
15654 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
15655 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
15658 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
15659 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
15660 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
15661 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
15666 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
15667 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
15668 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
15669 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
15670 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
15671 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
15672 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
15673 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
15674 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
15675 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
15676 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
15677 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
15678 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
15683 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
15684 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
15685 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
15686 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
15687 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
15688 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
15689 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
15690 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
15691 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
15692 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
15693 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
15694 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
15695 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
15696 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
15698 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
15699 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
15704 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
15705 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
15706 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
15707 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
15708 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
15709 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
15710 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
15711 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
15712 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
15713 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
15714 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
15715 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
15716 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
15717 provided by the active file and overviews.
15719 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
15720 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
15721 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
15722 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
15723 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
15726 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
15727 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
15732 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
15733 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
15734 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
15735 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
15736 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
15737 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
15738 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
15742 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
15743 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
15744 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
15745 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
15746 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
15747 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
15748 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
15749 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
15750 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
15752 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
15753 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
15754 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
15755 friendly mail back end all over.
15759 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
15760 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
15763 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
15764 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
15765 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
15766 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
15767 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
15768 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
15769 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
15770 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
15773 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
15774 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
15775 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
15776 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
15777 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
15778 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
15779 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
15780 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
15781 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
15782 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
15783 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
15785 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
15786 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
15787 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
15788 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
15789 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
15792 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
15793 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
15794 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
15795 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
15796 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
15797 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
15798 removed in the future.
15800 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
15801 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
15802 on your file system.
15804 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
15805 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
15810 @node Browsing the Web
15811 @section Browsing the Web
15813 @cindex browsing the web
15817 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
15818 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
15819 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
15820 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
15821 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
15822 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
15823 even know what a news group is.
15825 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
15826 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
15827 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
15828 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
15829 you mad in the end.
15831 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
15834 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
15835 interfaces to these sources.
15839 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
15840 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
15841 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
15842 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
15843 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
15844 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
15847 All the web sources require Emacs/W3 and the url library or those
15848 alternatives to work.
15850 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
15851 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
15852 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
15853 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
15854 though, you should be ok.
15856 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
15857 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
15858 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
15859 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
15860 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
15862 @node Archiving Mail
15863 @subsection Archiving Mail
15864 @cindex archiving mail
15865 @cindex backup of mail
15867 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
15868 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
15869 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
15870 marks is fairly simple.
15872 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
15873 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
15876 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
15877 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
15878 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
15879 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
15880 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
15881 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
15882 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
15883 before you restore the data.
15885 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
15886 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
15887 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
15888 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
15889 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
15890 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
15891 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
15892 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
15893 is unnecessary in that case.
15896 @subsection Web Searches
15901 @cindex Usenet searches
15902 @cindex searching the Usenet
15904 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
15905 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
15906 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
15907 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
15908 searches without having to use a browser.
15910 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
15911 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
15912 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
15913 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
15914 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
15916 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
15917 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
15918 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
15919 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
15920 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
15921 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
15922 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
15923 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
15924 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
15925 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
15928 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
15929 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
15930 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'@^etre} is to
15931 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
15932 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
15933 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
15935 You must have the @code{url} and @code{W3} package or those alternatives
15936 (try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{mm-url} variable group)
15937 installed to be able to use @code{nnweb}.
15939 Virtual server variables:
15944 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
15945 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
15946 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
15949 @vindex nnweb-search
15950 The search string to feed to the search engine.
15952 @item nnweb-max-hits
15953 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
15954 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
15957 @item nnweb-type-definition
15958 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
15959 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
15960 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
15965 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
15969 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
15972 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
15975 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
15979 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
15986 @subsection Slashdot
15990 @uref{http://slashdot.org/, Slashdot} is a popular news site, with
15991 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
15992 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
15994 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
15995 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
15998 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15999 '((nnslashdot "")))
16002 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
16003 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
16004 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
16005 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
16006 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
16009 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
16010 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
16012 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
16013 comments), some light @acronym{HTML}izations will be performed. In
16014 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
16015 @samp{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @samp{br} added to
16016 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @acronym{HTML}
16017 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
16018 @acronym{HTML} forms.
16020 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
16023 @item nnslashdot-threaded
16024 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
16025 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
16026 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
16027 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
16028 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
16029 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
16031 @item nnslashdot-login-name
16032 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
16033 The login name to use when posting.
16035 @item nnslashdot-password
16036 @vindex nnslashdot-password
16037 The password to use when posting.
16039 @item nnslashdot-directory
16040 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
16041 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
16042 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
16044 @item nnslashdot-active-url
16045 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
16046 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the
16047 information on news articles and comments. The default is@*
16048 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
16050 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
16051 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
16052 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch comments.
16054 @item nnslashdot-article-url
16055 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
16056 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the news
16057 article. The default is
16058 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
16060 @item nnslashdot-threshold
16061 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
16062 The score threshold. The default is -1.
16064 @item nnslashdot-group-number
16065 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
16066 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
16067 updated. The default is 0.
16074 @subsection Ultimate
16076 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
16078 @uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/, The Ultimate Bulletin Board} is
16079 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
16080 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
16081 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
16083 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
16084 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
16085 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @acronym{URL}
16086 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
16087 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
16088 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
16089 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
16091 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
16094 @item nnultimate-directory
16095 @vindex nnultimate-directory
16096 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is@*
16097 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
16102 @subsection Web Archive
16104 @cindex Web Archive
16106 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
16107 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
16108 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
16109 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
16112 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
16113 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
16114 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
16115 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET @var{an_egroup} RET egroups RET
16116 www.egroups.com RET @var{your@@email.address} RET}. (Substitute the
16117 @var{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
16118 @var{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
16119 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
16121 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
16124 @item nnwarchive-directory
16125 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
16126 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is@*
16127 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
16129 @item nnwarchive-login
16130 @vindex nnwarchive-login
16131 The account name on the web server.
16133 @item nnwarchive-passwd
16134 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
16135 The password for your account on the web server.
16143 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
16144 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
16145 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
16146 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
16147 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
16149 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
16150 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
16152 Note: you had better use Emacs which supports the @code{utf-8} coding
16153 system because @acronym{RSS} uses UTF-8 for encoding non-@acronym{ASCII}
16154 text by default. It is also used by default for non-@acronym{ASCII}
16157 @kindex G R (Group)
16158 Use @kbd{G R} from the group buffer to subscribe to a feed---you will be
16159 prompted for the location, the title and the description of the feed.
16160 The title, which allows any characters, will be used for the group name
16161 and the name of the group data file. The description can be omitted.
16163 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
16164 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET y}, then
16165 subscribe to groups.
16167 The @code{nnrss} back end saves the group data file in
16168 @code{nnrss-directory} (see below) for each @code{nnrss} group. File
16169 names containing non-@acronym{ASCII} characters will be encoded by the
16170 coding system specified with the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}
16171 variable. If it is @code{nil}, in Emacs the coding system defaults to
16172 the value of @code{default-file-name-coding-system}. If you are using
16173 XEmacs and want to use non-@acronym{ASCII} group names, you should set
16174 the value for the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} variable properly.
16176 The @code{nnrss} back end generates @samp{multipart/alternative}
16177 @acronym{MIME} articles in which each contains a @samp{text/plain} part
16178 and a @samp{text/html} part.
16181 You can also use the following commands to import and export your
16182 subscriptions from a file in @acronym{OPML} format (Outline Processor
16185 @defun nnrss-opml-import file
16186 Prompt for an @acronym{OPML} file, and subscribe to each feed in the
16190 @defun nnrss-opml-export
16191 Write your current @acronym{RSS} subscriptions to a buffer in
16192 @acronym{OPML} format.
16195 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
16198 @item nnrss-directory
16199 @vindex nnrss-directory
16200 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
16201 @file{~/News/rss/}.
16203 @item nnrss-file-coding-system
16204 @vindex nnrss-file-coding-system
16205 The coding system used when reading and writing the @code{nnrss} groups
16206 data files. The default is the value of
16207 @code{mm-universal-coding-system} (which defaults to @code{emacs-mule}
16208 in Emacs or @code{escape-quoted} in XEmacs).
16210 @item nnrss-use-local
16211 @vindex nnrss-use-local
16212 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
16213 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
16214 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
16215 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
16216 download script using @command{wget}.
16218 @item nnrss-wash-html-in-text-plain-parts
16219 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{nnrss} renders text in @samp{text/plain}
16220 parts as @acronym{HTML}. The function specified by the
16221 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} variable (@pxref{Display Customization,
16222 ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) will be used
16223 to render text. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default, text will
16224 simply be folded. Leave it @code{nil} if you prefer to see
16225 @samp{text/html} parts.
16228 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
16229 the summary buffer.
16232 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
16233 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
16235 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
16237 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
16238 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
16241 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
16245 (require 'browse-url)
16247 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
16249 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
16252 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
16253 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
16256 (browse-url (cdr url))
16257 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
16258 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
16260 (eval-after-load "gnus"
16261 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
16262 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
16263 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
16266 Even if you have added @code{"text/html"} to the
16267 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} variable (@pxref{Display
16268 Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
16269 Manual}) since you don't want to see @acronym{HTML} parts, it might be
16270 more useful especially in @code{nnrss} groups to display
16271 @samp{text/html} parts. Here's an example of setting
16272 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} as a group parameter (@pxref{Group
16273 Parameters}) in order to display @samp{text/html} parts only in
16274 @code{nnrss} groups:
16277 ;; @r{Set the default value of @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}.}
16278 (eval-after-load "gnus-sum"
16280 'gnus-newsgroup-variables
16281 '(mm-discouraged-alternatives
16282 . '("text/html" "image/.*"))))
16284 ;; @r{Display @samp{text/html} parts in @code{nnrss} groups.}
16287 '("\\`nnrss:" (mm-discouraged-alternatives nil)))
16291 @node Customizing W3
16292 @subsection Customizing W3
16298 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/W3 (or those
16299 alternatives) to display web pages. Emacs/W3 is documented in its own
16300 manual, but there are some things that may be more relevant for Gnus
16303 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/W3 follow links
16304 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
16305 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
16308 (eval-after-load "w3"
16310 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
16311 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
16312 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
16313 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
16315 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
16318 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in W3-rendered
16319 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
16326 @cindex @acronym{IMAP}
16328 @acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
16329 think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
16330 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
16331 specify the network address of the server.
16333 @acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
16334 everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
16335 @acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
16336 similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
16337 @acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
16338 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
16340 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
16341 entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
16342 the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
16343 not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
16345 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
16346 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
16347 manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
16348 usage explained in this section.
16350 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP}
16351 servers might look something like the following. (Note that for
16352 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you need external programs and libraries,
16356 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
16357 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
16358 ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
16360 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16361 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
16362 ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
16364 (nnimap-server-port 143)
16365 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16366 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
16367 ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
16368 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
16369 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
16370 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
16371 (nnimap-stream network))
16372 ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
16374 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
16375 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
16376 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
16379 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
16380 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
16381 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
16382 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
16384 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
16389 @item nnimap-address
16390 @vindex nnimap-address
16392 The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
16393 server name if not specified.
16395 @item nnimap-server-port
16396 @vindex nnimap-server-port
16397 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
16399 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
16402 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16403 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
16406 @item nnimap-list-pattern
16407 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
16408 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
16409 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
16410 interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
16411 @acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
16412 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
16414 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
16415 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
16416 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
16419 Example server specification:
16422 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16423 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
16424 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
16427 @item nnimap-stream
16428 @vindex nnimap-stream
16429 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
16430 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
16431 of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over
16432 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can
16433 be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
16435 Example server specification:
16438 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16439 (nnimap-stream ssl))
16442 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
16446 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
16447 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
16449 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
16451 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
16452 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
16455 @dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
16456 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
16458 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
16459 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
16461 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
16463 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
16466 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
16467 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
16468 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
16469 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
16470 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
16471 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
16472 restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
16473 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
16474 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
16477 For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
16478 needed. It is available from
16479 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
16481 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
16482 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
16483 authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
16484 sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
16485 exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
16486 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
16487 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
16490 @vindex imap-ssl-program
16491 For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
16492 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
16493 and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
16494 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
16495 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
16496 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
16499 @vindex imap-shell-program
16500 @vindex imap-shell-host
16501 For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
16502 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
16504 @item nnimap-authenticator
16505 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
16507 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
16508 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
16510 Example server specification:
16513 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16514 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
16517 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
16521 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
16522 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
16524 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
16527 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
16528 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
16530 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
16532 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
16534 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as ``anonymous'', supplying your email address as password.
16537 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
16539 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
16540 Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers have decided things that
16541 don't exist actually do exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
16542 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
16543 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
16544 nnimap does when you delete an article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
16547 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
16548 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
16549 running in circles yet?
16551 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
16552 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
16555 The possible options are:
16560 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
16563 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
16564 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
16565 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
16566 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
16568 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
16573 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
16574 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
16576 If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
16577 well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
16578 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
16579 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
16580 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
16583 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
16584 enable per-user persistent dormant flags, using something like:
16587 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
16588 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16589 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
16590 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16593 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
16594 as ticked for other users.
16596 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
16598 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
16600 This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
16601 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
16602 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
16603 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
16605 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
16606 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
16607 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
16608 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
16610 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
16611 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
16613 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
16614 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
16615 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
16616 @ref{NNTP}. An example of an .authinfo line for an IMAP server, is:
16619 machine students.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis port imap
16622 Note that it should be @code{port imap}, or @code{port 143}, if you
16623 use a @code{nnimap-stream} of @code{tls} or @code{ssl}, even if the
16624 actual port number used is port 993 for secured IMAP. For
16625 convenience, Gnus will accept @code{port imaps} as a synonym of
16628 @item nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16629 @vindex nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16631 Unselect mailboxes before looking for new mail in them. Some servers
16632 seem to need this under some circumstances; it was reported that
16638 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
16639 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
16640 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
16641 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
16642 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
16643 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
16648 @node Splitting in IMAP
16649 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
16650 @cindex splitting imap mail
16652 Splitting is something Gnus users have loved and used for years, and now
16653 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
16654 @acronym{IMAP} servers have server side splitting and those that have
16655 splitting seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that
16656 @acronym{IMAP} support for Gnus has to do its own splitting.
16660 (Incidentally, people seem to have been dreaming on, and Sieve has
16661 gaining a market share and is supported by several IMAP servers.
16662 Fortunately, Gnus support it too, @xref{Sieve Commands}.)
16664 Here are the variables of interest:
16668 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
16669 @cindex splitting, crosspost
16671 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
16673 If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
16674 mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
16675 found will be used.
16677 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
16679 @item nnimap-split-inbox
16680 @cindex splitting, inbox
16682 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
16684 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
16685 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
16686 splitting is disabled!
16689 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
16690 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
16693 No nnmail equivalent.
16695 @item nnimap-split-rule
16696 @cindex splitting, rules
16697 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
16699 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
16702 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
16703 sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
16704 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
16705 Neither did I, we need examples.
16708 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16710 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
16711 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
16712 ("INBOX.private" "")))
16715 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
16716 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
16717 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
16719 The first string may contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by
16720 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
16724 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
16727 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
16728 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
16730 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
16731 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
16732 containing the headers of the article. It should return a
16733 non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
16735 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
16736 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
16737 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
16738 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
16739 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
16740 them every time you fetch new mail.)
16742 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
16743 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
16744 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
16746 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
16747 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
16748 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16750 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
16752 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
16753 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
16754 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
16757 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16758 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
16759 ("junk" "From:.*Simon"))))
16760 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
16761 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
16762 ("junk" my-junk-func))))))
16765 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
16766 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
16767 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
16768 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
16769 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
16770 group/function elements.
16772 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16774 @item nnimap-split-predicate
16776 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
16778 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
16779 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
16781 This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
16782 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
16783 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
16786 @item nnimap-split-fancy
16787 @cindex splitting, fancy
16788 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
16789 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
16791 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16792 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
16793 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
16795 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
16796 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16797 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
16798 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16803 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
16804 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
16807 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
16809 @item nnimap-split-download-body
16810 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
16811 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
16813 Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
16814 This is generally not required, and will slow things down
16815 considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
16816 splitting function that analyzes the body to split the article.
16820 @node Expiring in IMAP
16821 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
16822 @cindex expiring imap mail
16824 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
16825 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
16826 Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
16827 IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
16828 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
16829 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
16832 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
16833 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
16834 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
16835 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
16836 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
16837 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
16838 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
16839 messages. Most do, fortunately.
16843 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
16844 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16846 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
16847 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
16849 @item nnmail-expiry-target
16851 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
16852 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
16853 that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
16854 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
16858 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
16859 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
16860 @cindex editing imap acls
16861 @cindex Access Control Lists
16862 @cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
16863 @kindex G l (Group)
16864 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
16866 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
16867 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
16868 @acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
16871 To edit an ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
16872 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with an ACL
16873 editing window with detailed instructions.
16875 Some possible uses:
16879 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
16880 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
16881 follow the list without subscribing to it.
16883 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
16884 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
16885 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
16889 @node Expunging mailboxes
16890 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
16894 @cindex manual expunging
16895 @kindex G x (Group)
16896 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
16898 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
16899 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
16900 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
16902 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
16905 @node A note on namespaces
16906 @subsection A note on namespaces
16907 @cindex IMAP namespace
16910 The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
16911 by the following text in the RFC2060:
16914 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
16916 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
16917 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
16918 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
16919 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
16921 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
16922 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
16923 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
16924 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
16925 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
16926 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
16929 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
16930 @acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
16931 prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
16933 Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
16934 mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
16935 in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
16936 created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
16937 without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
16938 not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
16939 mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
16940 you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
16943 See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
16944 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
16945 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
16947 @node Debugging IMAP
16948 @subsection Debugging IMAP
16949 @cindex IMAP debugging
16950 @cindex protocol dump (IMAP)
16952 @acronym{IMAP} is a complex protocol, more so than @acronym{NNTP} or
16953 @acronym{POP3}. Implementation bugs are not unlikely, and we do our
16954 best to fix them right away. If you encounter odd behavior, chances
16955 are that either the server or Gnus is buggy.
16957 If you are familiar with network protocols in general, you will
16958 probably be able to extract some clues from the protocol dump of the
16959 exchanges between Gnus and the server. Even if you are not familiar
16960 with network protocols, when you include the protocol dump in
16961 @acronym{IMAP}-related bug reports you are helping us with data
16962 critical to solving the problem. Therefore, we strongly encourage you
16963 to include the protocol dump when reporting IMAP bugs in Gnus.
16967 Because the protocol dump, when enabled, generates lots of data, it is
16968 disabled by default. You can enable it by setting @code{imap-log} as
16975 This instructs the @code{imap.el} package to log any exchanges with
16976 the server. The log is stored in the buffer @samp{*imap-log*}. Look
16977 for error messages, which sometimes are tagged with the keyword
16978 @code{BAD}---but when submitting a bug, make sure to include all the
16981 @node Other Sources
16982 @section Other Sources
16984 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
16985 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
16989 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
16990 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
16991 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
16992 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
16993 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
16997 @node Directory Groups
16998 @subsection Directory Groups
17000 @cindex directory groups
17002 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
17003 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
17006 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
17007 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
17008 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
17009 back end to read directories. Big deal.
17011 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
17012 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
17013 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
17014 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
17015 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
17017 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
17019 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
17020 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
17021 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
17022 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
17025 @node Anything Groups
17026 @subsection Anything Groups
17029 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
17030 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
17031 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
17034 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
17035 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
17036 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
17037 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
17038 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
17039 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
17040 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
17041 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
17042 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
17043 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
17046 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
17047 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
17048 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
17049 in the article buffer, just as usual.
17051 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
17052 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
17053 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
17054 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
17056 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
17057 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
17058 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
17059 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
17060 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
17061 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
17062 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
17063 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
17068 @item nneething-map-file-directory
17069 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
17070 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
17071 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
17073 @item nneething-exclude-files
17074 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
17075 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
17076 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
17078 @item nneething-include-files
17079 @vindex nneething-include-files
17080 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
17081 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
17083 @item nneething-map-file
17084 @vindex nneething-map-file
17085 Name of the map files.
17089 @node Document Groups
17090 @subsection Document Groups
17092 @cindex documentation group
17095 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
17096 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
17102 The Babyl (Rmail) mail box.
17107 The standard Unix mbox file.
17109 @cindex MMDF mail box
17111 The MMDF mail box format.
17114 Several news articles appended into a file.
17116 @cindex rnews batch files
17118 The rnews batch transport format.
17121 Netscape mail boxes.
17124 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
17126 @item standard-digest
17127 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
17130 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
17132 @item lanl-gov-announce
17133 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
17135 @cindex forwarded messages
17136 @item rfc822-forward
17137 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
17140 The Outlook mail box.
17143 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
17146 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
17149 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
17152 An RFC934-forwarded message.
17158 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
17161 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
17167 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
17168 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
17169 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
17172 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
17173 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
17174 group. And that's it.
17176 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
17177 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
17178 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
17179 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
17180 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
17181 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
17182 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
17183 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
17184 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
17185 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
17187 Virtual server variables:
17190 @item nndoc-article-type
17191 @vindex nndoc-article-type
17192 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
17193 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
17194 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
17195 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
17196 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
17198 @item nndoc-post-type
17199 @vindex nndoc-post-type
17200 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
17201 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
17206 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
17210 @node Document Server Internals
17211 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
17213 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
17214 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
17215 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
17216 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
17218 First, here's an example document type definition:
17222 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
17223 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
17226 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
17227 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
17228 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
17229 types can be defined with very few settings:
17232 @item first-article
17233 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
17234 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
17237 @item article-begin
17238 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
17239 says what the beginning of each article looks like. To do more
17240 complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you can
17241 use @code{article-begin-function} instead of this.
17243 @item article-begin-function
17244 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the beginning
17245 of each article. This setting overrides @code{article-begin}.
17248 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
17249 article. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a
17250 simple regexp, you can use @code{head-begin-function} instead of this.
17252 @item head-begin-function
17253 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
17254 the article. This setting overrides @code{head-begin}.
17257 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
17258 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
17261 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
17262 to @samp{^\n}. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with
17263 a simple regexp, you can use @code{body-begin-function} instead of this.
17265 @item body-begin-function
17266 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
17267 of the article. This setting overrides @code{body-begin}.
17270 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article. To do
17271 more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you
17272 can use @code{body-end-function} instead of this.
17274 @item body-end-function
17275 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
17276 the article. This setting overrides @code{body-end}.
17279 If present, this should match the beginning of the file. All text
17280 before this regexp will be totally ignored.
17283 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
17284 regexp will be totally ignored.
17288 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
17289 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
17290 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
17291 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
17292 something that's palatable for Gnus:
17295 @item prepare-body-function
17296 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
17297 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
17298 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
17300 @item article-transform-function
17301 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
17302 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
17303 body of the article.
17305 @item generate-head-function
17306 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
17307 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
17308 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
17309 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
17311 @item generate-article-function
17312 If present, this function is called to generate an entire article that
17313 Gnus can understand. It is called with the article number as a
17314 parameter when requesting all articles.
17316 @item dissection-function
17317 If present, this function is called to dissect a document by itself,
17318 overriding @code{first-article}, @code{article-begin},
17319 @code{article-begin-function}, @code{head-begin},
17320 @code{head-begin-function}, @code{head-end}, @code{body-begin},
17321 @code{body-begin-function}, @code{body-end}, @code{body-end-function},
17322 @code{file-begin}, and @code{file-end}.
17326 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
17331 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17332 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17333 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
17334 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
17335 (head-end . "^ ?$")
17336 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
17337 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
17338 (subtype digest guess))
17341 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
17342 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
17343 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
17344 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
17345 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
17347 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
17348 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
17349 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
17350 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
17351 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
17352 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
17353 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
17354 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
17355 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
17356 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
17357 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
17358 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
17366 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
17367 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
17368 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
17370 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
17371 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
17372 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
17375 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
17376 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
17377 that interested in doing things properly.
17379 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
17380 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
17383 First some terminology:
17388 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
17389 get news and/or mail from.
17392 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
17393 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
17396 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
17400 @item message packets
17401 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
17402 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
17403 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17405 @item response packets
17406 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
17407 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
17408 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17418 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
17419 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
17420 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
17421 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
17424 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
17427 You put the packet in your home directory.
17430 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
17431 the native or secondary server.
17434 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
17435 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
17438 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
17442 You transfer this packet to the server.
17445 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
17448 You then repeat until you die.
17452 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
17453 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
17456 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
17457 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
17458 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
17462 @node SOUP Commands
17463 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
17465 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
17469 @kindex G s b (Group)
17470 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
17471 Pack all unread articles in the current group
17472 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
17473 process/prefix convention.
17476 @kindex G s w (Group)
17477 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
17478 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
17481 @kindex G s s (Group)
17482 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
17483 Send all replies from the replies packet
17484 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
17487 @kindex G s p (Group)
17488 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
17489 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
17492 @kindex G s r (Group)
17493 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
17494 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
17497 @kindex O s (Summary)
17498 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
17499 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
17500 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
17501 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17506 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
17511 @item gnus-soup-directory
17512 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
17513 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
17514 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
17516 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
17517 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
17518 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
17519 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
17521 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
17522 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
17523 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
17524 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
17526 @item gnus-soup-packer
17527 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
17528 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17529 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
17531 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
17532 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
17533 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17534 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17536 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
17537 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
17538 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
17540 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17541 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17542 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
17543 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
17549 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
17552 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
17553 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
17554 you can read them at leisure.
17556 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
17560 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
17561 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
17562 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
17563 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
17565 @item nnsoup-directory
17566 @vindex nnsoup-directory
17567 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
17568 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
17570 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
17571 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
17572 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
17573 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
17575 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
17576 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
17577 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
17578 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
17579 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
17581 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
17582 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
17583 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
17584 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
17586 @item nnsoup-active-file
17587 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
17588 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
17589 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
17590 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
17591 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
17593 @item nnsoup-packer
17594 @vindex nnsoup-packer
17595 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
17596 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
17598 @item nnsoup-unpacker
17599 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
17600 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
17601 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17603 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
17604 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
17605 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
17608 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
17609 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
17610 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
17613 @item nnsoup-always-save
17614 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
17615 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
17621 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
17623 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
17624 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
17625 more for that to happen.
17627 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
17628 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
17629 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
17632 In specific, this is what it does:
17635 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
17636 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
17639 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
17640 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
17641 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
17644 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
17645 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
17646 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
17649 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
17650 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
17651 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
17653 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
17659 @item nngateway-address
17660 @vindex nngateway-address
17661 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
17663 @item nngateway-header-transformation
17664 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
17665 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
17666 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
17667 transformation should be called, and defaults to
17668 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
17669 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
17672 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
17673 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
17674 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
17677 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
17680 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
17683 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
17686 The following pre-defined functions exist:
17688 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17691 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17692 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17693 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
17695 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17697 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17698 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17699 @code{nngateway-address}.
17707 (setq gnus-post-method
17709 "mail2news@@replay.com"
17710 (nngateway-header-transformation
17711 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
17714 So, to use this, simply say something like:
17717 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
17722 @node Combined Groups
17723 @section Combined Groups
17725 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
17729 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
17730 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
17734 @node Virtual Groups
17735 @subsection Virtual Groups
17737 @cindex virtual groups
17738 @cindex merging groups
17740 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
17743 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
17744 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
17745 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
17747 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
17748 regexp to match component groups.
17750 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
17751 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
17752 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
17753 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
17754 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
17755 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
17756 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
17757 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
17759 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
17760 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
17763 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
17766 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
17767 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
17769 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
17770 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
17771 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
17772 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
17775 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
17778 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
17779 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
17780 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
17782 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
17783 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
17784 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
17785 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
17786 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
17788 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
17789 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
17790 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
17792 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
17793 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
17794 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
17795 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
17796 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
17797 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
17798 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
17799 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
17800 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
17801 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
17802 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
17804 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
17805 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
17806 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
17807 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
17808 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
17809 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
17810 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
17812 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
17813 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
17815 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
17816 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
17820 @node Kibozed Groups
17821 @subsection Kibozed Groups
17825 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by the @acronym{OED} as ``grepping through
17826 (parts of) the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will
17827 do this for you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @acronym{NNTP} server
17828 down to a halt with useless requests! Oh happiness!
17830 @kindex G k (Group)
17831 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
17834 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
17835 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
17836 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between
17837 @code{nnkiboze} and @code{nnvirtual} end.
17839 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an
17840 @code{nnkiboze} group must have a score file to say what articles are
17841 to be included in the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
17843 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
17844 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
17845 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
17846 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time.
17847 Lots of time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the
17848 headers from all the articles in all the component groups and run them
17849 through the scoring process to determine if there are any articles in
17850 the groups that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
17852 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
17853 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
17854 @acronym{NNTP} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
17855 Stranger things have happened.
17857 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
17858 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
17860 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
17861 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
17862 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/kiboze/} by default.
17863 One contains the @acronym{NOV} header lines for all the articles in
17864 the group, and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store
17865 information on what groups have been searched through to find
17866 component articles.
17868 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
17869 their @acronym{NOV} lines removed from the @acronym{NOV} file.
17872 @node Email Based Diary
17873 @section Email Based Diary
17875 @cindex email based diary
17878 This section describes a special mail back end called @code{nndiary},
17879 and its companion library @code{gnus-diary}. It is ``special'' in the
17880 sense that it is not meant to be one of the standard alternatives for
17881 reading mail with Gnus. See @ref{Choosing a Mail Back End} for that.
17882 Instead, it is used to treat @emph{some} of your mails in a special way,
17883 namely, as event reminders.
17885 Here is a typical scenario:
17889 You've got a date with Andy Mc Dowell or Bruce Willis (select according
17890 to your sexual preference) in one month. You don't want to forget it.
17892 So you send a ``reminder'' message (actually, a diary one) to yourself.
17894 You forget all about it and keep on getting and reading new mail, as usual.
17896 From time to time, as you type `g' in the group buffer and as the date
17897 is getting closer, the message will pop up again to remind you of your
17898 appointment, just as if it were new and unread.
17900 Read your ``new'' messages, this one included, and start dreaming again
17901 of the night you're gonna have.
17903 Once the date is over (you actually fell asleep just after dinner), the
17904 message will be automatically deleted if it is marked as expirable.
17907 The Gnus Diary back end has the ability to handle regular appointments
17908 (that wouldn't ever be deleted) as well as punctual ones, operates as a
17909 real mail back end and is configurable in many ways. All of this is
17910 explained in the sections below.
17913 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
17914 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
17915 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
17919 @node The NNDiary Back End
17920 @subsection The NNDiary Back End
17922 @cindex the nndiary back end
17924 @code{nndiary} is a back end very similar to @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
17925 Spool}). Actually, it could appear as a mix of @code{nnml} and
17926 @code{nndraft}. If you know @code{nnml}, you're already familiar with
17927 the message storing scheme of @code{nndiary}: one file per message, one
17928 directory per group.
17930 Before anything, there is one requirement to be able to run
17931 @code{nndiary} properly: you @emph{must} use the group timestamp feature
17932 of Gnus. This adds a timestamp to each group's parameters. @ref{Group
17933 Timestamp} to see how it's done.
17936 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
17937 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
17938 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
17941 @node Diary Messages
17942 @subsubsection Diary Messages
17943 @cindex nndiary messages
17944 @cindex nndiary mails
17946 @code{nndiary} messages are just normal ones, except for the mandatory
17947 presence of 7 special headers. These headers are of the form
17948 @code{X-Diary-<something>}, @code{<something>} being one of
17949 @code{Minute}, @code{Hour}, @code{Dom}, @code{Month}, @code{Year},
17950 @code{Time-Zone} and @code{Dow}. @code{Dom} means ``Day of Month'', and
17951 @code{dow} means ``Day of Week''. These headers actually behave like
17952 crontab specifications and define the event date(s):
17956 For all headers except the @code{Time-Zone} one, a header value is
17957 either a star (meaning all possible values), or a list of fields
17958 (separated by a comma).
17960 A field is either an integer, or a range.
17962 A range is two integers separated by a dash.
17964 Possible integer values are 0--59 for @code{Minute}, 0--23 for
17965 @code{Hour}, 1--31 for @code{Dom}, 1--12 for @code{Month}, above 1971
17966 for @code{Year} and 0--6 for @code{Dow} (0 meaning Sunday).
17968 As a special case, a star in either @code{Dom} or @code{Dow} doesn't
17969 mean ``all possible values'', but ``use only the other field''. Note
17970 that if both are star'ed, the use of either one gives the same result.
17972 The @code{Time-Zone} header is special in that it can only have one
17973 value (@code{GMT}, for instance). A star doesn't mean ``all possible
17974 values'' (because it makes no sense), but ``the current local time
17975 zone''. Most of the time, you'll be using a star here. However, for a
17976 list of available time zone values, see the variable
17977 @code{nndiary-headers}.
17980 As a concrete example, here are the diary headers to add to your message
17981 for specifying ``Each Monday and each 1st of month, at 12:00, 20:00,
17982 21:00, 22:00, 23:00 and 24:00, from 1999 to 2010'' (I'll let you find
17987 X-Diary-Hour: 12, 20-24
17990 X-Diary-Year: 1999-2010
17992 X-Diary-Time-Zone: *
17995 @node Running NNDiary
17996 @subsubsection Running NNDiary
17997 @cindex running nndiary
17998 @cindex nndiary operation modes
18000 @code{nndiary} has two modes of operation: ``traditional'' (the default)
18001 and ``autonomous''. In traditional mode, @code{nndiary} does not get new
18002 mail by itself. You have to move (@kbd{B m}) or copy (@kbd{B c}) mails
18003 from your primary mail back end to nndiary groups in order to handle them
18004 as diary messages. In autonomous mode, @code{nndiary} retrieves its own
18005 mail and handles it independently from your primary mail back end.
18007 One should note that Gnus is not inherently designed to allow several
18008 ``master'' mail back ends at the same time. However, this does make
18009 sense with @code{nndiary}: you really want to send and receive diary
18010 messages to your diary groups directly. So, @code{nndiary} supports
18011 being sort of a ``second primary mail back end'' (to my knowledge, it is
18012 the only back end offering this feature). However, there is a limitation
18013 (which I hope to fix some day): respooling doesn't work in autonomous
18016 In order to use @code{nndiary} in autonomous mode, you have several
18021 Allow @code{nndiary} to retrieve new mail by itself. Put the following
18022 line in your @file{gnusrc} file:
18025 (setq nndiary-get-new-mail t)
18028 You must arrange for diary messages (those containing @code{X-Diary-*}
18029 headers) to be split in a private folder @emph{before} Gnus treat them.
18030 Again, this is needed because Gnus cannot (yet ?) properly handle
18031 multiple primary mail back ends. Getting those messages from a separate
18032 source will compensate this misfeature to some extent.
18034 As an example, here's my procmailrc entry to store diary files in
18035 @file{~/.nndiary} (the default @code{nndiary} mail source file):
18044 Once this is done, you might want to customize the following two options
18045 that affect the diary mail retrieval and splitting processes:
18047 @defvar nndiary-mail-sources
18048 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
18049 @code{mail-sources} variable. It obeys the same syntax, and defaults to
18050 @code{(file :path "~/.nndiary")}.
18053 @defvar nndiary-split-methods
18054 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
18055 @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable. It obeys the same syntax.
18058 Finally, you may add a permanent @code{nndiary} virtual server
18059 (something like @code{(nndiary "diary")} should do) to your
18060 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}.
18062 Hopefully, almost everything (see the TODO section in
18063 @file{nndiary.el}) will work as expected when you restart Gnus: in
18064 autonomous mode, typing @kbd{g} and @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer, will
18065 also get your new diary mails and split them according to your
18066 diary-specific rules, @kbd{F} will find your new diary groups etc.
18068 @node Customizing NNDiary
18069 @subsubsection Customizing NNDiary
18070 @cindex customizing nndiary
18071 @cindex nndiary customization
18073 Now that @code{nndiary} is up and running, it's time to customize it.
18074 The custom group is called @code{nndiary} (no, really ?!). You should
18075 browse it to figure out which options you'd like to tweak. The following
18076 two variables are probably the only ones you will want to change:
18078 @defvar nndiary-reminders
18079 This is the list of times when you want to be reminded of your
18080 appointements (e.g. 3 weeks before, then 2 days before, then 1 hour
18081 before and that's it). Remember that ``being reminded'' means that the
18082 diary message will pop up as brand new and unread again when you get new
18086 @defvar nndiary-week-starts-on-monday
18087 Rather self-explanatory. Otherwise, Sunday is assumed (this is the
18092 @node The Gnus Diary Library
18093 @subsection The Gnus Diary Library
18095 @cindex the gnus diary library
18097 Using @code{nndiary} manually (I mean, writing the headers by hand and
18098 so on) would be rather boring. Fortunately, there is a library called
18099 @code{gnus-diary} written on top of @code{nndiary}, that does many
18100 useful things for you.
18102 In order to use it, add the following line to your @file{gnusrc} file:
18105 (require 'gnus-diary)
18108 Also, you shouldn't use any @code{gnus-user-format-function-[d|D]}
18109 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} provides both of these
18110 (sorry if you used them before).
18114 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
18115 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
18116 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
18117 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
18120 @node Diary Summary Line Format
18121 @subsubsection Diary Summary Line Format
18122 @cindex diary summary buffer line
18123 @cindex diary summary line format
18125 Displaying diary messages in standard summary line format (usually
18126 something like @samp{From Joe: Subject}) is pretty useless. Most of
18127 the time, you're the one who wrote the message, and you mostly want to
18128 see the event's date.
18130 @code{gnus-diary} provides two supplemental user formats to be used in
18131 summary line formats. @code{D} corresponds to a formatted time string
18132 for the next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00''),
18133 while @code{d} corresponds to an approximative remaining time until the
18134 next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``in 6 months, 1 week'').
18136 For example, here's how Joe's birthday is displayed in my
18137 @code{nndiary+diary:birthdays} summary buffer (note that the message is
18138 expirable, but will never be deleted, as it specifies a periodic event):
18141 E Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00: Joe's birthday (in 6 months, 1 week)
18144 In order to get something like the above, you would normally add the
18145 following line to your diary groups'parameters:
18148 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z %uD: %(%s%) (%ud)\n")
18151 However, @code{gnus-diary} does it automatically (@pxref{Diary Group
18152 Parameters}). You can however customize the provided summary line format
18153 with the following user options:
18155 @defvar gnus-diary-summary-line-format
18156 Defines the summary line format used for diary groups (@pxref{Summary
18157 Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} uses it to automatically update the
18158 diary groups'parameters.
18161 @defvar gnus-diary-time-format
18162 Defines the format to display dates in diary summary buffers. This is
18163 used by the @code{D} user format. See the docstring for details.
18166 @defvar gnus-diary-delay-format-function
18167 Defines the format function to use for displaying delays (remaining
18168 times) in diary summary buffers. This is used by the @code{d} user
18169 format. There are currently built-in functions for English and French;
18170 you can also define your own. See the docstring for details.
18173 @node Diary Articles Sorting
18174 @subsubsection Diary Articles Sorting
18175 @cindex diary articles sorting
18176 @cindex diary summary lines sorting
18177 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule
18178 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule
18179 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-schedule
18181 @code{gnus-diary} provides new sorting functions (@pxref{Sorting the
18182 Summary Buffer} ) called @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule},
18183 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule} and
18184 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-schedule}. These functions let you organize
18185 your diary summary buffers from the closest event to the farthest one.
18187 @code{gnus-diary} automatically installs
18188 @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule} as a menu item in the summary
18189 buffer's ``sort'' menu, and the two others as the primary (hence
18190 default) sorting functions in the group parameters (@pxref{Diary Group
18193 @node Diary Headers Generation
18194 @subsubsection Diary Headers Generation
18195 @cindex diary headers generation
18196 @findex gnus-diary-check-message
18198 @code{gnus-diary} provides a function called
18199 @code{gnus-diary-check-message} to help you handle the @code{X-Diary-*}
18200 headers. This function ensures that the current message contains all the
18201 required diary headers, and prompts you for values or corrections if
18204 This function is hooked into the @code{nndiary} back end, so that
18205 moving or copying an article to a diary group will trigger it
18206 automatically. It is also bound to @kbd{C-c D c} in @code{message-mode}
18207 and @code{article-edit-mode} in order to ease the process of converting
18208 a usual mail to a diary one.
18210 This function takes a prefix argument which will force prompting of
18211 all diary headers, regardless of their presence or validity. That way,
18212 you can very easily reschedule an already valid diary message, for
18215 @node Diary Group Parameters
18216 @subsubsection Diary Group Parameters
18217 @cindex diary group parameters
18219 When you create a new diary group, or visit one, @code{gnus-diary}
18220 automatically checks your group parameters and if needed, sets the
18221 summary line format to the diary-specific value, installs the
18222 diary-specific sorting functions, and also adds the different
18223 @code{X-Diary-*} headers to the group's posting-style. It is then easier
18224 to send a diary message, because if you use @kbd{C-u a} or @kbd{C-u m}
18225 on a diary group to prepare a message, these headers will be inserted
18226 automatically (although not filled with proper values yet).
18228 @node Sending or Not Sending
18229 @subsection Sending or Not Sending
18231 Well, assuming you've read of of the above, here are two final notes on
18232 mail sending with @code{nndiary}:
18236 @code{nndiary} is a @emph{real} mail back end. You really send real diary
18237 messsages for real. This means for instance that you can give
18238 appointements to anybody (provided they use Gnus and @code{nndiary}) by
18239 sending the diary message to them as well.
18241 However, since @code{nndiary} also has a @code{request-post} method, you
18242 can also use @kbd{C-u a} instead of @kbd{C-u m} on a diary group and the
18243 message won't actually be sent; just stored locally in the group. This
18244 comes in very handy for private appointments.
18247 @node Gnus Unplugged
18248 @section Gnus Unplugged
18253 @cindex Gnus unplugged
18255 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
18256 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
18257 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
18258 read news. Believe it or not.
18260 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
18261 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
18262 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
18263 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
18264 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
18266 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
18267 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
18268 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
18269 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
18270 reading news on a machine.
18272 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
18273 fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
18274 by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
18276 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
18279 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
18280 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
18281 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
18282 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
18283 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
18284 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
18285 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
18286 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
18287 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
18288 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
18289 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
18290 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
18291 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
18292 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
18297 @subsection Agent Basics
18299 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
18301 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
18302 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
18303 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
18304 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
18306 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
18307 connected to the net continuously.
18309 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
18310 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
18312 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
18313 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
18314 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
18315 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
18316 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
18318 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
18319 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
18320 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
18321 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
18322 they're kinda like plugged always).
18324 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
18325 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
18326 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
18329 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
18330 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
18331 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
18332 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
18333 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
18335 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
18340 @findex gnus-unplugged
18341 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
18342 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
18343 already fetched while in this mode.
18346 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
18347 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
18348 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
18349 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
18350 Source Specifiers}).
18353 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
18354 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
18355 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
18356 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
18357 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
18360 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
18361 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
18362 then you read the news offline.
18365 And then you go to step 2.
18368 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
18374 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
18375 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
18376 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
18377 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
18378 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
18379 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
18380 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
18381 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
18384 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
18385 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
18386 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
18387 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
18389 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
18390 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
18391 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
18392 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
18393 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
18394 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
18398 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
18402 @node Agent Categories
18403 @subsection Agent Categories
18405 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
18406 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
18407 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
18408 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
18409 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
18410 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
18411 you're interested in the articles anyway.
18413 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
18414 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
18415 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
18416 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
18417 buffer for creating and managing categories.
18419 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
18420 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
18421 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
18422 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
18423 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
18426 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
18427 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
18428 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
18429 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
18430 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
18431 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
18435 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
18436 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
18437 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
18441 @node Category Syntax
18442 @subsubsection Category Syntax
18444 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
18445 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
18446 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
18449 @cindex Agent Parameters
18452 The list of groups that are in this category.
18454 @item agent-predicate
18455 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
18456 are eligible for downloading; and
18459 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
18460 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
18461 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
18463 @item agent-enable-expiration
18464 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
18465 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
18466 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
18467 only groups that should not be expired.
18469 @item agent-days-until-old
18470 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
18471 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
18473 @item agent-low-score
18474 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
18476 @item agent-high-score
18477 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
18479 @item agent-short-article
18480 an integer that overrides the value of
18481 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
18483 @item agent-long-article
18484 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
18486 @item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
18487 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
18488 undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
18489 faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
18490 undownloaded faces.
18493 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
18496 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
18497 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
18498 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
18501 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
18502 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
18503 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
18504 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
18506 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
18507 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
18508 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
18510 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
18511 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
18512 operators sprinkled in between.
18514 Perhaps some examples are in order.
18516 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
18517 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
18523 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
18524 short (for some value of ``short'').
18526 Here's a more complex predicate:
18535 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
18536 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
18539 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
18540 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
18541 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
18543 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
18544 you want to do, you can write your own.
18546 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
18547 bound to the value determined by calling
18548 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
18549 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
18550 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
18551 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
18552 predicate to individual groups.
18556 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
18557 lines; default 100.
18560 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
18561 lines; default 200.
18564 True iff the article has a download score less than
18565 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
18568 True iff the article has a download score greater than
18569 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
18572 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
18573 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
18574 checksum and sees whether articles match.
18583 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
18584 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
18585 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
18588 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
18589 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
18590 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
18591 something along the lines of the following:
18594 (defun my-article-old-p ()
18595 "Say whether an article is old."
18596 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
18597 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
18600 with the predicate then defined as:
18603 (not my-article-old-p)
18606 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
18607 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
18611 (require 'gnus-agent)
18612 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
18613 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
18614 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
18617 and simply specify your predicate as:
18623 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
18624 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
18625 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
18626 just don't give a damn.
18628 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
18629 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
18630 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
18631 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
18632 parameters like so:
18635 (agent-predicate . short)
18638 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
18639 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
18640 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
18642 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
18645 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
18648 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
18649 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
18650 predicate is assumed to be a list.
18653 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
18654 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
18655 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
18656 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
18657 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
18658 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
18660 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
18661 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
18662 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
18663 if it's to be specific to that group.
18665 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
18672 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
18673 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
18679 Category specification
18683 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18689 Group/Topic Parameter specification
18692 (agent-score ("from"
18693 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18698 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
18704 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
18705 keywords stated above.
18711 Category specification
18714 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
18720 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
18724 Group Parameter specification
18727 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
18730 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
18735 Use @code{normal} score files
18737 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
18738 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
18739 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
18740 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
18742 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
18743 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
18744 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
18745 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
18749 Category Specification
18756 Group Parameter specification
18759 (agent-score . file)
18764 @node Category Buffer
18765 @subsubsection Category Buffer
18767 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
18768 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
18769 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
18771 The following commands are available in this buffer:
18775 @kindex q (Category)
18776 @findex gnus-category-exit
18777 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
18780 @kindex e (Category)
18781 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
18782 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
18783 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
18786 @kindex k (Category)
18787 @findex gnus-category-kill
18788 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
18791 @kindex c (Category)
18792 @findex gnus-category-copy
18793 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
18796 @kindex a (Category)
18797 @findex gnus-category-add
18798 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
18801 @kindex p (Category)
18802 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
18803 Edit the predicate of the current category
18804 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
18807 @kindex g (Category)
18808 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
18809 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
18810 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
18813 @kindex s (Category)
18814 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
18815 Edit the download score rule of the current category
18816 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
18819 @kindex l (Category)
18820 @findex gnus-category-list
18821 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
18825 @node Category Variables
18826 @subsubsection Category Variables
18829 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
18830 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
18831 Hook run in category buffers.
18833 @item gnus-category-line-format
18834 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
18835 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
18836 Variables}). Valid elements are:
18840 The name of the category.
18843 The number of groups in the category.
18846 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
18847 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
18848 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
18850 @item gnus-agent-short-article
18851 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
18852 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
18854 @item gnus-agent-long-article
18855 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
18856 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
18858 @item gnus-agent-low-score
18859 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
18860 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
18863 @item gnus-agent-high-score
18864 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
18865 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
18868 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
18869 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18870 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
18871 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
18872 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
18873 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
18874 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
18875 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
18879 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18880 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18881 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
18882 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
18883 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
18884 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
18885 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
18890 @node Agent Commands
18891 @subsection Agent Commands
18892 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
18893 @kindex J j (Agent)
18895 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
18896 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
18897 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
18901 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
18902 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
18903 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
18909 @node Group Agent Commands
18910 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
18914 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
18915 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
18916 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
18917 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
18920 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
18921 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
18922 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
18925 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
18926 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
18927 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
18928 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
18931 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
18932 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
18933 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
18934 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
18937 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
18938 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
18939 Add the current group to an Agent category
18940 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
18941 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18944 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
18945 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
18946 Remove the current group from its category, if any
18947 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
18948 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18951 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
18952 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18953 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
18959 @node Summary Agent Commands
18960 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
18964 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
18965 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
18966 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
18969 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
18970 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
18971 Remove the downloading mark from the article
18972 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
18976 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
18977 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
18978 Toggle whether to download the article
18979 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
18983 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
18984 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
18985 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
18988 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
18989 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
18990 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
18991 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
18994 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
18995 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series
18996 Download all processable articles in this group.
18997 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series}).
19000 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
19001 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
19002 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
19003 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
19008 @node Server Agent Commands
19009 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
19013 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
19014 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
19015 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
19016 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
19019 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
19020 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
19021 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
19022 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
19027 @node Agent Visuals
19028 @subsection Agent Visuals
19030 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
19031 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
19032 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
19033 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
19034 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
19035 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
19036 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
19037 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
19038 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
19039 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
19041 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
19042 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
19043 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
19044 way, ``If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
19045 less than satisfying unplugged session''. For this reason, the Agent
19046 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
19047 the download status of each article so that you always know which
19048 articles will be available when unplugged.
19050 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
19051 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
19052 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
19053 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
19054 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
19055 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
19056 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
19057 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
19059 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
19060 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
19061 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
19062 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
19063 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
19064 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
19065 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
19066 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
19067 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
19069 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
19070 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
19071 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
19072 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
19073 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
19074 users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
19075 database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
19076 to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
19077 of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
19078 normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
19080 If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
19081 undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
19082 group parameter to @code{t}. This parameter, like all other agent
19083 parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}),
19084 a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an individual group
19085 (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
19087 The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
19088 can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
19089 even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
19090 is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
19091 This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
19092 fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
19093 the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
19094 expiring'' articles.
19096 @node Agent as Cache
19097 @subsection Agent as Cache
19099 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
19100 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
19101 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
19102 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
19103 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
19104 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
19105 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
19106 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
19107 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
19109 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
19110 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
19111 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
19112 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
19113 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
19116 @subsection Agent Expiry
19118 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
19119 @findex gnus-agent-expire
19120 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
19121 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
19122 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
19123 @cindex agent expiry
19124 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
19127 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
19128 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
19129 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
19130 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
19131 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
19132 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
19133 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
19134 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
19136 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
19137 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
19138 synchronized with the group.
19140 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
19141 prevent expiration in selected groups.
19143 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
19144 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
19145 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
19146 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
19147 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
19148 be kept indefinitely.
19150 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
19151 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
19152 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
19153 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
19155 @node Agent Regeneration
19156 @subsection Agent Regeneration
19158 @cindex agent regeneration
19159 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
19160 @cindex regeneration
19162 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
19163 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
19164 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
19165 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
19166 internal inconsistencies.
19168 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
19169 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
19170 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
19171 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
19172 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
19173 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
19175 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
19176 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
19177 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
19178 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
19179 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
19180 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
19182 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19183 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19184 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
19185 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
19186 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
19187 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
19190 @node Agent and flags
19191 @subsection Agent and flags
19193 The Agent works with any Gnus back end including those, such as
19194 nnimap, that store flags (read, ticked, etc) on the server. Sadly,
19195 the Agent does not actually know which backends keep their flags in
19196 the backend server rather than in @file{.newsrc}. This means that the
19197 Agent, while unplugged or disconnected, will always record all changes
19198 to the flags in its own files.
19200 When you plug back in, Gnus will then check to see if you have any
19201 changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the
19202 server. This behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
19204 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19205 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19206 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19207 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19208 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19209 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19211 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
19212 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
19213 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
19214 in the group buffer.
19216 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
19217 all local flags to the server, but rather by incrementally updated the
19218 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
19219 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group then
19220 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
19221 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
19222 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
19223 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
19225 @node Agent and IMAP
19226 @subsection Agent and IMAP
19228 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
19229 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
19230 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
19231 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
19233 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
19234 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
19239 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
19242 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
19246 @node Outgoing Messages
19247 @subsection Outgoing Messages
19249 By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
19250 and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
19251 You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
19253 You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
19254 (see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
19255 news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
19257 You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
19258 commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
19259 group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
19260 Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
19263 If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
19264 about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
19265 ask you to confirm your action (see
19266 @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
19268 @node Agent Variables
19269 @subsection Agent Variables
19274 Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
19275 the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
19276 automatically mark some back ends as agentized. You may change which
19277 back ends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
19279 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
19280 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
19283 @item gnus-agent-directory
19284 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
19285 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
19286 @file{~/News/agent/}.
19288 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
19289 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
19290 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
19291 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
19292 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
19295 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19296 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19297 Hook run when connecting to the network.
19299 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19300 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19301 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
19303 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19304 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19305 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
19307 @item gnus-agent-cache
19308 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
19309 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
19310 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
19311 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
19313 @item gnus-agent-go-online
19314 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
19315 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
19316 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
19317 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
19318 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
19319 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
19322 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19323 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19324 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
19325 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
19326 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
19327 read. The default is @code{t}.
19329 @item gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19330 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19331 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19332 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19333 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19334 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19335 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19337 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19338 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19339 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
19340 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
19341 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
19342 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
19343 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
19344 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
19345 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
19346 over and over again.
19348 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19349 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19350 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
19351 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
19352 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
19353 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
19354 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
19355 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
19356 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
19357 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
19358 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
19359 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
19362 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
19363 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
19364 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
19365 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
19366 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
19367 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
19368 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
19369 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
19370 is only valid if the Agent is used.
19372 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19373 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19374 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
19375 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
19376 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
19377 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
19379 The valid values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
19380 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
19381 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
19382 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
19383 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
19385 @item gnus-agent-queue-mail
19386 @vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
19387 When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
19388 queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
19389 will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
19390 mail. The default is @code{t}.
19392 @item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19393 @vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19394 When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
19395 prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
19396 @kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
19398 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19399 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19400 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
19401 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
19402 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
19403 which back ends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
19404 to agentize remote back ends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
19405 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
19406 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
19407 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
19408 start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
19413 @node Example Setup
19414 @subsection Example Setup
19416 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
19417 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
19418 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
19421 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
19422 ;;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
19423 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
19425 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
19426 ;;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
19427 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
19429 ;;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
19430 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
19432 ;;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
19433 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
19434 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
19437 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
19438 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
19441 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
19442 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
19443 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
19444 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
19445 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
19448 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
19449 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
19450 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
19451 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
19452 back all the killed groups.)
19454 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
19455 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
19456 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
19459 @node Batching Agents
19460 @subsection Batching Agents
19461 @findex gnus-agent-batch
19463 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
19464 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
19465 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
19467 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
19468 following incantation:
19472 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
19476 @node Agent Caveats
19477 @subsection Agent Caveats
19479 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
19480 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
19484 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
19486 @strong{No}. If you want this behavior, add
19487 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
19488 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
19490 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
19491 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
19493 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
19497 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
19498 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
19499 locally stored articles.
19506 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
19507 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
19508 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
19511 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
19512 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
19513 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
19514 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
19515 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
19517 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
19518 before generating the summary buffer.
19520 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
19521 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
19522 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
19524 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
19525 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
19526 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
19527 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
19530 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
19531 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
19532 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
19533 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
19534 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
19535 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
19536 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
19537 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
19538 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
19539 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
19540 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
19541 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
19542 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
19543 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
19544 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
19545 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
19549 @node Summary Score Commands
19550 @section Summary Score Commands
19551 @cindex score commands
19553 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
19554 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
19555 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
19556 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
19557 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
19559 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
19560 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
19561 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
19562 score file the current one.
19564 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
19569 @kindex V s (Summary)
19570 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
19571 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
19574 @kindex V S (Summary)
19575 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
19576 Display the score of the current article
19577 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
19580 @kindex V t (Summary)
19581 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
19582 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
19583 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
19584 may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
19585 current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
19586 score file and edit it.
19589 @kindex V w (Summary)
19590 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
19591 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
19594 @kindex V R (Summary)
19595 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
19596 Run the current summary through the scoring process
19597 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
19598 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
19599 effect you're having.
19602 @kindex V c (Summary)
19603 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
19604 Make a different score file the current
19605 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
19608 @kindex V e (Summary)
19609 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
19610 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
19611 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
19615 @kindex V f (Summary)
19616 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
19617 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
19618 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
19621 @kindex V F (Summary)
19622 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19623 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
19624 after editing score files.
19627 @kindex V C (Summary)
19628 @findex gnus-score-customize
19629 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
19630 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
19634 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
19639 @kindex V m (Summary)
19640 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
19641 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
19642 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
19645 @kindex V x (Summary)
19646 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
19647 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
19648 expunge all articles below this score
19649 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
19652 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
19653 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
19656 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
19657 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
19661 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
19662 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
19664 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
19665 keys are available:
19669 Score on the author name.
19672 Score on the subject line.
19675 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
19678 Score on the @code{References} line.
19684 Score on the number of lines.
19687 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
19690 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
19691 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
19694 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
19695 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
19696 @file{ADAPT} files.)
19705 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
19711 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
19712 what headers you are scoring on.
19724 Substring matching.
19727 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
19756 Greater than number.
19761 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
19762 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
19763 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
19768 Temporary score entry.
19771 Permanent score entry.
19774 Immediately scoring.
19778 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
19779 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
19780 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
19784 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
19785 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
19786 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
19787 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
19789 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
19790 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
19791 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
19792 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
19793 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
19795 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
19796 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
19797 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
19798 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
19799 current score file.
19801 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
19802 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
19803 pretend they are keymaps or not.
19806 @node Group Score Commands
19807 @section Group Score Commands
19808 @cindex group score commands
19810 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
19815 @kindex W e (Group)
19816 @findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
19817 Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
19818 a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
19821 @kindex W f (Group)
19822 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19823 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
19824 all the time. This command will flush the cache
19825 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
19829 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
19831 @findex gnus-batch-score
19832 @cindex batch scoring
19834 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
19838 @node Score Variables
19839 @section Score Variables
19840 @cindex score variables
19844 @item gnus-use-scoring
19845 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
19846 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
19847 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
19849 @item gnus-kill-killed
19850 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
19851 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
19852 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
19853 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
19854 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
19855 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
19856 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
19858 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
19859 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
19860 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
19861 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
19862 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
19864 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
19865 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
19866 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
19867 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
19869 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19870 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19871 @cindex score cache
19872 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
19873 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
19874 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
19875 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
19876 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
19877 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
19878 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
19881 @item gnus-save-score
19882 @vindex gnus-save-score
19883 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
19884 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
19885 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
19887 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
19888 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
19889 across group visits.
19891 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19892 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19893 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
19894 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
19895 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
19896 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
19897 manually entered data.
19899 @item gnus-summary-default-score
19900 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
19901 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
19903 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
19904 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
19905 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
19906 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
19907 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
19908 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
19910 @item gnus-score-over-mark
19911 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
19912 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
19913 default. Default is @samp{+}.
19915 @item gnus-score-below-mark
19916 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
19917 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
19918 default. Default is @samp{-}.
19920 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19921 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19922 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
19923 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
19925 Predefined functions available are:
19928 @item gnus-score-find-single
19929 @findex gnus-score-find-single
19930 Only apply the group's own score file.
19932 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
19933 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
19934 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
19935 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
19936 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
19937 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
19938 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
19939 then a regexp match is done.
19941 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
19942 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
19944 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
19945 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
19946 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
19947 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
19949 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19950 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19951 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
19952 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
19953 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
19957 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
19958 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
19959 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
19960 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
19961 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
19962 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
19963 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
19966 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
19967 overall score file, you could use the value
19969 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
19970 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
19973 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
19974 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
19975 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
19976 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
19977 are expired. It's 7 by default.
19979 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19980 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19981 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
19982 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
19983 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
19984 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
19985 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
19986 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
19988 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19989 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19990 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
19992 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
19993 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
19994 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
19995 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
19996 threading---according to the current value of
19997 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
19998 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
19999 simplified in this manner.
20004 @node Score File Format
20005 @section Score File Format
20006 @cindex score file format
20008 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
20009 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
20010 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
20012 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
20016 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
20018 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
20020 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
20022 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
20027 (mark-and-expunge -10)
20031 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
20032 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
20033 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
20034 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
20038 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
20039 Scoring}, for a different approach.
20041 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
20042 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
20043 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
20045 Six keys are supported by this alist:
20050 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
20051 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
20052 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
20053 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
20054 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
20055 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
20056 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
20057 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
20058 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
20059 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
20060 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
20061 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
20062 to articles that matches these score entries.
20064 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
20065 score entry has one to four elements.
20069 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
20070 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
20074 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
20075 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
20076 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
20077 is successful. If this element is not present, the
20078 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
20079 instead. This is 1000 by default.
20082 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
20083 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
20084 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
20085 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
20086 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
20089 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
20090 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
20091 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
20092 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
20095 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
20096 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
20097 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
20098 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
20099 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
20100 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
20101 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
20102 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
20103 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
20104 instead, if you feel like.
20107 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
20108 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
20109 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
20110 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
20111 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
20112 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
20116 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
20117 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
20121 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
20122 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
20124 These predicates are true if
20127 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
20130 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
20131 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
20138 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
20139 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
20140 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
20141 it's not. I think.)
20143 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
20144 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
20145 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
20146 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
20149 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
20150 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
20151 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
20152 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
20153 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
20154 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
20155 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
20159 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
20160 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
20161 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
20162 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
20163 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
20164 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
20165 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
20166 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
20169 @item Head, Body, All
20170 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
20174 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
20175 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
20176 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
20177 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
20178 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
20179 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
20180 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
20184 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
20185 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
20186 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
20187 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
20188 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
20189 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
20190 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
20191 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
20192 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
20193 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
20194 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
20198 @cindex score file atoms
20200 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20201 lower than this number will be marked as read.
20204 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20205 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
20207 @item mark-and-expunge
20208 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20209 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
20212 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
20213 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
20214 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
20215 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
20216 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
20219 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
20220 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
20223 @item exclude-files
20224 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
20225 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
20229 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
20230 ignored when handling global score files.
20233 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
20234 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
20235 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
20236 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
20239 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
20240 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
20241 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
20242 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
20244 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
20248 (mark-and-expunge -100)
20251 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
20252 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
20253 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
20254 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
20255 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
20257 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
20258 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
20259 scoring rules exist.
20262 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
20263 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
20264 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
20265 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
20266 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
20267 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
20268 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20269 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
20270 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
20271 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
20272 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
20276 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
20277 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
20278 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
20279 file for a number of groups.
20282 @cindex local variables
20283 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
20284 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
20285 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
20286 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
20287 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
20292 @node Score File Editing
20293 @section Score File Editing
20295 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
20296 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
20297 with a mode for that.
20299 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
20300 additional commands:
20305 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
20306 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
20307 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
20308 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
20311 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
20312 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
20313 Insert the current date in numerical format
20314 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
20315 you were wondering.
20318 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
20319 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
20320 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
20321 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
20322 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
20327 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
20329 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
20330 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
20332 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
20333 @kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
20336 @node Adaptive Scoring
20337 @section Adaptive Scoring
20338 @cindex adaptive scoring
20340 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
20341 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
20342 stupidity, to be precise.
20344 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
20345 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
20346 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
20347 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
20348 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20349 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
20350 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
20351 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
20352 variable to @code{(word line)}.
20354 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20355 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
20356 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
20357 might look something like this:
20360 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20361 '((gnus-unread-mark)
20362 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
20363 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
20364 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
20365 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
20366 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
20367 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
20368 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
20369 (gnus-ancient-mark)
20370 (gnus-low-score-mark)
20371 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
20374 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
20375 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
20376 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
20377 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
20378 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
20379 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
20382 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
20383 will be applied to each article.
20385 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
20386 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
20387 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
20388 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
20390 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
20391 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
20392 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
20393 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
20395 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
20396 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
20397 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
20398 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
20400 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
20401 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
20402 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
20403 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
20404 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
20405 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
20407 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
20408 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
20409 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
20411 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
20412 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
20413 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
20415 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
20416 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
20417 let you use different rules in different groups.
20419 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
20420 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
20421 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
20424 @vindex gnus-adaptive-pretty-print
20425 Adaptive score files can get huge and are not meant to be edited by
20426 human hands. If @code{gnus-adaptive-pretty-print} is @code{nil} (the
20427 deafult) those files will not be written in a human readable way.
20429 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
20430 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
20431 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
20432 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
20433 the length of the match is less than
20434 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
20435 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
20438 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20439 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
20440 headers. If you adapt on words, the
20441 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
20442 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
20445 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20446 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
20447 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
20448 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
20449 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
20452 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
20453 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
20454 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
20455 score with 30 points.
20457 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
20458 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
20459 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
20460 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
20461 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
20463 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
20464 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
20465 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
20466 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
20467 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
20469 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
20470 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
20471 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
20472 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
20474 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
20475 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
20476 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
20477 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
20479 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
20480 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
20481 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
20482 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
20483 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
20485 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
20486 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
20487 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
20489 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
20490 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
20491 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
20492 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
20495 @node Home Score File
20496 @section Home Score File
20498 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
20499 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
20500 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
20501 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
20503 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
20504 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
20505 could perhaps use the same home score file.
20507 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
20508 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
20513 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
20517 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
20518 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
20522 A list. The elements in this list can be:
20526 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
20527 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
20530 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
20531 be used as the home score file. The function will be called with the
20532 name of the group as the parameter.
20535 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
20538 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
20543 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
20546 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20547 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
20550 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
20551 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
20553 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
20555 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20556 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
20559 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
20560 Other functions include
20563 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
20564 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
20565 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
20566 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
20570 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
20571 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
20572 their own home score files:
20575 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20576 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
20577 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
20578 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
20579 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
20582 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
20583 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
20584 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
20585 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
20586 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
20588 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
20589 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
20590 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
20591 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
20592 precedence over this variable.
20595 @node Followups To Yourself
20596 @section Followups To Yourself
20598 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
20599 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
20600 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
20601 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
20602 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
20603 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
20607 @item gnus-score-followup-article
20608 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
20609 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
20612 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
20613 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
20614 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
20618 @vindex message-sent-hook
20619 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
20620 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
20622 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
20626 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
20627 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
20631 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20632 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20635 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
20636 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
20641 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
20645 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
20646 is system-dependent.
20649 @node Scoring On Other Headers
20650 @section Scoring On Other Headers
20651 @cindex scoring on other headers
20653 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
20654 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
20655 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
20656 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
20657 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
20659 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
20660 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
20661 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
20662 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
20663 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
20665 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
20668 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
20669 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
20672 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
20673 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
20674 time if you have much mail.
20676 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
20677 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
20683 @section Scoring Tips
20684 @cindex scoring tips
20690 @cindex scoring crossposts
20691 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
20692 the @code{Xref} header.
20694 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
20697 @item Multiple crossposts
20698 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
20699 more than, say, 3 groups:
20702 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
20706 @item Matching on the body
20707 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
20708 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
20709 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
20710 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
20711 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
20712 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
20713 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
20716 @item Marking as read
20717 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
20718 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
20719 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
20723 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
20725 @item Negated character classes
20726 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
20727 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
20728 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
20732 @node Reverse Scoring
20733 @section Reverse Scoring
20734 @cindex reverse scoring
20736 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
20737 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
20738 like this in your score file:
20742 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
20747 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
20748 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
20751 @node Global Score Files
20752 @section Global Score Files
20753 @cindex global score files
20755 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
20756 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
20757 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
20759 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
20760 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
20761 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
20763 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
20764 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
20765 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
20766 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
20767 files are applicable to which group.
20769 To use the score file
20770 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
20771 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
20775 (setq gnus-global-score-files
20776 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
20777 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
20780 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
20782 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
20783 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
20784 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
20785 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
20787 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
20788 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
20790 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
20791 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
20792 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
20793 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
20794 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
20795 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
20797 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
20803 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
20805 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
20807 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
20809 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
20810 lowered out of existence.
20812 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
20813 articles completely.
20816 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
20817 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
20818 old articles for a long time.
20821 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
20822 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
20823 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
20824 holding our breath yet?
20828 @section Kill Files
20831 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
20832 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
20833 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
20835 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
20836 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
20837 files into score files.
20839 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
20840 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
20841 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
20842 that isn't a very good idea.
20844 Normal kill files look like this:
20847 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20848 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
20852 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
20853 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
20855 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
20856 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
20859 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
20864 @kindex M-k (Summary)
20865 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
20866 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
20869 @kindex M-K (Summary)
20870 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
20871 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
20874 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
20879 @kindex M-k (Group)
20880 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
20881 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
20884 @kindex M-K (Group)
20885 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
20886 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
20889 Kill file variables:
20892 @item gnus-kill-file-name
20893 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
20894 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
20895 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
20896 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
20897 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
20898 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
20900 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20901 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20902 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
20903 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
20906 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
20907 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
20908 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
20909 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
20910 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
20911 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
20912 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
20913 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
20914 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
20916 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20917 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20918 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
20923 @node Converting Kill Files
20924 @section Converting Kill Files
20926 @cindex converting kill files
20928 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
20929 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
20930 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
20933 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
20934 You can fetch it from
20935 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
20937 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
20938 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
20939 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
20943 @node Advanced Scoring
20944 @section Advanced Scoring
20946 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
20947 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
20948 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
20949 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
20950 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
20952 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
20956 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
20957 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
20958 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
20962 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
20963 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
20965 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
20966 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
20967 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
20968 non-@code{nil} value.
20970 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
20971 operator, and various match operators.
20978 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20979 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
20980 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
20985 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20986 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
20987 then this operator will return @code{false}.
20992 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
20993 logical negation of the value of its argument.
20997 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
20998 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
20999 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
21000 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
21001 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
21002 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
21003 the ancestry you want to go.
21005 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
21006 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
21007 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
21008 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
21009 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
21012 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
21013 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
21015 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
21016 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
21019 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
21020 when he's talking about Gnus:
21025 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21026 ("subject" "Gnus"))
21033 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
21037 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21044 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
21045 really don't want to read what he's written:
21049 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21050 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
21054 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
21055 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
21056 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
21063 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
21064 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
21065 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
21066 ("body" "white.*socks"))
21070 Suppose you're reading a high volume group and you're only interested
21071 in replies. The plan is to score down all articles that don't have
21072 subject that begin with "Re:", "Fw:" or "Fwd:" and then score up all
21073 parents of articles that have subjects that begin with reply marks.
21076 ((! ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
21078 ((1- ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
21082 The possibilities are endless.
21084 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
21085 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
21087 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
21088 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
21089 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
21090 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
21091 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
21092 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
21093 @samp{subject}) first.
21095 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
21096 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
21107 Then that means ``score on the from header of the grandparent of the
21108 current article''. An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
21114 ("subject" "Gnus")))
21121 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
21122 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
21127 @section Score Decays
21128 @cindex score decays
21131 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
21132 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
21133 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
21134 use them in any sensible way.
21136 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
21137 @findex gnus-decay-score
21138 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
21139 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
21140 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
21141 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
21142 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
21143 If @code{gnus-decay-scores} is a regexp, only score files matching this
21144 regexp are treated. E.g. you may set it to @samp{\\.ADAPT\\'} if only
21145 @emph{adaptive} score files should be decayed. The decay itself if
21146 performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function} function, which is
21147 @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the definition of that
21151 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
21152 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
21153 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
21155 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
21157 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
21159 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
21160 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
21161 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
21162 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
21163 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
21165 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
21169 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
21170 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
21171 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
21172 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
21176 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
21179 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
21182 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
21186 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
21187 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
21188 the new score, which should be an integer.
21190 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
21191 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
21196 @include message.texi
21197 @chapter Emacs MIME
21198 @include emacs-mime.texi
21200 @include sieve.texi
21202 @c @include pgg.texi
21204 @c @include sasl.texi
21212 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
21213 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
21214 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
21215 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
21216 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
21217 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
21218 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
21219 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
21220 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
21221 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
21222 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
21223 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
21224 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
21225 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
21226 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
21227 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
21228 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
21229 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
21230 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
21231 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
21232 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
21236 @node Process/Prefix
21237 @section Process/Prefix
21238 @cindex process/prefix convention
21240 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
21241 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
21243 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
21244 command to be performed on.
21248 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
21249 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
21250 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
21251 with the current one.
21253 @vindex transient-mark-mode
21254 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
21255 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
21257 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
21258 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
21261 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
21262 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
21264 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
21267 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
21268 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
21269 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
21270 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
21272 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
21273 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
21274 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
21275 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
21276 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
21277 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
21278 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
21279 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
21281 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
21282 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
21283 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
21284 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
21285 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
21289 @section Interactive
21290 @cindex interaction
21294 @item gnus-novice-user
21295 @vindex gnus-novice-user
21296 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
21297 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
21298 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
21299 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
21302 @item gnus-expert-user
21303 @vindex gnus-expert-user
21304 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
21305 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
21306 matter how strange.
21308 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
21309 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
21310 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
21311 is @code{t} by default.
21313 @item gnus-interactive-exit
21314 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
21315 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21320 @node Symbolic Prefixes
21321 @section Symbolic Prefixes
21322 @cindex symbolic prefixes
21324 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
21325 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
21326 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
21327 rule of 900 to the current article.
21329 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
21330 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
21331 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
21332 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
21333 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
21334 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
21335 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
21337 @kindex M-i (Summary)
21338 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
21339 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
21340 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
21341 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
21342 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
21343 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
21344 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
21345 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
21347 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
21348 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
21349 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
21351 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
21355 @node Formatting Variables
21356 @section Formatting Variables
21357 @cindex formatting variables
21359 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
21360 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
21361 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
21362 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
21363 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
21366 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
21367 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
21368 lots of percentages everywhere.
21371 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
21372 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
21373 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
21374 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
21375 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
21376 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
21377 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
21378 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
21381 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
21382 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
21383 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
21384 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
21385 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
21386 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
21387 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
21388 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
21390 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
21391 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
21393 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
21394 @findex gnus-update-format
21395 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
21396 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
21397 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
21398 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
21402 @node Formatting Basics
21403 @subsection Formatting Basics
21405 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
21406 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
21407 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
21409 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
21410 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
21411 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
21412 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
21413 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
21416 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
21417 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
21418 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
21419 less than 4 characters wide.
21421 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
21422 @samp{%&user-date;}.
21425 @node Mode Line Formatting
21426 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
21428 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
21429 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
21430 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
21431 with the following two differences:
21436 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
21439 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
21440 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
21441 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
21442 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
21443 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
21444 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
21445 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
21450 @node Advanced Formatting
21451 @subsection Advanced Formatting
21453 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
21454 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
21455 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
21456 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
21458 These are the valid modifiers:
21463 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
21467 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
21472 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
21475 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
21480 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
21483 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
21486 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
21489 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
21495 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
21500 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
21501 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
21502 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
21503 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
21504 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
21505 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
21506 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
21508 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
21509 last operation, padding.
21511 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
21512 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
21513 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
21514 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
21515 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
21516 the look of your lines.
21517 @xref{Compilation}.
21520 @node User-Defined Specs
21521 @subsection User-Defined Specs
21523 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
21524 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
21525 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
21526 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
21527 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
21528 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
21529 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
21530 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
21531 should protect against that.
21533 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
21534 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
21536 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
21537 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
21538 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
21539 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
21543 @node Formatting Fonts
21544 @subsection Formatting Fonts
21546 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
21547 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
21548 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
21549 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
21552 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
21553 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
21554 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
21555 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
21556 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
21557 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
21559 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
21560 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
21561 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
21562 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
21563 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
21564 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
21565 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
21566 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
21567 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
21568 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
21569 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
21572 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
21575 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
21576 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
21577 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
21579 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
21580 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
21581 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
21582 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
21583 ;; @r{Set the color.}
21584 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
21585 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
21587 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
21588 (setq gnus-group-line-format
21589 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
21592 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
21593 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
21595 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
21596 mode-line variables.
21598 @node Positioning Point
21599 @subsection Positioning Point
21601 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
21602 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
21603 line. You can customize this behavior in three different ways.
21605 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
21607 @findex gnus-goto-colon
21608 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
21609 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
21611 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
21612 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
21613 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
21618 @subsection Tabulation
21620 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
21621 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
21622 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
21623 about lining up the following text afterwards.
21625 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
21626 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
21628 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
21629 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
21630 This is the soft tabulator.
21632 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
21633 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
21634 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
21637 @node Wide Characters
21638 @subsection Wide Characters
21640 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
21641 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
21642 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
21644 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
21645 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
21646 these countries, that's not true.
21648 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
21649 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
21650 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
21651 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
21655 @node Window Layout
21656 @section Window Layout
21657 @cindex window layout
21659 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
21661 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
21662 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
21663 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
21664 @code{t} by default.
21666 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
21667 glitches. Use at your own peril.
21669 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
21670 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
21671 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
21674 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
21675 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
21676 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
21680 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
21681 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
21682 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
21683 possible names is listed below.
21685 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
21686 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
21689 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
21693 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
21694 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
21695 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
21696 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
21697 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
21698 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
21699 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
21700 size spec per split.
21702 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
21703 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
21704 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
21705 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
21706 present) gets focus.
21708 Here's a more complicated example:
21711 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
21712 (summary 0.25 point)
21713 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
21717 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
21718 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
21719 occupy, not a percentage.
21721 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
21722 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
21723 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
21724 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
21725 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
21728 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
21731 (article (horizontal 1.0
21736 (summary 0.25 point)
21741 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
21742 @code{horizontal} thingie?
21744 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
21745 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
21746 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
21747 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
21748 the screen is to be given to this strip.
21750 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
21751 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
21752 lines from the splits.
21754 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
21759 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
21760 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
21761 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
21762 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
21763 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
21764 size = number | frame-params
21765 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
21769 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
21770 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
21771 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
21772 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
21774 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
21775 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
21776 @cindex window height
21777 @cindex window width
21778 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
21779 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
21780 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
21781 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
21782 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
21783 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
21785 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
21786 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
21787 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
21788 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
21790 @findex gnus-configure-frame
21791 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
21792 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
21793 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
21794 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
21795 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
21796 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
21797 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
21798 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
21799 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
21800 configuration list.
21803 (gnus-configure-frame
21807 (article 0.3 point))
21815 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
21816 @code{frame} split:
21819 (gnus-configure-frame
21822 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
21824 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
21825 (user-position . t)
21826 (left . -1) (top . 1))
21831 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
21832 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
21833 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
21834 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
21835 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
21836 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
21837 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
21838 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
21840 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
21841 be found in its default value.
21843 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
21844 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
21845 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
21849 (message (horizontal 1.0
21850 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
21852 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
21857 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
21858 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
21859 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
21864 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
21865 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
21866 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
21867 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
21868 (name . "Message"))
21869 (message 1.0 point))))
21872 @findex gnus-add-configuration
21873 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
21874 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
21875 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
21876 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
21879 (gnus-add-configuration
21880 '(article (vertical 1.0
21882 (summary .25 point)
21886 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
21887 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
21888 Gnus has been loaded.
21890 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
21891 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
21892 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
21893 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
21894 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
21896 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
21897 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
21898 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
21901 @subsection Example Window Configurations
21905 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
21906 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
21921 (gnus-add-configuration
21924 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21926 (summary 0.16 point)
21929 (gnus-add-configuration
21932 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21933 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
21939 @node Faces and Fonts
21940 @section Faces and Fonts
21945 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
21946 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
21947 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
21952 @section Compilation
21953 @cindex compilation
21954 @cindex byte-compilation
21956 @findex gnus-compile
21958 Remember all those line format specification variables?
21959 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
21960 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
21961 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
21962 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
21963 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
21964 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
21965 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
21968 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
21969 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
21970 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
21971 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
21972 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
21975 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
21976 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
21977 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
21978 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
21979 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
21984 @section Mode Lines
21987 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
21988 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
21989 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
21990 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
21991 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
21992 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
21993 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
21996 @cindex display-time
21998 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
21999 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
22000 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
22001 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
22002 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
22003 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
22004 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
22005 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
22008 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
22010 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
22011 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
22013 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
22014 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
22015 (length display-time-string)))))
22018 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
22019 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
22020 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
22021 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
22022 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
22025 @node Highlighting and Menus
22026 @section Highlighting and Menus
22028 @cindex highlighting
22031 @vindex gnus-visual
22032 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
22033 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
22034 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
22037 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
22038 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
22041 @item group-highlight
22042 Do highlights in the group buffer.
22043 @item summary-highlight
22044 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
22045 @item article-highlight
22046 Do highlights in the article buffer.
22048 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
22050 Create menus in the group buffer.
22052 Create menus in the summary buffers.
22054 Create menus in the article buffer.
22056 Create menus in the browse buffer.
22058 Create menus in the server buffer.
22060 Create menus in the score buffers.
22062 Create menus in all buffers.
22065 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
22066 buffers, you could say something like:
22069 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
22072 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
22075 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
22078 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
22079 in all Gnus buffers.
22081 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
22084 @item gnus-mouse-face
22085 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
22086 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
22087 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
22091 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
22095 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
22096 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
22097 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
22099 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
22100 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
22101 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
22103 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
22104 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
22105 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
22107 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
22108 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
22109 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
22111 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
22112 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
22113 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
22115 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
22116 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
22117 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
22128 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
22129 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
22130 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
22131 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
22132 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
22136 @vindex gnus-carpal
22137 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
22138 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
22139 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
22144 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
22145 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
22146 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
22148 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
22149 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
22150 Face used on buttons.
22152 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
22153 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
22154 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
22156 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
22157 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
22158 Buttons in the group buffer.
22160 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
22161 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
22162 Buttons in the summary buffer.
22164 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
22165 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
22166 Buttons in the server buffer.
22168 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
22169 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
22170 Buttons in the browse buffer.
22173 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
22174 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
22175 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
22183 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
22184 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
22185 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
22186 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
22187 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
22189 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
22190 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
22191 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
22193 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
22194 been idle for thirty minutes:
22197 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
22200 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
22204 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
22207 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
22208 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
22209 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
22211 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
22212 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
22213 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
22214 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
22216 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
22217 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
22218 @var{idle} minutes.
22220 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
22221 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
22224 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
22225 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
22226 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
22228 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
22229 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
22230 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
22231 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
22233 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
22234 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22236 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
22238 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
22241 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
22242 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
22243 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
22244 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
22245 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
22246 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
22247 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
22248 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
22249 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
22250 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
22251 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
22253 @findex gnus-demon-init
22254 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
22255 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
22256 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
22257 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
22258 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
22260 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
22261 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
22262 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
22271 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
22272 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
22274 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
22275 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
22276 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
22277 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
22280 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
22281 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
22282 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
22283 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
22285 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
22286 this will make spam disappear.
22288 There are some variables to customize, of course:
22291 @item gnus-use-nocem
22292 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
22293 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
22296 You can also set this variable to a positive number as a group level.
22297 In that case, Gnus scans NoCeM messages when checking new news if this
22298 value is not exceeding a group level that you specify as the prefix
22299 argument to some commands, e.g. @code{gnus},
22300 @code{gnus-group-get-new-news}, etc. Otherwise, Gnus does not scan
22301 NoCeM messages if you specify a group level to those commands. For
22302 example, if you use 1 or 2 on the mail groups and the levels on the news
22303 groups remain the default, 3 is the best choice.
22305 @item gnus-nocem-groups
22306 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
22307 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
22310 ("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
22311 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")
22314 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
22315 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
22316 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
22317 people you want to listen to. The default is
22319 ("Automoose-1" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
22320 "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo" "hweede@@snafu.de")
22322 fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
22324 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
22325 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
22327 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
22328 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
22329 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
22330 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
22331 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
22332 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
22333 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
22334 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
22335 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
22336 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
22338 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
22339 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
22342 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
22345 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
22346 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
22349 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
22352 The specs are applied left-to-right.
22355 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
22356 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
22357 @findex pgg-verify-region
22358 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
22359 says she is. The default is the function using @code{pgg-verify-region}
22364 (pgg-verify-region (point-min) (point-max)))
22367 It returns non-@code{nil} if the verification is successful, otherwise
22368 (including the case the NoCeM message was not signed) returns
22369 @code{nil}. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
22370 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
22372 Formerly the default was @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
22373 function. While you can still use it, you can change it into the
22374 default function running with GnuPG if you are willing to add the
22375 @acronym{PGP} public keys to GnuPG's keyring.
22377 @item gnus-nocem-directory
22378 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
22379 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
22380 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
22382 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
22383 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
22384 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
22385 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
22386 might then see old spam.
22388 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
22389 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
22390 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
22391 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
22392 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
22395 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
22396 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
22397 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
22398 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
22402 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
22403 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
22404 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
22405 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
22412 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
22413 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
22414 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
22416 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
22417 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
22418 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
22419 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
22420 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
22421 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
22422 @code{undo} function.
22424 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
22425 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
22426 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
22427 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
22428 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
22429 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
22430 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
22431 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
22432 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
22433 never be totally undoable.
22435 @findex gnus-undo-mode
22436 @vindex gnus-use-undo
22438 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
22439 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
22440 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
22441 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
22445 @node Predicate Specifiers
22446 @section Predicate Specifiers
22447 @cindex predicate specifiers
22449 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
22450 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
22451 to type all that much.
22453 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
22458 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
22459 gnus-article-unread-p)
22462 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
22463 functions all take one parameter.
22465 @findex gnus-make-predicate
22466 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
22467 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
22468 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
22473 @section Moderation
22476 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
22477 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
22478 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
22481 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
22485 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
22488 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
22490 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
22495 You split your incoming mail by matching on
22496 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
22497 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
22500 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
22501 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
22504 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
22505 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
22509 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
22512 (setq gnus-moderated-list
22513 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
22517 @node Fetching a Group
22518 @section Fetching a Group
22519 @cindex fetching a group
22521 @findex gnus-fetch-group
22522 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
22523 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
22524 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
22525 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
22526 It takes the group name as a parameter.
22529 @node Image Enhancements
22530 @section Image Enhancements
22532 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
22533 support images yet.}, is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has
22534 taken advantage of that.
22537 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
22538 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
22539 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
22540 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
22541 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
22549 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
22550 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
22551 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
22555 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
22556 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
22557 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
22565 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
22566 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
22567 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
22568 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
22570 The variable that controls this is the
22571 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
22572 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
22573 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
22574 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
22575 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
22577 The default action under Emacs without image support is to fork off the
22578 @code{display} program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick
22579 package. For the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look
22580 for a package like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux
22581 system.} to view the face.
22583 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
22584 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
22585 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
22586 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
22587 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
22588 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
22589 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
22590 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
22592 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
22600 @vindex gnus-x-face
22601 Face to show X-Face. The colors from this face are used as the
22602 foreground and background colors of the displayed X-Faces. The
22603 default colors are black and white.
22605 @item gnus-face-properties-alist
22606 @vindex gnus-face-properties-alist
22607 Alist of image types and properties applied to Face (@pxref{Face}) and
22608 X-Face images. The default value is @code{((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face))
22609 (png . nil))} for Emacs or @code{((xface . (:face gnus-x-face)))} for
22610 XEmacs. Here are examples:
22613 ;; Specify the altitude of Face and X-Face images in the From header.
22614 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
22615 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :ascent 80))
22616 (png . (:ascent 80))))
22618 ;; Show Face and X-Face images as pressed buttons.
22619 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
22620 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :relief -2))
22621 (png . (:relief -2))))
22624 @pxref{Image Descriptors, ,Image Descriptors, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
22625 Reference Manual} for the valid properties for various image types.
22626 Currently, @code{pbm} is used for X-Face images and @code{png} is used
22627 for Face images in Emacs. Only the @code{:face} property is effective
22628 on the @code{xface} image type in XEmacs if it is built with the
22629 @samp{libcompface} library.
22632 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
22633 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
22635 @findex gnus-random-x-face
22636 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
22637 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
22638 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
22639 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
22640 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
22641 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
22642 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
22643 header data as a string.
22645 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
22646 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
22647 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
22648 randomly generated data.
22650 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
22651 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
22652 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
22653 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
22654 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
22656 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
22657 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22660 (setq message-required-news-headers
22661 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22662 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
22665 Using the last function would be something like this:
22668 (setq message-required-news-headers
22669 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22670 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
22671 (gnus-x-face-from-file
22672 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
22680 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces'implementations should really be harmonized.
22682 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
22683 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
22684 represent the author of the message.
22687 @findex gnus-article-display-face
22688 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
22689 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
22692 The @code{gnus-face-properties-alist} variable affects the appearance of
22693 displayed Face images. @xref{X-Face}.
22695 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
22696 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
22698 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
22699 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
22700 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
22702 @findex gnus-face-from-file
22703 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
22704 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
22705 converts the file to Face format by using the
22706 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
22708 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
22709 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22712 (setq message-required-news-headers
22713 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22714 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
22715 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
22720 @subsection Smileys
22725 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
22730 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
22731 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
22733 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
22734 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22737 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
22740 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
22741 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
22742 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
22743 text and maps that to file names.
22745 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
22746 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
22747 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
22748 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
22749 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
22752 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
22757 @item smiley-data-directory
22758 @vindex smiley-data-directory
22759 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
22761 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
22762 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
22763 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
22777 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
22778 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
22779 over your shoulder as you read news.
22781 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
22790 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
22791 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
22792 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
22793 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
22794 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
22795 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
22796 @code{GIF} formats.
22799 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
22800 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
22801 point your Web browser at
22802 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
22804 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
22805 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
22807 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
22808 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
22811 @vindex gnus-picon-style
22812 The variable @code{gnus-picon-style} controls how picons are displayed.
22813 If @code{inline}, the textual representation is replaced. If
22814 @code{right}, picons are added right to the textual representation.
22816 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
22820 @item gnus-picon-databases
22821 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
22822 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
22823 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
22824 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
22825 "/usr/local/faces")}.
22827 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
22828 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
22829 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22830 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
22832 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
22833 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
22834 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
22835 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
22837 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
22838 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
22839 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22840 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
22841 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
22843 @item gnus-picon-file-types
22844 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
22845 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
22846 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
22852 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
22855 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22856 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22857 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
22858 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
22859 unusual directory structure.
22861 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22862 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22863 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
22868 @subsubsection Toolbar
22872 @item gnus-use-toolbar
22873 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
22874 This variable specifies the position to display the toolbar. If
22875 @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If it is non-@code{nil}, it should
22876 be one of the symbols @code{default}, @code{top}, @code{bottom},
22877 @code{right}, and @code{left}. @code{default} means to use the default
22878 toolbar, the rest mean to display the toolbar on the place which those
22879 names show. The default is @code{default}.
22881 @item gnus-toolbar-thickness
22882 @vindex gnus-toolbar-thickness
22883 Cons of the height and the width specifying the thickness of a toolbar.
22884 The height is used for the toolbar displayed on the top or the bottom,
22885 the width is used for the toolbar displayed on the right or the left.
22886 The default is that of the default toolbar.
22888 @item gnus-group-toolbar
22889 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
22890 The toolbar in the group buffer.
22892 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
22893 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
22894 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
22896 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22897 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22898 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
22909 @node Fuzzy Matching
22910 @section Fuzzy Matching
22911 @cindex fuzzy matching
22913 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
22914 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
22916 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
22917 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
22918 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
22920 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
22921 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
22922 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
22923 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
22924 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
22927 @node Thwarting Email Spam
22928 @section Thwarting Email Spam
22932 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22934 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
22935 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
22936 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
22937 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
22938 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
22939 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
22940 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
22941 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
22944 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
22945 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
22946 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
22947 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
22948 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
22949 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
22951 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
22954 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
22955 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
22956 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
22957 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
22958 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
22959 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
22962 @node The problem of spam
22963 @subsection The problem of spam
22965 @cindex spam filtering approaches
22966 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
22968 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22970 First, some background on spam.
22972 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
22973 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it
22974 exists because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail,
22975 so only a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to
22976 make it worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most
22977 common spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for
22978 further spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers},
22979 but terms like @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, @emph{sociopaths}, and
22980 @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
22982 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
22983 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
22984 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
22985 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
22986 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
22987 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
22988 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
22989 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
22990 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
22993 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering, at the mail
22994 server or when you sort through incoming mail. If you get 200 spam
22995 messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you block
22996 @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about @samp{VIAGRA}, you
22997 discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the message. If you get
22998 lots of spam from Bulgaria, for example, you try to filter all mail
22999 from Bulgarian IPs.
23001 This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate e-mail. The
23002 risks of blocking a whole country (Bulgaria, Norway, Nigeria, China,
23003 etc.) or even a continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) from contacting
23004 you should be obvious, so don't do it if you have the choice.
23006 In another instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest has
23007 been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it @strong{contained}
23008 words that were common in spam messages. Nevertheless, in isolated
23009 cases, with great care, direct filtering of mail can be useful.
23011 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
23012 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
23013 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
23014 Ghana, Estonia, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
23015 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into a
23016 database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the number
23017 of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When a user
23018 of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a message is
23019 spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
23021 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
23022 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
23023 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
23024 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
23025 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
23026 sending spam, and their web sites and mailing lists have been shut
23027 down for some time because of the incident.
23029 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
23030 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
23031 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
23032 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
23033 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
23034 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
23035 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
23036 to store the database of spam analyses. Statistical analysis on the
23037 server is gaining popularity. This has the advantage of letting the
23038 user Just Read Mail, but has the disadvantage that it's harder to tell
23039 the server that it has misclassified mail.
23041 Fighting spam is not easy, no matter what anyone says. There is no
23042 magic switch that will distinguish Viagra ads from Mom's e-mails.
23043 Even people are having a hard time telling spam apart from non-spam,
23044 because spammers are actively looking to fool us into thinking they
23045 are Mom, essentially. Spamming is irritating, irresponsible, and
23046 idiotic behavior from a bunch of people who think the world owes them
23047 a favor. We hope the following sections will help you in fighting the
23050 @node Anti-Spam Basics
23051 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
23055 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23057 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
23058 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
23060 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
23061 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
23062 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
23063 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
23064 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
23065 part of the mail address.)
23068 (setq message-default-news-headers
23069 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
23072 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
23073 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
23077 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
23078 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
23079 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
23084 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
23085 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
23086 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
23087 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
23089 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
23090 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
23091 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
23092 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
23093 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
23094 your fancy split rule in this way:
23099 (to "larsi" "misc")
23103 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
23104 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
23105 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
23106 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
23107 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
23109 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
23110 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
23111 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
23112 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
23114 Be careful with this approach. Spammers are wise to it.
23118 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
23119 @cindex SpamAssassin
23120 @cindex Vipul's Razor
23123 The days where the hints in the previous section were sufficient in
23124 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
23125 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
23126 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
23127 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
23128 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
23129 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
23131 Note that this section does not involve the @code{spam.el} package,
23132 which is discussed in the next section. If you don't care for all
23133 the features of @code{spam.el}, you can make do with these simple
23136 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
23137 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
23138 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
23139 Specifiers}) follow.
23143 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
23147 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
23150 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
23151 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
23152 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
23155 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
23159 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
23162 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
23163 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
23167 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
23168 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
23169 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
23170 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
23173 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
23175 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
23179 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
23180 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
23184 Note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will not be
23185 downloaded by default. You need to set
23186 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
23187 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
23189 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
23190 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
23191 spam. And here is the nifty function:
23194 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
23195 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
23197 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
23198 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
23199 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
23203 @subsection Hashcash
23206 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
23207 costly and demonstrably unique for each message they send. This has
23208 the obvious drawback that you cannot rely on everyone in the world
23209 using this technique, since it is not part of the Internet standards,
23210 but it may be useful in smaller communities.
23212 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
23213 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
23214 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
23215 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
23216 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
23217 instead prefers that everyone you contact through e-mail supports the
23218 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
23219 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
23220 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
23221 one of them separately.
23224 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
23225 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
23226 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:} header.
23227 For more details, and for the external application @code{hashcash} you
23228 need to install to use this feature, see
23229 @uref{http://www.hashcash.org/}. Even more information can be found
23230 at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
23232 If you wish to generate hashcash for each message you send, you can
23233 customize @code{message-generate-hashcash} (@pxref{Mail Headers, ,Mail
23234 Headers,message, The Message Manual}), as in:
23237 (setq message-generate-hashcash t)
23240 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
23244 @item hashcash-default-payment
23245 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
23246 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
23247 should consist of. By default this is 20. Suggested useful values
23250 @item hashcash-payment-alist
23251 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
23252 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
23253 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
23254 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
23255 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
23256 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
23257 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
23258 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
23260 @item hashcash-path
23261 @vindex hashcash-path
23262 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed. This variable should
23263 be automatically set by @code{executable-find}, but if it's @code{nil}
23264 (usually because the @code{hashcash} binary is not in your path)
23265 you'll get a warning when you check hashcash payments and an error
23266 when you generate hashcash payments.
23270 Gnus can verify hashcash cookies, although this can also be done by
23271 hand customized mail filtering scripts. To verify a hashcash cookie
23272 in a message, use the @code{mail-check-payment} function in the
23273 @code{hashcash.el} library. You can also use the @code{spam.el}
23274 package with the @code{spam-use-hashcash} back end to validate hashcash
23275 cookies in incoming mail and filter mail accordingly (@pxref{Anti-spam
23276 Hashcash Payments}).
23278 @node Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
23279 @subsection Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
23280 @cindex spam filtering
23283 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
23284 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
23285 filters new mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
23286 @dfn{Ham} is the name used throughout @code{spam.el} to indicate
23289 Make sure you read the section on the @code{spam.el} sequence of
23290 events. See @xref{Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events}.
23292 @cindex spam-initialize
23293 To use @code{spam.el}, you @strong{must} run the function
23294 @code{spam-initialize} to autoload @file{spam.el} and to install the
23295 @code{spam.el} hooks. There is one exception: if you use the
23296 @code{spam-use-stat} (@pxref{spam-stat spam filtering}) setting, you
23297 should turn it on before @code{spam-initialize}:
23300 (setq spam-use-stat t) ;; if needed
23304 So, what happens when you load @file{spam.el}?
23306 First, some hooks will get installed by @code{spam-initialize}. There
23307 are some hooks for @code{spam-stat} so it can save its databases, and
23308 there are hooks so interesting things will happen when you enter and
23309 leave a group. More on the sequence of events later (@pxref{Spam
23310 ELisp Package Sequence of Events}).
23312 You get the following keyboard commands:
23322 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
23323 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
23325 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark.
23326 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
23327 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
23328 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
23334 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
23335 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
23337 You must have Bogofilter installed for that command to work properly.
23343 Also, when you load @file{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
23344 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
23348 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
23349 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
23350 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
23351 * Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer::
23352 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
23353 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
23354 * BBDB Whitelists::
23355 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
23356 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
23358 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
23360 * SpamAssassin back end::
23361 * ifile spam filtering::
23362 * spam-stat spam filtering::
23364 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
23367 @node Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events
23368 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events
23369 @cindex spam filtering
23370 @cindex spam filtering sequence of events
23372 You must read this section to understand how @code{spam.el} works.
23373 Do not skip, speed-read, or glance through this section.
23375 There are two @emph{contact points}, if you will, between
23376 @code{spam.el} and the rest of Gnus: checking new mail for spam, and
23379 Getting new mail in Gnus is done in one of two ways. You can either
23380 split your incoming mail or you can classify new articles as ham or
23381 spam when you enter the group.
23383 Splitting incoming mail is better suited to mail back ends such as
23384 @code{nnml} or @code{nnimap} where new mail appears in a single file
23385 called a @dfn{Spool File}. See @xref{Spam ELisp Package Filtering of
23388 @vindex gnus-spam-autodetect
23389 @vindex gnus-spam-autodetect-methods
23390 For back ends such as @code{nntp} there is no incoming mail spool, so
23391 an alternate mechanism must be used. This may also happen for
23392 back ends where the server is in charge of splitting incoming mail, and
23393 Gnus does not do further splitting. The @code{spam-autodetect} and
23394 @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameters (accessible with
23395 @kbd{G c} and @kbd{G p} as usual), and the corresponding variables
23396 @code{gnus-spam-autodetect} and @code{gnus-spam-autodetect-methods}
23397 (accessible with @kbd{M-x customize-variable} as usual) can help.
23399 When @code{spam-autodetect} is used (you can turn it on for a
23400 group/topic or wholesale by regular expression matches, as needed), it
23401 hooks into the process of entering a group. Thus, entering a group
23402 with unseen or unread articles becomes the substitute for checking
23403 incoming mail. Whether only unseen articles or all unread articles
23404 will be processed is determined by the
23405 @code{spam-autodetect-recheck-messages}. When set to @code{t}, unread
23406 messages will be rechecked. You should probably stick with the
23407 default of only checking unseen messages.
23409 @code{spam-autodetect} grants the user at once more and less control
23410 of spam filtering. The user will have more control over each group's
23411 spam methods, so for instance the @samp{ding} group may have
23412 @code{spam-use-BBDB} as the autodetection method, while the
23413 @samp{suspect} group may have the @code{spam-use-blacklist} and
23414 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} methods enabled. Every article detected to
23415 be spam will be marked with the spam mark @samp{$} and processed on
23416 exit from the group as normal spam. The user has less control over
23417 the @emph{sequence} of checks, as he might with @code{spam-split}.
23419 When the newly split mail goes into groups, or messages are
23420 autodetected to be ham or spam, those groups must be exited (after
23421 entering, if needed) for further spam processing to happen. It
23422 matters whether the group is considered a ham group, a spam group, or
23423 is unclassified, based on its @code{spam-content} parameter
23424 (@pxref{Spam ELisp Package Global Variables}). Spam groups have the
23425 additional characteristic that, when entered, any unseen or unread
23426 articles (depending on the @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam}
23427 variable) will be marked as spam. Thus, mail split into a spam group
23428 gets automatically marked as spam when you enter the group.
23430 Thus, when you exit a group, the @code{spam-processors} are applied,
23431 if any are set, and the processed mail is moved to the
23432 @code{ham-process-destination} or the @code{spam-process-destination}
23433 depending on the article's classification. If the
23434 @code{ham-process-destination} or the @code{spam-process-destination},
23435 whichever is appropriate, are @code{nil}, the article is left in the
23438 If a spam is found in any group (this can be changed to only non-spam
23439 groups with @code{spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only}), it is
23440 processed by the active @code{spam-processors} (@pxref{Spam ELisp
23441 Package Global Variables}) when the group is exited. Furthermore, the
23442 spam is moved to the @code{spam-process-destination} (@pxref{Spam
23443 ELisp Package Global Variables}) for further training or deletion.
23444 You have to load the @code{gnus-registry.el} package and enable the
23445 @code{spam-log-to-registry} variable if you want spam to be processed
23446 no more than once. Thus, spam is detected and processed everywhere,
23447 which is what most people want. If the
23448 @code{spam-process-destination} is @code{nil}, the spam is marked as
23449 expired, which is usually the right thing to do.
23451 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23452 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23454 If a ham mail is found in a ham group, as determined by the
23455 @code{ham-marks} parameter, it is processed as ham by the active ham
23456 @code{spam-processor} when the group is exited. With the variables
23457 @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} and
23458 @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} the behavior can be further
23459 altered so ham found anywhere can be processed. You have to load the
23460 @code{gnus-registry.el} package and enable the
23461 @code{spam-log-to-registry} variable if you want ham to be processed
23462 no more than once. Thus, ham is detected and processed only when
23463 necessary, which is what most people want. More on this in
23464 @xref{Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples}.
23466 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23467 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23469 If all this seems confusing, don't worry. Soon it will be as natural
23470 as typing Lisp one-liners on a neural interface@dots{} err, sorry, that's
23471 50 years in the future yet. Just trust us, it's not so bad.
23473 @node Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail
23474 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail
23475 @cindex spam filtering
23476 @cindex spam filtering incoming mail
23479 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
23480 must add the following to your fancy split list
23481 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
23487 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
23488 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
23489 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
23491 Also, @code{spam-split} will not modify incoming mail in any way.
23493 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
23494 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
23495 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
23496 but you can customize @code{spam-split-group}. Make sure the contents
23497 of @code{spam-split-group} are an @emph{unqualified} group name, for
23498 instance in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server} the value
23499 @samp{spam} will turn out to be @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The
23500 value @samp{nnimap+server:spam}, therefore, is wrong and will
23501 actually give you the group
23502 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam} which may or may not
23503 work depending on your server's tolerance for strange group names.
23505 You can also give @code{spam-split} a parameter,
23506 e.g. @code{spam-use-regex-headers} or @code{"maybe-spam"}. Why is
23509 Take these split rules (with @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and
23510 @code{spam-use-blackholes} set):
23513 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
23514 (any "ding" "ding")
23516 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23520 Now, the problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the
23521 ding folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam
23522 detected by SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through,
23523 when it's sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to
23524 the ding list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the
23525 invocation of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
23527 You can let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, but all other
23528 @code{spam-split} rules (including a second invocation of the
23529 regex-headers check) will be after the ding rule:
23534 ;; @r{all spam detected by @code{spam-use-regex-headers} goes to @samp{regex-spam}}
23535 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
23536 (any "ding" "ding")
23537 ;; @r{all other spam detected by spam-split goes to @code{spam-split-group}}
23539 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23543 This lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks depending on
23544 your particular needs, and to target the results of those checks to a
23545 particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail into all the
23546 spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that messages to
23547 mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have resource-intensive
23548 blackhole checks performed on them. You could also specify different
23549 spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap split. Go crazy.
23551 You should still have specific checks such as
23552 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} set to @code{t}, even if you
23553 specifically invoke @code{spam-split} with the check. The reason is
23554 that when loading @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done
23555 depending on what @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set. This
23556 is usually not critical, though.
23558 @emph{Note for IMAP users}
23560 The boolean variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} needs to be
23561 set, if you want to split based on the whole message instead of just
23562 the headers. By default, the nnimap back end will only retrieve the
23563 message headers. If you use a @emph{statistical} filter,
23564 e.g. @code{spam-check-bogofilter}, @code{spam-check-ifile}, or
23565 @code{spam-check-stat} (the splitters that can benefit from the full
23566 message body), this variable will be set automatically. It is not set
23567 for non-statistical back ends by default because it will slow
23568 @acronym{IMAP} down.
23570 @xref{Splitting in IMAP}.
23572 @node Spam ELisp Package Global Variables
23573 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Global Variables
23574 @cindex spam filtering
23575 @cindex spam filtering variables
23576 @cindex spam variables
23579 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
23580 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
23581 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
23582 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
23583 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
23584 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
23585 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
23586 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
23587 will be detected later.
23589 The format of the spam or ham processor entry used to be a symbol,
23590 but now it is a @sc{cons} cell. See the individual spam processor entries
23591 for more information.
23593 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
23594 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
23595 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
23596 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
23597 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
23598 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
23599 by customizing the corresponding variable
23600 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
23601 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
23602 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
23603 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
23604 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
23605 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
23606 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
23609 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
23611 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
23612 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
23613 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
23614 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
23615 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
23616 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
23617 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
23618 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
23619 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
23620 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
23621 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
23622 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
23623 processor which will study them as spam samples.
23625 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
23626 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
23627 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
23628 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
23629 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
23630 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
23631 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
23632 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
23635 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
23636 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
23637 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks (the idea is
23638 that these articles have been read, but are not spam). It can be
23639 useful to also include the tick mark in the ham marks. It is not
23640 recommended to make the unread mark a ham mark, because it normally
23641 indicates a lack of classification. But you can do it, and we'll be
23646 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
23647 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
23648 the spam mark. It is not recommended to change that, but you can if
23649 you really want to.
23652 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
23653 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
23654 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
23655 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
23656 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
23657 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
23660 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
23661 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
23662 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
23663 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
23664 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
23665 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
23666 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
23667 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
23668 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with @kbd{M-x
23669 customize-variable @key{RET} gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
23670 group name list is a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize
23671 the variable manually. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
23672 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
23673 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
23674 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
23676 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23677 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23679 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
23680 expression! This enables you to send your ham to a regular mail
23681 group and to a @emph{ham training} group.
23683 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
23684 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
23686 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
23687 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
23688 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
23689 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
23690 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
23692 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
23693 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
23694 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
23695 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
23696 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
23699 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
23700 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
23701 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
23702 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
23703 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
23704 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
23705 customize this variable with @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET}
23706 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each group name list is a standard
23707 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. If the
23708 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
23709 articles are only expired. The group name is fully qualified, meaning
23710 that if you see @samp{nntp:servername} before the group name in the
23711 group buffer then you need it here as well.
23713 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23714 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23716 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
23717 expression! This enables you to send your spam to multiple @emph{spam
23720 @vindex spam-log-to-registry
23721 The problem with processing ham and spam is that Gnus doesn't track
23722 this processing by default. Enable the @code{spam-log-to-registry}
23723 variable so @code{spam.el} will use @code{gnus-registry.el} to track
23724 what articles have been processed, and avoid processing articles
23725 multiple times. Keep in mind that if you limit the number of registry
23726 entries, this won't work as well as it does without a limit.
23728 @vindex spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam
23729 Set this variable if you want only unseen articles in spam groups to
23730 be marked as spam. By default, it is set. If you set it to
23731 @code{nil}, unread articles will also be marked as spam.
23733 @vindex spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group
23734 Set this variable if you want ham to be unmarked before it is moved
23735 out of the spam group. This is very useful when you use something
23736 like the tick mark @samp{!} to mark ham---the article will be placed
23737 in your @code{ham-process-destination}, unmarked as if it came fresh
23738 from the mail server.
23740 @vindex spam-autodetect-recheck-messages
23741 When autodetecting spam, this variable tells @code{spam.el} whether
23742 only unseen articles or all unread articles should be checked for
23743 spam. It is recommended that you leave it off.
23745 @node Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer
23746 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer
23747 @cindex spam scoring
23748 @cindex spam sorting
23749 @cindex spam score summary buffer
23750 @cindex spam sort summary buffer
23753 You can display the spam score of articles in your summary buffer, and
23754 you can sort articles by their spam score.
23756 First you need to decide which back end you will be using. If you use
23757 the @code{spam-use-spamassassin},
23758 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}, or @code{spam-use-regex-headers}
23759 back end, the @code{X-Spam-Status} header will be used. If you use
23760 @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, the @code{X-Bogosity} header will be used.
23761 If you use @code{spam-use-crm114}, any header that matches the CRM114
23762 score format will be used. As long as you set the appropriate back end
23763 variable to t @emph{before} you load @file{spam.el}, you will be
23764 fine. @code{spam.el} will automatically add the right header to the
23765 internal Gnus list of required headers.
23767 To show the spam score in your summary buffer, add this line to your
23768 @code{gnus.el} file (note @code{spam.el} does not do that by default
23769 so it won't override any existing @code{S} formats you may have).
23772 (defalias 'gnus-user-format-function-S 'spam-user-format-function-S)
23775 Now just set your summary line format to use @code{%uS}. Here's an
23776 example that formats the spam score in a 5-character field:
23779 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
23780 "%U%R %10&user-date; $%5uS %6k %B %(%4L: %*%-25,25a%) %s \n")
23783 Finally, to sort by spam status, either do it globally:
23787 gnus-show-threads nil
23788 gnus-article-sort-functions
23789 '(spam-article-sort-by-spam-status))
23792 or per group (@pxref{Sorting the Summary Buffer}).
23794 @node Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples
23795 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples
23796 @cindex spam filtering
23797 @cindex spam filtering configuration examples
23798 @cindex spam configuration examples
23801 @subsubheading Ted's setup
23803 From Ted Zlatanov <tzz@@lifelogs.com>.
23805 ;; @r{for @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent} and spam autodetection}
23806 ;; @r{see @file{gnus-registry.el} for more information}
23807 (gnus-registry-initialize)
23810 ;; @r{I like @kbd{C-s} for marking spam}
23811 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map "\C-s" 'gnus-summary-mark-as-spam)
23814 spam-log-to-registry t ; @r{for spam autodetection}
23816 spam-use-regex-headers t ; @r{catch X-Spam-Flag (SpamAssassin)}
23817 ;; @r{all groups with @samp{spam} in the name contain spam}
23818 gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
23819 '(("spam" gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23820 ;; @r{see documentation for these}
23821 spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
23822 spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
23823 spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
23824 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
23825 ;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
23826 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
23827 ;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
23828 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
23829 ;; @r{this will catch server-side SpamAssassin tags}
23830 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
23831 (any "ding" "ding")
23832 ;; @r{note that spam by default will go to @samp{spam}}
23834 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23837 ;; @r{my parameters, set with @kbd{G p}}
23839 ;; @r{all nnml groups, and all nnimap groups except}
23840 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} and}
23841 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam}: any spam goes to nnimap training,}
23842 ;; @r{because it must have been detected manually}
23844 ((spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
23846 ;; @r{all @acronym{NNTP} groups}
23847 ;; @r{autodetect spam with the blacklist and ham with the BBDB}
23848 ((spam-autodetect-methods spam-use-blacklist spam-use-BBDB)
23849 ;; @r{send all spam to the training group}
23850 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
23852 ;; @r{only some @acronym{NNTP} groups, where I want to autodetect spam}
23853 ((spam-autodetect . t))
23855 ;; @r{my nnimap @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam} group}
23857 ;; @r{this is a spam group}
23858 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam)
23860 ;; @r{any spam (which happens when I enter for all unseen messages,}
23861 ;; @r{because of the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} setting above), goes to}
23862 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} unless I mark it as ham}
23864 (spam-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train")
23866 ;; @r{any ham goes to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail} folder, but}
23867 ;; @r{also to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham} folder for training}
23869 (ham-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail"
23870 "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham")
23871 ;; @r{in this group, only @samp{!} marks are ham}
23873 (gnus-ticked-mark))
23874 ;; @r{remembers senders in the blacklist on the way out---this is}
23875 ;; @r{definitely not needed, it just makes me feel better}
23876 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist)))
23878 ;; @r{Later, on the @acronym{IMAP} server I use the @samp{train} group for training}
23879 ;; @r{SpamAssassin to recognize spam, and the @samp{trainham} group fora}
23880 ;; @r{recognizing ham---but Gnus has nothing to do with it.}
23884 @subsubheading Using @code{spam.el} on an IMAP server with a statistical filter on the server
23885 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
23887 My provider has set up bogofilter (in combination with @acronym{DCC}) on
23888 the mail server (@acronym{IMAP}). Recognized spam goes to
23889 @samp{spam.detected}, the rest goes through the normal filter rules,
23890 i.e. to @samp{some.folder} or to @samp{INBOX}. Training on false
23891 positives or negatives is done by copying or moving the article to
23892 @samp{training.ham} or @samp{training.spam} respectively. A cron job on
23893 the server feeds those to bogofilter with the suitable ham or spam
23894 options and deletes them from the @samp{training.ham} and
23895 @samp{training.spam} folders.
23897 With the following entries in @code{gnus-parameters}, @code{spam.el}
23898 does most of the job for me:
23901 ("nnimap:spam\\.detected"
23902 (gnus-article-sort-functions '(gnus-article-sort-by-chars))
23903 (ham-process-destination "nnimap:INBOX" "nnimap:training.ham")
23904 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23905 ("nnimap:\\(INBOX\\|other-folders\\)"
23906 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap:training.spam")
23907 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham))
23912 @item @b{The Spam folder:}
23914 In the folder @samp{spam.detected}, I have to check for false positives
23915 (i.e. legitimate mails, that were wrongly judged as spam by
23916 bogofilter or DCC).
23918 Because of the @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam} entry, all
23919 messages are marked as spam (with @code{$}). When I find a false
23920 positive, I mark the message with some other ham mark (@code{ham-marks},
23921 @ref{Spam ELisp Package Global Variables}). On group exit, those
23922 messages are copied to both groups, @samp{INBOX} (where I want to have
23923 the article) and @samp{training.ham} (for training bogofilter) and
23924 deleted from the @samp{spam.detected} folder.
23926 The @code{gnus-article-sort-by-chars} entry simplifies detection of
23927 false positives for me. I receive lots of worms (sweN, @dots{}), that all
23928 have a similar size. Grouping them by size (i.e. chars) makes finding
23929 other false positives easier. (Of course worms aren't @i{spam}
23930 (@acronym{UCE}, @acronym{UBE}) strictly speaking. Anyhow, bogofilter is
23931 an excellent tool for filtering those unwanted mails for me.)
23933 @item @b{Ham folders:}
23935 In my ham folders, I just hit @kbd{S x}
23936 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) whenever I see an unrecognized spam
23937 mail (false negative). On group exit, those messages are moved to
23938 @samp{training.spam}.
23941 @subsubheading Reporting spam articles in Gmane groups with @code{spam-report.el}
23943 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
23945 With following entry in @code{gnus-parameters}, @kbd{S x}
23946 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) marks articles in @code{gmane.*}
23947 groups as spam and reports the to Gmane at group exit:
23951 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane)))
23954 Additionally, I use @code{(setq spam-report-gmane-use-article-number nil)}
23955 because I don't read the groups directly from news.gmane.org, but
23956 through my local news server (leafnode). I.e. the article numbers are
23957 not the same as on news.gmane.org, thus @code{spam-report.el} has to check
23958 the @code{X-Report-Spam} header to find the correct number.
23960 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
23961 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
23962 @cindex spam filtering
23963 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
23964 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
23967 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
23969 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
23970 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
23971 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
23972 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
23977 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
23979 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
23980 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
23981 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
23982 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
23983 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23987 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
23989 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
23990 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
23991 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
23995 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
23997 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23998 customizing the group parameters or the
23999 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24000 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24001 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
24005 Instead of the obsolete
24006 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist}, it is recommended
24007 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-blacklist)}. Everything will work
24008 the same way, we promise.
24012 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
24014 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24015 customizing the group parameters or the
24016 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24017 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24018 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
24023 Instead of the obsolete
24024 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist}, it is recommended
24025 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-whitelist)}. Everything will work
24026 the same way, we promise.
24030 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
24031 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
24032 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
24033 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
24034 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
24036 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
24037 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
24038 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
24039 Emacs regular expression syntax.
24041 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
24042 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
24043 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
24044 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
24045 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
24046 @file{blacklist} respectively.
24048 @node BBDB Whitelists
24049 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
24050 @cindex spam filtering
24051 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
24052 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
24055 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
24057 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
24058 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
24059 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
24060 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
24061 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
24062 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
24063 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24067 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
24069 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
24070 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
24071 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
24072 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
24073 classified as spammers.
24075 While @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} @emph{can} be used as an alias
24076 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} as far as @code{spam.el} is concerned, it is
24077 @emph{not} a separate back end. If you set
24078 @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} to t, @emph{all} your BBDB splitting
24083 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
24085 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24086 customizing the group parameters or the
24087 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24088 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24089 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
24094 Instead of the obsolete
24095 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB}, it is recommended
24096 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-BBDB)}. Everything will work
24097 the same way, we promise.
24101 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
24102 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
24103 @cindex spam reporting
24104 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
24105 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
24108 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
24110 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24111 customizing the group parameters or the
24112 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24113 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
24114 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
24117 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
24121 Instead of the obsolete
24122 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane}, it is recommended
24123 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-gmane)}. Everything will work the
24124 same way, we promise.
24128 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
24130 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
24131 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
24132 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
24133 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
24134 @code{spam-report.el} will fetch the number from the article headers.
24138 @defvar spam-report-user-mail-address
24140 Mail address exposed in the User-Agent spam reports to Gmane. It allows
24141 the Gmane administrators to contact you in case of misreports. The
24142 default is @code{user-mail-address}.
24146 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
24147 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
24148 @cindex spam filtering
24149 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
24152 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
24154 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
24155 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
24156 instead of the sender address. Messages without a hashcash payment
24157 token will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an explicit
24158 filter, meaning that unless a hashcash token is found, the messages
24159 are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24164 @subsubsection Blackholes
24165 @cindex spam filtering
24166 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
24169 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
24171 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
24172 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
24173 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
24174 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
24175 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
24176 contains outdated servers.
24178 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
24179 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
24180 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
24181 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
24182 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
24183 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
24187 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
24189 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
24193 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
24195 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
24196 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
24200 @defvar spam-use-dig
24202 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
24203 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
24207 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
24208 ham processor for blackholes.
24210 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
24211 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
24212 @cindex spam filtering
24213 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
24216 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
24218 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
24219 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
24220 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
24221 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
24222 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
24223 message is spam or ham, respectively.
24227 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
24229 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
24230 the message, positively identify it as spam.
24234 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
24236 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
24237 the message, positively identify it as ham.
24241 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
24242 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
24245 @subsubsection Bogofilter
24246 @cindex spam filtering
24247 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
24250 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
24252 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
24255 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
24256 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
24257 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
24258 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
24259 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
24260 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
24262 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
24263 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
24266 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
24267 processing will be turned off.
24269 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
24273 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
24275 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
24276 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
24277 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
24278 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
24279 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
24280 installation documents for details.
24282 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
24286 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
24287 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24288 customizing the group parameters or the
24289 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24290 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
24291 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
24295 Instead of the obsolete
24296 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
24297 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
24298 the same way, we promise.
24301 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
24302 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24303 customizing the group parameters or the
24304 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24305 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
24306 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
24307 of non-spam messages.
24311 Instead of the obsolete
24312 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
24313 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
24314 the same way, we promise.
24317 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
24319 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
24320 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
24321 database directory.
24325 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
24326 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
24327 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
24328 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
24329 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
24330 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
24332 @node SpamAssassin back end
24333 @subsubsection SpamAssassin back end
24334 @cindex spam filtering
24335 @cindex spamassassin, spam filtering
24338 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin
24340 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use SpamAssassin.
24342 SpamAssassin assigns a score to each article based on a set of rules
24343 and tests, including a Bayesian filter. The Bayesian filter can be
24344 trained by associating the @samp{$} mark for spam articles. The
24345 spam score can be viewed by using the command @kbd{S t} in summary
24348 If you set this variable, each article will be processed by
24349 SpamAssassin when @code{spam-split} is called. If your mail is
24350 preprocessed by SpamAssassin, and you want to just use the
24351 SpamAssassin headers, set @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}
24354 You should not enable this is you use
24355 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}.
24359 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin-headers
24361 Set this variable if your mail is preprocessed by SpamAssassin and
24362 want @code{spam-split} to split based on the SpamAssassin headers.
24364 You should not enable this is you use @code{spam-use-spamassassin}.
24368 @defvar spam-spamassassin-path
24370 This variable points to the SpamAssassin executable. If you have
24371 @code{spamd} running, you can set this variable to the @code{spamc}
24372 executable for faster processing. See the SpamAssassin documentation
24373 for more information on @code{spamd}/@code{spamc}.
24377 SpamAssassin is a powerful and flexible spam filter that uses a wide
24378 variety of tests to identify spam. A ham and a spam processors are
24379 provided, plus the @code{spam-use-spamassassin} and
24380 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers} variables to indicate to
24381 spam-split that SpamAssassin should be either used, or has already
24382 been used on the article. The 2.63 version of SpamAssassin was used
24383 to test this functionality.
24385 @node ifile spam filtering
24386 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
24387 @cindex spam filtering
24388 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
24391 @defvar spam-use-ifile
24393 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
24394 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
24398 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
24400 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
24401 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
24402 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
24406 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
24408 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
24409 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
24410 the default value of @samp{spam}.
24413 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
24415 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
24416 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
24420 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
24421 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
24422 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
24423 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
24426 @node spam-stat spam filtering
24427 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
24428 @cindex spam filtering
24429 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
24433 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat}.
24435 @defvar spam-use-stat
24437 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
24438 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
24442 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
24443 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24444 customizing the group parameters or the
24445 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24446 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
24447 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
24451 Instead of the obsolete
24452 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
24453 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
24454 the same way, we promise.
24457 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
24458 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24459 customizing the group parameters or the
24460 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24461 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
24462 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
24463 of non-spam messages.
24467 Instead of the obsolete
24468 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
24469 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
24470 the same way, we promise.
24473 This enables @code{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
24474 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
24475 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
24476 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
24477 @code{spam-split} are provided.
24480 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
24481 @cindex spam filtering
24485 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
24486 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
24487 installed separately.
24489 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
24490 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
24491 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
24492 mail as a spam mail or not.
24494 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
24495 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
24496 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
24498 The easiest method is to make @code{spam.el} (@pxref{Filtering Spam
24499 Using The Spam ELisp Package}) call SpamOracle.
24501 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
24502 To enable SpamOracle usage by @code{spam.el}, set the variable
24503 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
24504 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy} as described in
24505 the section @xref{Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package}. In
24506 this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is filtered using
24507 SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be moved to
24508 @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham messages stay
24512 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
24513 spam-split-group "Junk"
24514 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
24515 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
24516 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
24519 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
24520 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
24524 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
24525 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
24526 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
24530 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
24531 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
24532 store its analyses. This is controlled by the variable
24533 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
24534 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
24535 database to live somewhere special, set
24536 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
24539 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
24540 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
24541 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns the
24542 characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
24543 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
24544 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary buffer
24545 and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using @code{spam.el}'s
24546 spam- and ham-processors, which is much more convenient. For a
24547 detailed description of spam- and ham-processors, @xref{Filtering Spam
24548 Using The Spam ELisp Package}.
24550 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
24551 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24552 customizing the group parameter or the
24553 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
24554 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
24555 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
24559 Instead of the obsolete
24560 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
24561 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
24562 the same way, we promise.
24565 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
24566 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24567 customizing the group parameter or the
24568 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
24569 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
24570 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
24575 Instead of the obsolete
24576 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
24577 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
24578 the same way, we promise.
24581 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of a group that has been
24582 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
24585 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
24586 (spam-process ((ham spam-use-spamoracle)
24587 (spam spam-use-spamoracle))))
24589 For this group the @code{spam-use-spamoracle} is installed for both
24590 ham and spam processing. If the group contains spam message
24591 (e.g. because SpamOracle has not had enough sample messages yet) and
24592 the user marks some messages as spam messages, these messages will be
24593 processed by SpamOracle. The processor sends the messages to
24594 SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
24596 @node Extending the Spam ELisp package
24597 @subsubsection Extending the Spam ELisp package
24598 @cindex spam filtering
24599 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
24600 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
24602 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
24603 incoming mail, provide the following:
24611 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
24612 "True if blackbox should be used.")
24615 Write @code{spam-check-blackbox} if Blackbox can check incoming mail.
24617 Write @code{spam-blackbox-register-routine} and
24618 @code{spam-blackbox-unregister-routine} using the bogofilter
24619 register/unregister routines as a start, or other restister/unregister
24620 routines more appropriate to Blackbox, if Blackbox can
24621 register/unregister spam and ham.
24626 The @code{spam-check-blackbox} function should return @samp{nil} or
24627 @code{spam-split-group}, observing the other conventions. See the
24628 existing @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can
24629 do, and stick to the template unless you fully understand the reasons
24634 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
24641 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
24642 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
24644 Also, ham and spam processors are being phased out as single
24645 variables. Instead the form @code{(spam spam-use-blackbox)} or
24646 @code{(ham spam-use-blackbox)} is favored. For now, spam/ham
24647 processor variables are still around but they won't be for long.
24650 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-spam"
24651 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
24652 Only applicable to spam groups.")
24654 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-ham"
24655 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
24656 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
24665 (const :tag "Spam: Blackbox" (spam spam-use-blackbox))
24666 (const :tag "Ham: Blackbox" (ham spam-use-blackbox))
24668 to the @code{spam-process} group parameter in @code{gnus.el}. Make
24669 sure you do it twice, once for the parameter and once for the
24670 variable customization.
24674 (variable-item spam-use-blackbox)
24676 to the @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameter in
24677 @code{gnus.el} if Blackbox can check incoming mail for spam contents.
24679 Finally, use the appropriate @code{spam-install-*-backend} function in
24680 @code{spam.el}. Here are the available functions.
24686 @code{spam-install-backend-alias}
24688 This function will simply install an alias for a back end that does
24689 everything like the original back end. It is currently only used to
24690 make @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} act like @code{spam-use-BBDB}.
24693 @code{spam-install-nocheck-backend}
24695 This function installs a back end that has no check function, but can
24696 register/unregister ham or spam. The @code{spam-use-gmane} back end is
24700 @code{spam-install-checkonly-backend}
24702 This function will install a back end that can only check incoming mail
24703 for spam contents. It can't register or unregister messages.
24704 @code{spam-use-blackholes} and @code{spam-use-hashcash} are such
24708 @code{spam-install-statistical-checkonly-backend}
24710 This function installs a statistical back end (one which requires the
24711 full body of a message to check it) that can only check incoming mail
24712 for contents. @code{spam-use-regex-body} is such a filter.
24715 @code{spam-install-statistical-backend}
24717 This function install a statistical back end with incoming checks and
24718 registration/unregistration routines. @code{spam-use-bogofilter} is
24722 @code{spam-install-backend}
24724 This is the most normal back end installation, where a back end that can
24725 check and register/unregister messages is set up without statistical
24726 abilities. The @code{spam-use-BBDB} is such a back end.
24729 @code{spam-install-mover-backend}
24731 Mover back ends are internal to @code{spam.el} and specifically move
24732 articles around when the summary is exited. You will very probably
24733 never install such a back end.
24739 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
24740 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
24741 @cindex Paul Graham
24742 @cindex Graham, Paul
24743 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
24744 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
24745 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
24747 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
24748 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
24749 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
24750 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
24751 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
24752 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
24753 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
24754 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
24755 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
24758 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
24759 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
24760 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
24761 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
24762 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
24763 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
24764 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
24765 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
24767 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
24768 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
24769 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
24770 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
24771 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
24774 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
24775 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
24776 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
24779 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
24780 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
24782 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
24783 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
24784 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
24785 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
24786 need several hundred emails in both collections.
24788 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
24789 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
24790 per mail. Use the following:
24792 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
24793 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
24794 is treated as one spam mail.
24797 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
24798 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
24799 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
24802 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
24803 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
24804 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
24805 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
24806 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
24807 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
24809 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
24810 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
24811 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
24812 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
24813 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
24816 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
24817 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
24818 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
24819 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
24822 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
24823 reset the dictionary.
24825 @defun spam-stat-reset
24826 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
24829 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
24830 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
24831 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
24832 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
24833 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
24834 only non-spam mails.
24836 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
24837 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
24838 to update the dictionary incrementally.
24841 @defun spam-stat-save
24842 Save the dictionary.
24845 @defvar spam-stat-file
24846 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
24847 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
24850 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
24851 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
24853 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
24854 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
24857 (require 'spam-stat)
24861 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
24864 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
24865 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
24866 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
24867 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
24869 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
24870 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
24871 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
24872 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
24875 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24876 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24880 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
24881 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
24884 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
24885 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
24886 expression are considered potential spam.
24889 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24890 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24891 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24895 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
24896 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
24897 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
24898 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
24899 mails, when creating the dictionary!
24902 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24903 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24904 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24908 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
24909 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
24910 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
24911 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
24912 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
24916 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24917 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
24918 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24919 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24924 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
24925 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
24927 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
24929 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
24930 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
24931 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
24934 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
24935 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
24936 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
24939 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
24940 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
24941 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
24942 already been processed as non-spam.
24945 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
24946 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
24947 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
24948 been processed as spam.
24951 @defun spam-stat-save
24952 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
24953 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
24956 @defun spam-stat-load
24957 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
24958 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
24961 @defun spam-stat-score-word
24962 Return the spam score for a word.
24965 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
24966 Return the spam score for a buffer.
24969 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
24970 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
24971 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
24974 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
24975 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
24978 (require 'spam-stat)
24982 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
24985 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
24986 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24987 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24988 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24989 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
24990 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
24991 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24992 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24993 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
24994 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24995 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
24996 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
24997 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24998 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25001 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
25004 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
25005 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25006 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25007 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
25008 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
25009 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25013 @section Interaction with other modes
25018 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} provided some useful functions for dired
25019 buffers. It is enabled with
25021 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
25026 @findex gnus-dired-attach
25027 Send dired's marked files as an attachment (@code{gnus-dired-attach}).
25028 You will be prompted for a message buffer.
25031 @findex gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap
25032 Visit a file according to the appropriate mailcap entry
25033 (@code{gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap}). With prefix, open file in a new
25037 @findex gnus-dired-print
25038 Print file according to the mailcap entry (@code{gnus-dired-print}). If
25039 there is no print command, print in a PostScript image.
25042 @node Various Various
25043 @section Various Various
25049 @item gnus-home-directory
25050 @vindex gnus-home-directory
25051 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
25052 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
25054 @item gnus-directory
25055 @vindex gnus-directory
25056 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
25057 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
25058 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
25060 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
25061 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
25062 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
25063 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
25065 @item gnus-default-directory
25066 @vindex gnus-default-directory
25067 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
25068 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
25069 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
25070 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
25071 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
25072 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
25075 @vindex gnus-verbose
25076 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
25077 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
25078 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
25079 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
25080 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
25082 @item gnus-verbose-backends
25083 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
25084 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
25085 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
25087 @item nnheader-max-head-length
25088 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
25089 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
25090 as little as possible. This variable (default 8192) specifies
25091 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
25092 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
25093 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
25094 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
25095 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
25096 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
25098 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
25099 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
25100 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
25101 read when doing the operation described above.
25103 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
25104 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
25106 @cindex invalid characters in file names
25107 @cindex characters in file names
25108 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
25109 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
25110 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
25114 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
25119 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
25120 Windows (phooey) systems.
25122 @item gnus-hidden-properties
25123 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
25124 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
25125 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
25126 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
25128 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
25129 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
25130 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
25131 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
25132 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
25134 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
25135 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
25136 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
25138 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
25139 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
25141 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
25142 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
25143 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
25144 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
25147 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
25155 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
25156 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
25158 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
25160 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
25166 Not because of victories @*
25169 but for the common sunshine,@*
25171 the largess of the spring.
25175 but for the day's work done@*
25176 as well as I was able;@*
25177 not for a seat upon the dais@*
25178 but at the common table.@*
25183 @chapter Appendices
25186 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
25187 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
25188 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
25189 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
25190 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
25191 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
25192 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
25193 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
25194 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
25201 @cindex installing under XEmacs
25203 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
25204 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
25205 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{mail-lib}, @samp{xemacs-base},
25206 @samp{eterm}, @samp{sh-script}, @samp{net-utils}, @samp{os-utils},
25207 @samp{dired}, @samp{mh-e}, @samp{sieve}, @samp{ps-print}, @samp{W3},
25208 @samp{pgg}, @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{ecrypto}, and @samp{sasl}.
25215 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
25216 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
25218 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
25219 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
25220 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
25221 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
25222 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
25224 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
25225 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
25226 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
25227 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
25228 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
25229 appropriate name, don't you think?)
25231 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
25232 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
25233 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
25234 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
25237 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
25238 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
25239 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
25240 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
25241 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
25242 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
25243 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
25244 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
25245 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
25249 @node Gnus Versions
25250 @subsection Gnus Versions
25252 @cindex September Gnus
25254 @cindex Quassia Gnus
25255 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
25258 @cindex Gnus versions
25260 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
25261 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
25262 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
25264 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
25265 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
25267 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
25268 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
25270 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
25271 It was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
25273 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
25274 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
25277 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun and was released as
25278 Gnus 5.10 on May 1st 2003 (24 releases).
25280 On the January 4th 2004, No Gnus was begun.
25282 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
25283 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
25284 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'', ``No Gnus'' -- don't panic.
25285 Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever
25286 you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach.
25287 Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
25290 @node Other Gnus Versions
25291 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
25294 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
25295 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
25296 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
25297 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
25299 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
25300 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
25301 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
25302 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
25309 What's the point of Gnus?
25311 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
25312 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
25313 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
25314 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
25315 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
25316 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
25317 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
25318 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
25319 keep track of millions of people who post?
25321 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
25322 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
25323 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
25324 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
25325 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
25326 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
25327 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
25328 every one of you to explore and invent.
25330 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
25331 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
25334 @node Compatibility
25335 @subsection Compatibility
25337 @cindex compatibility
25338 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
25339 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
25340 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
25345 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
25349 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
25352 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
25355 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
25356 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
25357 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
25358 important variables have their values copied into their global
25359 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
25360 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
25362 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
25363 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
25364 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
25365 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
25366 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
25370 @cindex highlighting
25371 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
25372 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
25373 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
25374 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
25375 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
25376 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
25379 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
25380 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
25381 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
25382 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
25384 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
25385 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
25386 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
25387 to stop doing it the old way.
25389 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
25391 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
25393 @cindex reporting bugs
25395 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
25396 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
25397 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
25399 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
25400 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
25401 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
25402 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
25407 @subsection Conformity
25409 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
25410 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
25418 There are no known breaches of this standard.
25422 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
25424 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
25425 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
25426 We do have some breaches to this one.
25432 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
25433 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
25434 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
25435 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
25436 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
25441 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
25442 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
25443 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
25444 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
25446 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
25447 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
25448 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
25450 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
25451 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
25453 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
25456 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
25457 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
25458 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
25459 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
25460 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
25463 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
25464 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
25465 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RFC 1991/2440 format.
25466 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
25468 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
25469 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
25471 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
25472 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
25473 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
25474 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
25475 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
25476 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
25477 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
25478 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
25482 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
25483 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
25488 @subsection Emacsen
25494 Gnus should work on:
25502 XEmacs 21.4 and up.
25506 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
25507 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
25508 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
25509 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
25510 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
25512 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
25513 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
25514 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
25518 @node Gnus Development
25519 @subsection Gnus Development
25521 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
25522 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
25523 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
25524 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
25525 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
25526 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
25527 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
25528 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
25530 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
25531 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
25532 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
25533 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
25534 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
25537 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
25538 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
25539 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
25540 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
25541 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
25543 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
25544 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
25545 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
25546 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
25547 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
25548 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
25549 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
25550 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
25551 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
25552 can't be assumed to do so.
25557 @subsection Contributors
25558 @cindex contributors
25560 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
25561 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
25562 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
25563 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
25564 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
25565 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
25566 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
25567 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
25568 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
25569 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
25571 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
25577 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
25580 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
25581 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
25582 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
25583 functionality and stuff.
25586 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
25587 well as numerous other things).
25590 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
25593 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
25596 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
25599 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
25602 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
25603 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
25606 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
25609 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section.
25612 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
25615 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
25618 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
25621 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
25624 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
25625 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
25628 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
25631 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
25634 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
25637 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
25641 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
25644 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
25647 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
25650 Fran@,{c}ois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
25651 well as autoconf support.
25655 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
25656 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
25658 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
25673 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
25675 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
25679 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
25689 Alexei V. Barantsev,
25704 Massimo Campostrini,
25709 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
25710 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
25714 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
25717 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
25723 Michael Welsh Duggan,
25728 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
25732 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
25740 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
25742 Michelangelo Grigni,
25746 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
25748 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
25750 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
25757 Fran@,{c}ois Felix Ingrand,
25758 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
25759 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
25761 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
25771 Peter Skov Knudsen,
25772 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
25774 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
25775 Thor Kristoffersen,
25778 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
25796 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
25797 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
25804 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
25809 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
25813 John McClary Prevost,
25819 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
25824 Christian von Roques,
25827 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
25834 Philippe Schnoebelen,
25836 Randal L. Schwartz,
25850 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
25855 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
25875 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
25876 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
25877 (550kB and counting).
25879 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
25882 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
25883 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
25887 @subsection New Features
25888 @cindex new features
25891 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
25892 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
25893 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
25894 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
25895 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
25896 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
25897 * No Gnus:: Very punny.
25900 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
25901 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
25902 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
25905 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
25907 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
25912 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
25913 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
25916 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
25917 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
25920 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
25923 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
25924 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
25925 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
25928 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
25929 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
25930 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
25931 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
25934 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
25935 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25938 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
25939 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
25940 (@pxref{The Active File}).
25943 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
25944 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
25947 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
25948 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
25949 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
25952 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
25953 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
25954 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
25957 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
25958 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
25961 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
25962 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
25965 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
25966 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
25969 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
25970 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25973 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
25974 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
25977 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
25978 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
25981 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
25984 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
25985 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
25988 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
25989 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
25992 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
25993 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
25996 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
25999 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
26000 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
26003 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
26007 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
26011 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
26012 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
26015 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
26021 @node September Gnus
26022 @subsubsection September Gnus
26026 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
26030 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
26035 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
26036 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
26040 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
26041 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
26045 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
26049 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
26050 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
26053 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
26057 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions.
26060 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
26063 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
26066 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
26070 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
26071 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
26074 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
26078 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
26082 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
26086 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
26090 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
26093 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
26094 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
26097 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
26101 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
26102 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
26105 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
26108 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
26109 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
26110 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
26113 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
26117 The Gnus cache is much faster.
26120 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
26124 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
26125 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
26128 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
26129 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
26132 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
26133 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
26136 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
26137 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
26138 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
26141 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
26142 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
26145 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
26148 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
26151 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
26154 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
26157 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
26158 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
26161 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
26165 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
26168 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
26173 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
26176 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
26180 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
26183 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
26187 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
26190 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
26193 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
26194 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
26197 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
26198 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
26202 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
26203 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
26206 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
26210 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
26211 buffer to allow easier treatment.
26214 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
26217 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
26221 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
26225 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
26226 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
26229 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
26233 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
26234 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
26237 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
26238 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
26241 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
26245 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
26248 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
26251 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
26257 @subsubsection Red Gnus
26259 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
26263 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
26270 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
26273 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
26274 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
26277 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
26278 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
26282 Article washing status can be displayed in the
26283 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
26286 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
26289 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
26290 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
26293 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
26297 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
26298 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
26302 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
26303 Server Internals}).
26306 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
26310 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
26313 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
26314 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
26317 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
26318 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
26319 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
26322 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
26323 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
26326 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
26327 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
26330 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
26334 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
26335 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
26338 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
26339 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
26342 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
26346 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
26349 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
26353 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
26354 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
26357 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
26358 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
26361 A new command for reading collections of documents
26362 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
26363 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
26366 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
26370 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
26371 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
26374 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
26375 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
26376 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
26379 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
26380 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
26384 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
26388 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
26392 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
26397 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
26401 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
26405 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
26406 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
26409 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
26415 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
26417 New features in Gnus 5.6:
26422 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
26423 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
26424 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
26427 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
26428 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
26429 group, which is created automatically.
26432 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
26436 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
26439 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
26440 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
26443 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
26447 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
26450 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
26451 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
26454 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
26457 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
26461 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
26462 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
26465 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
26466 control over simplification.
26469 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
26472 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
26476 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
26479 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
26482 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
26483 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
26484 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
26487 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
26488 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
26491 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
26495 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
26496 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
26499 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
26500 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
26503 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
26507 A history of where mails have been split is available.
26510 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
26513 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
26514 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
26517 A new function for citing in Message has been
26518 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
26521 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
26524 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
26528 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
26529 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
26532 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
26533 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
26536 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
26539 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
26543 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
26544 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
26546 New features in Gnus 5.8:
26551 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
26552 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
26554 If you used procmail like in
26557 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
26558 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
26559 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
26560 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
26563 this now has changed to
26567 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
26571 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
26574 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
26575 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
26578 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
26579 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
26582 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
26583 called to position point.
26586 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
26587 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
26590 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
26591 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
26594 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
26595 subtly different manner.
26598 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
26599 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
26600 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
26603 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
26608 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
26611 New features in Gnus 5.10:
26616 @kbd{F} (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}) and @kbd{R}
26617 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}) only yank the text in the
26618 region if the region is active.
26621 @code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group} can be called interactively,
26625 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
26626 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
26629 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
26630 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
26633 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
26635 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
26636 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
26637 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
26638 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
26639 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
26640 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
26641 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
26642 isn't save in general.
26647 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
26648 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
26649 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
26650 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
26655 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} (see @ref{Other modes}) installs key
26656 bindings in dired buffers to send a file as an attachment, open a file
26657 using the appropriate mailcap entry, and print a file using the mailcap
26661 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
26664 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
26669 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
26670 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
26672 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
26673 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
26677 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
26678 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
26681 Retrieval of charters and control messages
26683 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
26684 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
26689 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
26690 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
26691 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
26694 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
26695 decompressed when activated.
26698 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
26699 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
26702 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
26705 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
26706 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
26709 Warn about email replies to news
26711 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
26712 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
26716 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
26717 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
26721 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
26722 opposed to old but unread messages).
26725 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
26726 Gcc articles as read.
26729 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
26732 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
26733 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
26736 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
26737 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
26740 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
26741 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
26744 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
26745 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
26748 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
26750 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
26751 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
26752 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
26753 @file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
26756 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
26758 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
26759 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
26760 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, iff you want
26761 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
26762 the second parameter.
26764 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
26765 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
26766 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
26767 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
26768 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
26769 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
26770 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
26771 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
26772 cycle used under Unix systems.
26774 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} superfluous, so it has
26778 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
26780 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
26781 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
26782 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
26783 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
26784 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
26788 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
26790 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
26791 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
26792 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
26793 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
26797 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
26799 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
26800 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
26801 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
26802 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
26804 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
26805 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
26806 message cited below.
26809 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
26812 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
26814 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
26815 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
26816 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
26817 variable in @file{~/.gnus.el} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
26818 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
26821 (setq gnus-parameters
26823 (gnus-show-threads nil)
26824 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
26825 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
26826 (to-group . "\\1"))))
26830 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now iconized for Emacs too.
26832 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.gnus.el} to
26836 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
26838 Earlier it was generated iff the user configurable email address was
26839 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
26840 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
26841 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
26842 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
26843 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
26844 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
26845 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
26846 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
26849 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
26851 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
26852 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
26853 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
26854 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
26855 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
26856 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
26859 References and X-Draft-From headers are no longer generated when you
26860 start composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
26864 Improved anti-spam features.
26866 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
26867 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
26868 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
26869 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
26870 are also new. @xref{Thwarting Email Spam}.
26873 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers.
26876 Face headers handling.
26879 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
26880 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
26883 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
26886 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
26888 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
26889 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
26890 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
26891 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
26892 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
26893 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
26894 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
26895 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
26896 when getting new mail, remove the function.
26899 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
26901 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
26902 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
26903 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
26904 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
26905 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
26906 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
26907 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
26908 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
26909 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
26910 was inserted directly.
26913 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
26915 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
26916 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
26922 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
26923 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
26924 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
26925 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
26926 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
26927 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
26928 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
26929 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
26930 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
26931 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
26932 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
26933 behavior of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
26934 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
26935 is not needed any more.
26938 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
26940 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
26941 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
26942 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
26943 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
26944 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
26948 @file{deuglify.el} (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article})
26950 A new file from Raymond Scholz @email{rscholz@@zonix.de} for deuglifying
26951 broken Outlook (Express) articles.
26953 @c FIXME: `gnus-load' is mentioned in README, which is not included in
26954 @c CVS. We should find a better place for this item.
26956 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
26958 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
26959 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
26960 lisp directory into load-path.
26962 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
26963 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
26966 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
26968 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
26971 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
26973 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
26974 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
26975 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
26976 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
26979 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
26981 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
26983 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
26984 'bbdb-complete-name)
26988 Externalizing and deleting of attachments.
26990 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
26991 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
26992 local files as external parts.
26994 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
26995 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
26996 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
26997 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
26998 that support editing.
27001 @code{gnus-default-charset}
27003 The default value is determined from the
27004 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
27005 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
27006 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
27009 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
27011 Add a new format of match like
27013 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
27014 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
27016 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
27018 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
27019 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
27023 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
27025 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
27026 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
27027 need add those two headers too.
27030 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
27032 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
27033 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
27034 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
27037 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
27038 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
27039 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
27043 The option @code{mm-fill-flowed} can be used to disable treatment of
27044 ``format=flowed'' messages. Also, flowed text is disabled when sending
27045 inline PGP signed messages. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
27048 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
27050 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
27053 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
27055 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
27058 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
27060 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
27061 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
27062 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
27065 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
27067 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
27071 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
27073 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
27074 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
27075 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
27076 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
27077 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
27078 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
27079 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
27080 The behavior can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
27083 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
27085 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
27086 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
27087 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
27088 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
27089 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
27092 Extended format specs.
27094 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
27095 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
27096 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
27097 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
27098 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
27099 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
27102 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
27104 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
27105 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
27106 out other articles.
27109 Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
27111 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
27112 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
27113 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
27114 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
27117 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
27119 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
27120 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
27121 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
27124 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
27126 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
27127 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
27128 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
27129 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
27130 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
27131 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
27132 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
27133 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
27134 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
27135 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
27136 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
27139 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
27140 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
27143 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
27144 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
27145 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
27146 message, Message Manual}).
27149 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
27150 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
27152 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
27153 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
27154 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
27156 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
27160 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
27161 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
27163 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
27164 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
27165 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
27166 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
27169 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
27172 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
27175 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
27176 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
27179 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to symbol @code{best}.
27181 The behavior for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
27182 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
27183 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
27184 invalidate the digital signature.
27188 @subsubsection No Gnus
27191 New features in No Gnus:
27192 @c FIXME: Gnus 5.12?
27194 @include gnus-news.texi
27200 @section The Manual
27204 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
27205 either @code{texi2dvi}
27207 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
27208 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
27210 to get what you hold in your hands now.
27212 The following conventions have been used:
27217 This is a @samp{string}
27220 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
27223 This is a @file{file}
27226 This is a @code{symbol}
27230 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
27234 (setq flargnoze "yes")
27237 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
27240 (setq flumphel 'yes)
27243 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
27244 ever get them confused.
27248 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
27249 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
27250 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
27251 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
27252 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
27253 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
27254 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
27260 @node On Writing Manuals
27261 @section On Writing Manuals
27263 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
27264 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
27265 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
27266 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
27267 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
27268 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
27271 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
27272 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
27273 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
27276 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
27277 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
27282 @section Terminology
27284 @cindex terminology
27289 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
27290 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
27291 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
27292 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
27293 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
27297 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
27298 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
27299 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
27300 not posting, and replying is not following up.
27304 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
27308 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
27313 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
27314 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
27315 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
27316 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
27317 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
27318 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
27319 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
27320 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
27321 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
27324 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
27325 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
27326 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
27327 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
27328 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
27329 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
27331 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
27332 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
27333 access the articles.
27335 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
27336 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
27337 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
27342 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
27343 default, way of getting news.
27347 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
27348 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
27353 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
27354 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
27358 A message that has been posted as news.
27361 @cindex mail message
27362 A message that has been mailed.
27366 A mail message or news article
27370 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
27375 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
27380 A line from the head of an article.
27384 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
27385 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
27387 @item @acronym{NOV}
27388 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
27389 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
27390 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
27391 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
27392 normal @sc{head} format.
27396 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
27397 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
27398 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
27399 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
27400 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
27401 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
27403 @item killed groups
27404 @cindex killed groups
27405 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
27406 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
27408 @item zombie groups
27409 @cindex zombie groups
27410 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
27413 @cindex active file
27414 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
27415 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
27416 is rather large, as you might surmise.
27419 @cindex bogus groups
27420 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
27421 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
27422 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
27425 @cindex activating groups
27426 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
27427 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
27428 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
27432 News servers store their articles locally in one fashion or other.
27433 One old-fashioned storage method is to have just one file per
27434 article. That's called a ``traditional spool''.
27438 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
27440 @item select method
27441 @cindex select method
27442 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
27445 @item virtual server
27446 @cindex virtual server
27447 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
27448 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
27449 whole is a virtual server.
27453 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
27454 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
27457 @item ephemeral groups
27458 @cindex ephemeral groups
27459 @cindex temporary groups
27460 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
27461 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
27462 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
27465 @cindex solid groups
27466 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
27467 group buffer are solid groups.
27469 @item sparse articles
27470 @cindex sparse articles
27471 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
27472 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
27476 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
27477 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
27481 @cindex thread root
27482 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
27483 articles in the thread.
27487 An article that has responses.
27491 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
27495 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
27496 specified by RFC 1153.
27499 @cindex splitting, terminolgy
27500 @cindex mail sorting
27501 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
27502 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
27503 incorrectly called mail filtering.
27509 @node Customization
27510 @section Customization
27511 @cindex general customization
27513 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
27514 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
27515 for some quite common situations.
27518 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
27519 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
27520 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
27521 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
27525 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
27526 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
27528 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
27529 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
27530 Gnus has to get from the @acronym{NNTP} server.
27534 @item gnus-read-active-file
27535 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
27536 entire active file from the server. This file is often very large. You
27537 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
27538 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
27539 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
27541 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
27542 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
27543 the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast. Not all @acronym{NNTP} servers
27544 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
27548 @node Slow Terminal Connection
27549 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
27551 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
27552 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
27553 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
27557 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
27558 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
27559 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
27560 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
27561 horizontal and vertical recentering.
27563 @item gnus-visible-headers
27564 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
27565 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
27566 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
27567 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
27569 Use the following to enable all the available hiding features:
27571 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
27572 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
27573 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
27576 @item gnus-use-full-window
27577 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
27578 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
27579 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
27580 want to read them anyway.
27582 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
27583 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
27587 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
27588 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
27589 lines, which might save some time.
27593 @node Little Disk Space
27594 @subsection Little Disk Space
27597 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
27598 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
27602 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
27603 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
27604 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
27605 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
27608 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
27609 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
27610 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
27611 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
27614 @item gnus-save-killed-list
27615 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
27616 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
27617 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
27618 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
27624 @subsection Slow Machine
27625 @cindex slow machine
27627 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
27628 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
27630 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
27631 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
27633 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
27634 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
27635 summary buffer faster.
27639 @node Troubleshooting
27640 @section Troubleshooting
27641 @cindex troubleshooting
27643 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
27651 Make sure your computer is switched on.
27654 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
27655 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
27659 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
27660 like @samp{T-gnus 6.17.* (based on Gnus v5.10.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
27661 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. Otherwise you have some old
27662 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
27665 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
27666 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
27669 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
27670 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
27671 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
27672 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
27673 something like that.
27676 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
27679 @cindex reporting bugs
27681 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
27683 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
27684 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
27685 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
27686 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
27688 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
27689 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
27690 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
27691 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
27694 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
27695 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
27696 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
27697 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
27698 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
27699 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
27701 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
27702 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
27703 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
27707 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
27708 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
27711 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
27712 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
27713 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
27714 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
27715 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
27716 you discover some weird behavior when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
27717 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
27718 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
27719 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
27720 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
27721 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
27722 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
27723 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
27724 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
27729 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
27730 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
27731 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
27732 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
27733 helps isolating the real problem areas).
27735 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
27736 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
27737 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
27738 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
27739 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
27740 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
27741 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
27742 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
27743 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
27744 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
27745 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
27746 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
27747 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
27750 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
27751 @cindex ding mailing list
27752 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
27753 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
27754 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
27755 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
27759 @node Gnus Reference Guide
27760 @section Gnus Reference Guide
27762 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
27763 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
27764 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
27765 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
27768 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
27769 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
27770 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
27771 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
27772 and general methods of operation.
27775 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
27776 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
27777 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
27778 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
27779 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
27780 * Group Info:: The group info format.
27781 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
27782 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
27783 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
27787 @node Gnus Utility Functions
27788 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
27789 @cindex Gnus utility functions
27790 @cindex utility functions
27792 @cindex internal variables
27794 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
27795 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
27796 Below is a list of the most common ones.
27800 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
27801 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
27802 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
27804 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
27805 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
27806 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
27808 @item gnus-group-real-name
27809 @findex gnus-group-real-name
27810 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
27813 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
27814 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
27815 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
27816 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
27818 @item gnus-get-info
27819 @findex gnus-get-info
27820 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
27822 @item gnus-group-unread
27823 @findex gnus-group-unread
27824 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
27828 @findex gnus-active
27829 The active entry for @var{group}.
27831 @item gnus-set-active
27832 @findex gnus-set-active
27833 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
27835 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
27836 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
27837 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
27840 @item gnus-continuum-version
27841 @findex gnus-continuum-version
27842 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
27843 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
27846 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
27847 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
27848 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
27850 @item gnus-news-group-p
27851 @findex gnus-news-group-p
27852 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
27854 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
27855 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
27856 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
27858 @item gnus-server-to-method
27859 @findex gnus-server-to-method
27860 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
27862 @item gnus-server-equal
27863 @findex gnus-server-equal
27864 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
27866 @item gnus-group-native-p
27867 @findex gnus-group-native-p
27868 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
27870 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
27871 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
27872 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
27874 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
27875 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
27876 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
27878 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
27879 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
27880 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
27881 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
27883 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
27884 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
27885 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
27887 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
27888 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
27889 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
27891 @item gnus-check-backend-function
27892 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
27893 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
27894 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
27897 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
27901 @item gnus-read-method
27902 @findex gnus-read-method
27903 Prompts the user for a select method.
27908 @node Back End Interface
27909 @subsection Back End Interface
27911 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
27912 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
27913 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
27914 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
27915 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
27916 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
27918 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
27919 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
27920 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
27921 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
27922 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
27923 been opened, the function should fail.
27925 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
27926 name. Take this example:
27930 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
27931 (nntp-port-number 4324))
27934 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
27935 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
27937 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
27938 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
27939 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
27941 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
27942 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
27943 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
27945 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
27946 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
27947 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
27948 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
27949 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
27950 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
27953 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
27954 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
27955 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
27956 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
27959 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
27960 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
27961 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
27962 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
27963 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
27964 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
27965 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
27966 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
27967 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
27968 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
27970 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
27971 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
27972 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
27973 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
27974 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
27975 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
27976 of numbers as long as possible.
27978 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
27979 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
27980 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
27982 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
27985 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
27988 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
27989 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
27990 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
27991 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
27992 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
27993 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
27997 @node Required Back End Functions
27998 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
28002 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
28004 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
28005 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
28006 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
28007 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
28009 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
28010 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
28011 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
28012 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
28014 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
28015 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
28016 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
28017 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
28018 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
28019 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
28020 number, do maximum fetches.
28022 Here's an example HEAD:
28025 221 1056 Article retrieved.
28026 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
28027 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
28028 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
28029 Subject: Re: Something very droll
28030 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
28031 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
28033 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
28034 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
28035 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
28039 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
28040 these in the data buffer.
28042 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
28046 head = error / valid-head
28047 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
28048 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
28049 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
28050 header = <text> eol
28054 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
28056 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
28057 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
28061 nov-buffer = *nov-line
28062 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
28063 field = <text except TAB>
28066 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
28070 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
28072 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
28073 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
28075 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
28076 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
28077 server. In fact, it should do so.
28079 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
28080 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
28083 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
28085 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
28086 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
28089 There should be no data returned.
28092 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
28094 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
28095 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
28096 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
28097 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
28099 There should be no data returned.
28102 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
28104 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
28105 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
28106 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
28107 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
28109 There should be no data returned.
28112 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
28114 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
28116 There should be no data returned.
28119 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
28121 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
28122 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
28123 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
28124 it would be nice if that were possible.
28126 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
28127 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
28128 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
28129 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
28130 into its article buffer.
28132 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
28133 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
28134 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
28135 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
28136 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
28137 on successful article retrieval.
28140 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
28142 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
28143 making @var{group} the current group.
28145 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
28148 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
28151 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
28154 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
28155 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
28156 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
28157 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
28158 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
28159 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
28160 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
28161 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
28162 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
28166 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
28167 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
28168 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
28172 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
28174 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
28175 a no-op on most back ends.
28177 There should be no data returned.
28180 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
28182 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
28185 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
28188 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
28189 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
28192 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
28193 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
28194 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
28195 and the highest as 0.
28198 active-file = *active-line
28199 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
28201 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
28204 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
28205 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
28206 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
28209 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
28211 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
28212 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
28213 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
28214 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
28215 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
28216 clear if the posting could not be completed.
28218 There should be no result data from this function.
28223 @node Optional Back End Functions
28224 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
28228 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
28230 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
28231 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
28232 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
28234 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
28235 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
28236 former is in the same format as the data from
28237 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
28238 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
28241 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
28245 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
28247 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
28248 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
28249 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
28250 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
28251 should return a non-@code{nil} value (exceptionally,
28252 @code{nntp-request-update-info} always returns @code{nil} not to waste
28253 the network resources).
28255 There should be no result data from this function.
28258 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
28260 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
28261 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
28262 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
28263 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
28264 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
28265 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
28266 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
28267 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
28269 There should be no result data from this function.
28272 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
28274 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
28275 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
28276 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
28277 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
28278 propagate the mark information to the server.
28280 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
28283 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
28286 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
28287 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
28288 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
28289 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
28290 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
28291 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
28292 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
28293 possible, not limit itself to these.
28295 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
28296 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
28297 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
28298 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
28300 An example action list:
28303 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
28304 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
28305 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
28308 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
28309 mark on (currently not used for anything).
28311 There should be no result data from this function.
28313 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
28315 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
28316 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
28317 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
28318 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
28319 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
28321 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
28322 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
28323 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
28326 There should be no result data from this function.
28329 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
28331 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
28332 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
28333 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
28334 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
28335 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
28336 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
28337 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
28338 local if that's practical.
28340 There should be no result data from this function.
28343 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
28345 The result data from this function should be a description of
28349 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
28351 description = <text>
28354 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
28356 The result data from this function should be the description of all
28357 groups available on the server.
28360 description-buffer = *description-line
28364 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
28366 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
28367 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
28368 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
28369 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
28370 in the active buffer format.
28372 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
28373 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
28374 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
28375 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
28376 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
28377 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
28378 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
28381 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
28383 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
28385 There should be no return data.
28388 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
28390 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
28391 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
28392 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
28393 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
28394 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
28397 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
28400 There should be no result data returned.
28403 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
28405 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
28406 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
28408 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
28409 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
28410 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
28411 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
28412 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
28413 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
28415 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
28416 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
28419 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
28420 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
28422 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
28423 article for that group.
28425 There should be no data returned.
28428 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
28430 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
28431 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
28432 this function in short order.
28434 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
28435 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
28437 There should be no data returned.
28440 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
28442 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
28443 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
28445 There should be no data returned.
28448 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
28450 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
28451 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
28452 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
28454 There should be no data returned.
28457 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
28459 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
28460 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
28462 There should be no data returned.
28467 @node Error Messaging
28468 @subsubsection Error Messaging
28470 @findex nnheader-report
28471 @findex nnheader-get-report
28472 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
28473 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
28474 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
28475 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
28476 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
28477 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
28480 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
28482 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
28485 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
28486 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
28487 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
28488 takes one argument---the server symbol.
28490 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
28491 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
28492 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
28495 @node Writing New Back Ends
28496 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
28498 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
28499 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
28500 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
28501 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
28502 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
28505 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
28506 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
28507 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
28509 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
28510 package called @code{nnoo}.
28512 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
28513 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
28519 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
28520 parameters. For instance:
28523 (nnoo-declare nndir
28527 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
28528 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
28531 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
28532 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
28533 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
28535 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
28536 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
28537 a function in those back ends.
28540 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
28541 "Where nndir will look for groups."
28542 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
28545 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
28546 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
28547 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
28549 @item nnoo-define-basics
28550 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
28554 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
28558 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
28559 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
28560 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
28562 @item nnoo-map-functions
28563 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
28564 functions from the parent back ends.
28567 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
28568 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
28569 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
28572 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
28573 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
28574 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
28575 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
28578 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
28579 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
28580 haven't already been defined.
28586 nnmh-request-newgroups)
28590 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
28591 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
28592 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
28597 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
28600 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
28601 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
28605 (require 'nnheader)
28609 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
28611 (nnoo-declare nndir
28614 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
28615 "Where nndir will look for groups."
28616 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
28618 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
28619 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
28622 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
28624 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
28625 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
28626 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
28628 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
28629 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
28631 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
28633 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
28635 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
28636 (setq nndir-directory
28637 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
28639 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
28640 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
28641 (push `(nndir-current-group
28642 ,(file-name-nondirectory
28643 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
28645 (push `(nndir-top-directory
28646 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
28648 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
28650 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
28651 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
28652 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
28653 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
28654 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
28658 nnmh-status-message
28660 nnmh-request-newgroups))
28666 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
28667 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
28669 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
28670 @findex gnus-declare-backend
28671 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
28672 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
28673 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
28675 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
28676 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
28681 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
28684 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
28686 The abilities can be:
28690 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
28692 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
28694 This back end supports both mail and news.
28696 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
28699 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
28700 articles and groups.
28702 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
28703 true for almost all back ends.
28704 @item prompt-address
28705 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
28706 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
28707 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
28711 @node Mail-like Back Ends
28712 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
28714 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
28715 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
28716 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
28717 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
28720 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
28721 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
28722 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
28725 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
28726 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
28729 This function takes four parameters.
28733 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
28736 @item exit-function
28737 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
28739 @item temp-directory
28740 Where the temporary files should be stored.
28743 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
28744 performed for one group only.
28747 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
28748 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
28749 find the article number assigned to this article.
28751 The function also uses the following variables:
28752 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
28753 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
28754 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
28755 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
28759 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
28760 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
28764 @node Score File Syntax
28765 @subsection Score File Syntax
28767 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
28768 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
28769 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
28771 Here's a typical score file:
28775 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
28782 BNF definition of a score file:
28785 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
28786 element = rule / atom
28787 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
28788 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
28789 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
28790 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
28792 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
28793 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
28794 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
28795 date-header = "date"
28796 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28797 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28798 score = "nil" / <integer>
28799 date = "nil" / <natural number>
28800 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
28801 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
28802 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
28803 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
28804 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28805 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28806 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
28807 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28808 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
28809 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
28810 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
28811 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
28812 exclude-files / read-only / touched
28813 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
28814 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
28815 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
28816 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
28817 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
28818 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
28819 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
28820 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
28821 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
28822 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
28823 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
28824 eval = "eval" space <form>
28825 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
28828 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
28831 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
28832 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
28833 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
28834 one looong line, then that's ok.
28836 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
28837 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
28841 @subsection Headers
28843 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
28844 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
28845 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
28846 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
28848 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
28849 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
28850 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
28851 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
28852 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
28853 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
28854 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
28856 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
28857 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
28858 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
28859 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
28860 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
28862 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
28863 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
28869 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
28870 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
28872 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
28873 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
28874 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
28875 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
28877 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
28881 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
28884 is transformed into
28887 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
28890 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
28891 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
28894 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
28897 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
28898 is slightly tricky:
28901 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
28907 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
28910 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
28916 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
28923 and is equal to the previous range.
28925 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
28926 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
28927 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
28931 range = simple-range / normal-range
28932 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
28933 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
28934 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
28935 number *[ " " contents ]
28938 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
28939 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
28940 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
28941 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
28942 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
28947 @subsection Group Info
28949 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
28950 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
28951 describes the group.
28953 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
28954 second is a more complex one:
28957 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
28959 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
28960 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
28962 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
28965 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
28966 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
28967 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
28968 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
28969 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
28970 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
28971 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
28972 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
28973 this section is about.
28975 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
28976 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
28977 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
28979 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
28982 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
28983 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
28984 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28985 group = quote <string> quote
28986 ralevel = rank / level
28987 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
28988 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
28989 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
28991 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
28992 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
28993 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
28994 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
28997 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
28998 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
29001 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
29002 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
29005 @item gnus-info-group
29006 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
29007 @findex gnus-info-group
29008 @findex gnus-info-set-group
29009 Get/set the group name.
29011 @item gnus-info-rank
29012 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
29013 @findex gnus-info-rank
29014 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
29015 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
29017 @item gnus-info-level
29018 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
29019 @findex gnus-info-level
29020 @findex gnus-info-set-level
29021 Get/set the group level.
29023 @item gnus-info-score
29024 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
29025 @findex gnus-info-score
29026 @findex gnus-info-set-score
29027 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
29029 @item gnus-info-read
29030 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
29031 @findex gnus-info-read
29032 @findex gnus-info-set-read
29033 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
29035 @item gnus-info-marks
29036 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
29037 @findex gnus-info-marks
29038 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
29039 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
29041 @item gnus-info-method
29042 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
29043 @findex gnus-info-method
29044 @findex gnus-info-set-method
29045 Get/set the group select method.
29047 @item gnus-info-params
29048 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
29049 @findex gnus-info-params
29050 @findex gnus-info-set-params
29051 Get/set the group parameters.
29054 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
29055 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
29057 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
29058 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
29059 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
29060 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
29063 @node Extended Interactive
29064 @subsection Extended Interactive
29065 @cindex interactive
29066 @findex gnus-interactive
29068 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
29069 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
29070 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
29073 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
29074 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
29079 The best thing to do would have been to implement
29080 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
29081 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
29082 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
29083 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
29084 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
29085 @code{interactive}.
29087 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
29092 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
29093 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
29097 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
29098 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
29099 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
29102 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
29106 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
29110 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
29116 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
29117 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
29121 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
29122 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
29123 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
29125 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
29126 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
29127 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
29128 Gnus, that's very useful.
29130 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
29131 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
29132 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
29133 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
29134 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
29135 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
29136 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
29137 following function:
29140 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
29144 (,function ,@@args))
29148 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
29149 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
29150 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
29153 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
29154 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
29155 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
29157 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
29158 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
29159 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
29162 @node Various File Formats
29163 @subsection Various File Formats
29166 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
29167 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
29171 @node Active File Format
29172 @subsubsection Active File Format
29174 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
29175 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
29178 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
29181 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
29182 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
29183 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
29184 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
29185 no.general 1000 900 y
29188 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
29191 active = *group-line
29192 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
29193 group = <non-white-space string>
29195 high-number = <non-negative integer>
29196 low-number = <positive integer>
29197 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
29200 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
29201 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
29204 @node Newsgroups File Format
29205 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
29207 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
29208 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
29209 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
29212 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
29213 Here's the definition:
29217 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
29218 group = <non-white-space string>
29220 description = <string>
29225 @node Emacs for Heathens
29226 @section Emacs for Heathens
29228 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
29229 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
29230 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
29231 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
29232 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
29233 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
29234 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
29238 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
29239 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
29244 @subsection Keystrokes
29248 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
29251 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
29254 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
29255 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
29256 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
29257 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
29258 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
29259 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
29261 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
29262 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
29263 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
29264 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
29265 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
29266 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
29267 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
29269 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
29270 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
29271 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
29272 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
29273 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
29274 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
29275 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
29277 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
29278 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
29279 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
29280 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
29281 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
29287 @subsection Emacs Lisp
29289 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
29290 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
29291 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
29292 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
29294 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
29295 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
29296 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
29297 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
29298 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
29299 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
29300 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{~/.gnus.el}
29301 file to customize Gnus. (You can also use the @file{~/.emacs} file, but
29302 in order to set things of Gnus up, it is much better to use the
29303 @file{~/.gnus.el} file, @xref{Startup Files}.)
29305 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
29306 write the following:
29309 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
29312 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
29313 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
29314 you can go and fill your @file{~/.gnus.el} file with lots of these to
29315 change how Gnus works.
29317 If you have put that thing in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, it will be
29318 read and @code{eval}ed (which is Lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
29319 start Gnus. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
29320 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
29321 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
29323 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
29324 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
29325 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
29329 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
29333 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
29336 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
29337 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
29340 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
29343 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
29344 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
29347 @include gnus-faq.texi
29367 @c Local Variables:
29369 @c coding: iso-8859-1